From: Keith Ambachtsheer To: Canadian pension observers Date: October 15, 2026 Re: Improving Canada’s Pension System: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges Keith Ambachtsheer has been at the forefront of Canadian pension policy for 40 years and is a central figure in the development of the Maple Model of public worker pensions, which is now imitated around the world. In this special […]
L’Institut C.D. Howe publie une série de recommandations pour stimuler la productivité du Canada 15 Octobre 2026 – Le Canada doit mettre en œuvre des réformes coordonnées dans plusieurs domaines de politique publique pour remédier à son problème persistant de productivité, selon le Productivity Blueprint de l’Institut C.D. Howe, publié aujourd’hui et proposant des recommandations […]
October 14, 2026 – Canada has the highest household debt in the G7, but the country is not facing a systemic debt crisis, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. Instead, financial strain is concentrated among particular groups of Canadians. In “Beyond the Headlines: Where Canada’s Household Debt Problem Lies,” authors Mawakina […]
Le 14 octobre 2026 – Le Canada affiche le niveau d’endettement des ménages le plus élevé du G7, mais cet endettement ne constitue pas une crise systémique, selon un nouveau rapport de l’Institut C.D. Howe. Les difficultés financières sont plutôt concentrées au sein de certains groupes de Canadiens. Dans « Beyond the Headlines: Where Canada’s […]
by Mawakina Bafale and Peter MacKenzie Canada’s high household debt warrants concern, but the aggregate data do not point to a systemic debt crisis. The debt-service ratio (DSR), a more timely measure of financial strain than the debt-to-income ratio, has eased from its 2023 peak and sits slightly below its pre-pandemic level. Canada’s DSR is […]
From: Peter Hicks and John Stapleton To: Retirement policy watchers Date: July 13, 2026 Re: Why Canadians are retiring later – and why it matters for policy Statistics Canada’s retirement-age data tell a remarkable story. After declining steadily from about age 65 in the late 1970s to roughly 61 around 2000, the average retirement age has climbed back to historically high levels (see Figure). In 2025, the […]
From: Mawakina BafaleTo: Canada’s PolicymakersDate: July 2, 2026 Re: Beyond the Terminal: A Policy Agenda for Canadian Tipping Culture Two-thirds of Canadians want tipping abolished according to one recent survey, where 93 percent of respondents said tipping is out of hand, spreading to goods and services that don’t warrant it. Tipping in Canada once had a defined scope – […]
From: John Stapleton and Colin Busby To: Retirement observers Date: June 17, 2026 Re: Houses are Not Pensions, Sewing Confusion in Debates on the Intergenerational Divide Canadians approaching retirement are, on paper, wealthier than any previous generation. Statistics Canada’s Survey of Financial Security shows that the net worth of households aged 55 to 64 rose by 91 percent on average, from $457,300 to $873,400, between 1999 and 2023, after adjusting for inflation. That is an […]
Published in The Globe and Mail. Canadians approaching retirement are wealthier, on paper, than any previous generation. Statistics Canada’s Survey of Financial Security shows that, between 1999 and 2023, the net worth of people aged 55 to 64 rose by 91 per cent on average, from around $457,000 to more than $873,000, after adjusting for […]
More than 9 million Canadians don’t have a company pension plan because they work for a small business that doesn’t think it can afford one. Finance veteran Keith Ambachtsheer and industry leader Alex Mazer have a solution that keeps SMEs competitive during unprecedented times. Read the report: https://cdhowe.org/publication/spreading-the-benefits-a-targeted-tax-credit-is-needed-to-expand-retirement-plan-coverage-in-canadas-private-sector/
More than 9 million Canadians don’t have a company pension plan because they work for a small business that doesn’t think it can afford one. Finance veteran Keith Ambachtsheer and industry leader Alex Mazer have a solution that keeps SMEs competitive during unprecedented times. Read the report: https://cdhowe.org/publication/spreading-the-benefits-a-targeted-tax-credit-is-needed-to-expand-retirement-plan-coverage-in-canadas-private-sector/
From: Keith Ambachtsheer To: Canadian pension observersDate: April 13, 2026 Re: Why is Ontario Spurning Big Pension Managers for its New Investment Fund? The government of Ontario recently announced its intention to create an Ontario Investment Fund which would finance the building of durable assets in minerals, life sciences, AI, defence, and “new economy” manufacturing in the province. The […]
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From: Keith Ambachtsheer To: Canadian pension observers Date: October 15, 2026 Re: Improving Canada’s Pension System: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges Keith Ambachtsheer has been at the forefront of Canadian pension policy for 40 years and is a central figure in the development of the Maple Model of public worker pensions, which is now imitated around the world. In this special […] 
October 14, 2026 – Canada has the highest household debt in the G7, but the country is not facing a systemic debt crisis, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. Instead, financial strain is concentrated among particular groups of Canadians. In “Beyond the Headlines: Where Canada’s Household Debt Problem Lies,” authors Mawakina […] 
From: Peter Hicks and John Stapleton To: Retirement policy watchers Date: July 13, 2026 Re: Why Canadians are retiring later – and why it matters for policy Statistics Canada’s retirement-age data tell a remarkable story. After declining steadily from about age 65 in the late 1970s to roughly 61 around 2000, the average retirement age has climbed back to historically high levels (see Figure). In 2025, the […] 
From: Mawakina BafaleTo: Canada’s PolicymakersDate: July 2, 2026 Re: Beyond the Terminal: A Policy Agenda for Canadian Tipping Culture Two-thirds of Canadians want tipping abolished according to one recent survey, where 93 percent of respondents said tipping is out of hand, spreading to goods and services that don’t warrant it. Tipping in Canada once had a defined scope – […] 
From: John Stapleton and Colin Busby To: Retirement observers Date: June 17, 2026 Re: Houses are Not Pensions, Sewing Confusion in Debates on the Intergenerational Divide Canadians approaching retirement are, on paper, wealthier than any previous generation. Statistics Canada’s Survey of Financial Security shows that the net worth of households aged 55 to 64 rose by 91 percent on average, from $457,300 to $873,400, between 1999 and 2023, after adjusting for inflation. That is an […] 
Published in The Globe and Mail. Canadians approaching retirement are wealthier, on paper, than any previous generation. Statistics Canada’s Survey of Financial Security shows that, between 1999 and 2023, the net worth of people aged 55 to 64 rose by 91 per cent on average, from around $457,000 to more than $873,000, after adjusting for […] 
More than 9 million Canadians don’t have a company pension plan because they work for a small business that doesn’t think it can afford one. Finance veteran Keith Ambachtsheer and industry leader Alex Mazer have a solution that keeps SMEs competitive during unprecedented times. Read the report: https://cdhowe.org/publication/spreading-the-benefits-a-targeted-tax-credit-is-needed-to-expand-retirement-plan-coverage-in-canadas-private-sector/ 
From: Keith Ambachtsheer To: Canadian pension observersDate: April 13, 2026 Re: Why is Ontario Spurning Big Pension Managers for its New Investment Fund? The government of Ontario recently announced its intention to create an Ontario Investment Fund which would finance the building of durable assets in minerals, life sciences, AI, defence, and “new economy” manufacturing in the province. The […]