Andrew Kaufman – Pooling Piggybanks: Ontario Municipalities Can Better Deploy Their Spare Change
To: Ontario Municipalities From: Andrew Kaufman Date: August 11, 2023 Re: Pooling Piggybanks: Ontario Municipalities Can Better Deploy Their Spare Change There is a long – 103-year – history of investment managers supporting the supervision and investment of public funds in Ontario to provide increased revenue for public coffers while reducing the costs associated with the duplication of […]Booze & Cigarettes and Interprovincial Trade with Ryan Manucha
Double the Pain: How Inflation Increases Tax Burdens
by William B.P. Robson and Alexandre Laurin Inflation and taxation are a painful combination. Money losing its purchasing power hurts on its own, but tax provisions that ignore inflation can multiply the pain for earners, savers, and recipients of benefit programs as well. This E-Brief identifies problematic interactions between inflation and taxes and highlights some […] The Double Burden of Inflation and Taxes
Inflation and taxation are a painful mix. Money losing its purchasing power hurts on its own, but tax provisions that ignore inflation can multiply the pain for earners, savers, and recipients of benefits, says a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Double the Pain: How…Munn, Laurin – Productivity Increases Start with Tax Reform
From: Duncan Munn and Alexandre Laurin To: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland Date: August 9, 2023 Re: Productivity Increases Start with Tax Reform Canada’s labour productivity decline is making headlines across the country and raising concerns about our economic prosperity. In real terms, per capita GDP has been stagnant since 2017. Ontario’s output per capita is now on par with Alabama’s, […] Alberta’s renewable energy pause goes against conservative free market fundamentals – Globe and Mail
Alberta’s move last week to pause approvals for new renewable electricity investments sends a strong signal: The conservative, free-market fundamentals underpinning the province’s approach to electricity are no longer as strong as the past few decades might suggest.
Whatever happens between now and next February, when the moratorium expires, Alberta’s electricity industry is at a crossroads: Does the province continue to embrace its quarter-century as a free, open market, or will the government and regulator take more interventionist control over the type and location of generation investments?
In 1996, then-premier Ralph Klein’s Progressive Conservative government decided to let market forces govern…
William B.P. Robson – Where Did All the COVID Spending Go?
From: William B.P. Robson To: Government spending observers Date: August 8, 2023 Re: Where Did All the COVID Spending Go? Canadian governments’ lack of transparency is a high-profile concern – and for good reason. Alongside such problems as bureaucratic circumvention of freedom of information laws and ministers responding to questions in legislatures or from the media with mechanical talking points, government […] Ben Brunnen – A Critical Raw Materials Strategy for Canada
From: Ben Brunnen To: Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Date: August 4, 2023 Re: A Critical Raw Materials Strategy for Canada Canada has undertaken significant efforts to take advantage of strategic manufacturing and supply chain opportunities in the face of […] Charles DeLand – Alberta can learn from Ontario as it looks to develop nuclear energy – Globe and Mail
Fans of Canadian nuclear energy have a lot to root for these days. Two recent Ontario announcements, one about small modular reactors and one for a new large-scale project, indicate meaningful commitment to nuclear energy to meet rising demand. Along with hydro, nuclear power emits virtually zero greenhouse-gas emissions, and is foundational to meet federal emissions targets.
Albertans have a chance to learn from Ontario’s ambition – and Premier Danielle Smith’s recent mandate letter to Brian Jean, her Energy and Minerals Minister, presents a well-timed opportunity to do even more.
Among other things, the Premier asks the minister to co-ordinate “with other provinces and the federal government to further explore…
Nitani and Nusrat – Solving Canada’s SME Financing Conundrum
To: Small business watchers From: Miwako Nitani and Aurin Shaila Nusrat Date: August 3, 2023 Re: Solving Canada’s SME Financing Conundrum Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an out-sized role in generating jobs and promoting economic prosperity. Even so, Canadian growth-oriented SMEs lag behind those of other advanced countries and face financing hurdles, in raising debt and attracting […] Benjamin Dachis – We need a minister of competition to boost Canadians’ incomes – Financial Post
The Liberal government’s 23-move cabinet shuffle last week missed out on one sensible extra move. As a major review of Canada’s competition policy continues, it’s a good time to highlight competition’s crucial importance in the economy by giving it its very own minister. An effective and dedicated competition minister might actually raise Canadians’ incomes by thousands of dollars a year.
At the moment, competition policy is the responsibility of the minister of innovation, science and industry, who is currently François-Philippe Champagne, one of only seven ministers left unshuffled last week. Many observers think Champagne has been effective in executing the government’s priorities. But his portfolio is vast and he is…
Canada Lags US in Angel Investing
According to the National Angel Capital Network (NACO 2022), angels affiliated with regional angel networks collectively invested $262.1 million in 635 firms in Canada in 2021 up from $102.9 million in 416 firms in 2020. These investments averaged $346,024 per company in 2021 up from $289,792 in 2020. In the US, using data from Angel […]