Op-Eds
Published in the Toronto Star on December 21 2010
By Benjamin Dachis
Now that Rob Ford has become mayor, the city’s focus will turn from what he said he would do to what he does.
Perhaps more than any of his other promises, voters will have high expectations that the new administration deliver on its pledge to contract out more residential waste collection services.
Although contracting collection could save money if done properly, Ford faces many hurdles in following through on this promise.
Toronto’s municipal employees provide most household waste collection within the city’s borders. The main exception is in Etobicoke, which is like most other Canadian cities in that private contracting is the…
Published in the Edmonton Journal on November 8, 2010
By Stuart Landon And Constance Smith
The government of Alberta's revenue volatility turns ordered plans topsy-turvy. Highly variable revenues make it difficult for the government to achieve a sustainable level of spending. Instead, Alberta's spending tends to follow a boom-and-bust pattern -- expenditures rise when oil and gas prices are high and abate when prices fall.
The rapid expansion of programs and capital spending during revenue booms stretches the capacity of the government to provide services and monitor spending, which can lead to waste and inefficiency. During a revenue collapse, spending cuts are often across the board rather than focused on the…
Published in The Province on September 8, 2010
By Finn Poschmann
As British Columbians engage in a fiery storm of words over who said what and when about sales tax reform and the harmonized sales tax, amid accusations about the import of a report I co-authored for the C.D. Howe Institute in 2008, there's something we should probably contemplate. The world is changing, and jurisdictions like Ontario and B.C. have had to face up to competitive pressure at home and abroad.
First, the backdrop. Suppose a province is facing a sluggish economic outlook: while real estate might be looking pricey, which is good for people who have houses and jobs, manufacturing employment is shrinking instead of rising and wages are…
Published in the National Post on January 19, 2010
By Blake Goldring
There are nearly 500 reservists among the ranks of the 2,800 Canadian soldiers now deployed to southern Afghanistan, putting their lives on hold for a year to serve our country on a dangerous assignment. Not enough is being done to help these soldiers either before or after their deployments.
Reservists serving in Afghanistan take on all the same risks as their regular military comrades. Yet many rely on a shaky support framework to maintain good relations with their employers when deciding to volunteer for overseas missions. The C.D. Howe Institute has released a report dealing with Canada’s policy regarding our military reservists,…
Harmonized Tax Badly Needed and Likely Revenue-Neutral
In Harmonized Tax Badly Needed and Likely Revenue-Neutral , (The Vancouver Sun, August 11, 2009), C.D. Howe Institute Senior Policy Analyst, Alexandre Laurin, and Policy Analyst, Ben Dachis, argue that sales tax harmonization is crucial for BC to maintain its economic competitiveness without significantly increasing taxes.
For the essay click here.
