Op-Eds
Published in the Vancouver Sun on December 30, 2014
By: John Richards
John Richards teaches in the SFU Public Policy School and is a fellow-in-residence at the C.D. Howe Institute, where he holds the Roger Phillips chair in social policy.
B.C. has a successful precedent of introducing a modest carbon tax at the provincial level. During the past month, three important events have, by coincidence, provided an excellent opportunity to take the province’s initiative to the national level.
Our modest proposal is for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to offer the provinces logistical support in mounting a nationwide carbon tax. The revenues accrue to the provinces. Beyond logistical support in tax…
Published in the Financial Post on September 15, 2014
By Michael Wyman
Michael Wyman is the author of the C.D. Howe Institute study “Rethinking Ontario’s Electricity System with Consumers in Mind”.
Right now there is only one price for electricity across the province
Nine hundred million dollars in charges from cancelled power plants. Power prices that will rise by a third in three years. These are among the legacies of Ontario’s recent power system choices.
Ontario’s system for lining up new generating capacity is in dire need of change. If the province shifts course from signing long-term contracts for new plants and moves towards a more nimble market-based approach that has been used…
Published in the Globe and Mail on August 26, 2014
By Christopher Ragan
Christopher Ragan is an associate professor of economics at McGill University and a Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute.
Last week, Quebec’s and Ontario’s premiers announced their desire to work together on crucial issues, including climate change, interprovincial trade and infrastructure. It is very positive for Canada when our two largest provinces recognize the benefits of co-operation. We should certainly hope they succeed, but let’s also be mindful of the obstacles in their way.
Especially interesting is the prospect of greater interprovincial trade in electricity. This would be a game-…
Published in the Globe and Mail on April 21, 2014
By Christopher Ragan
Christopher Ragan is an associate professor of economics at McGill University and a Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute.
There is widespread agreement that Canadian policy makers should be adopting measures that lead to a better economy – to create higher-paying and more secure jobs, to generate more investment and innovation, and to ensure that whatever prosperity we have today can be sustained and even improved for our children and grandchildren. In fact, this is pretty much a motherhood statement. Who could possibly argue in favour of a “worse” economy?
The disagreement appears when we start thinking about the specific…
Published in the Globe & Mail on February 4, 2014
By Christopher Ragan
Several recent news stories, including one in the latest Corporate Knights magazine, have reported that large companies including Walt Disney Co., Google Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Suncor Energy Inc. are now using “shadow” carbon prices when analyzing their investment options. Three obvious questions come to mind. What does this actually mean? Why are firms doing this? And what does this practice imply for any future carbon-pricing policy?
Most North American governments don’t require firms to pay for their emissions of greenhouse gases. Some firms are nonetheless analyzing their potential long-term investment projects as…
