Back in May 2017 I wrote a blog post providing estimates of potential carbon tax costs to households for different levels of the carbon tax (this was based on a briefing note I produced at the request of the Senate). These numbers have been used and quoted by others, most recently in a National Post […]

The first ‘to do’ item in the ministerial mandate letter—the ‘job jar’ for Canada’s Energy Minister, James Carr, is,   Work closely with provinces and territories to:  develop a Canadian Energy Strategy to protect Canada’s energy security; encourage energy conservation; and bring cleaner, renewable energy onto a smarter electricity grid.[1]   Based on the evidence […]

Calgary is a big, diverse, vibrant city. We’re proud of our western heritage, but we’re also keen for outsiders to recognize that Calgary is more than just cowboys and pickle corn dogs. Still, in one important respect, people across the country regularly call Calgary the “wild west” – campaign finance. As we’ll see, they’re probably right […]

On July 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down two rulings: Clyde River (Hamlet) v. Petroleum Geo-Services Inc. ([2017] SCC 40), and Chippewas of the Thames First Nation v. Enbridge Pipelines Inc. ([2017] SCC 41). These companion decisions have important implications for the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous Peoples, particularly the […]

The addition of GHG emissions to the Energy East Hearing List of Issues, and TransCanada’s response. Late last month, the NEB issued a letter outlining some changes to the List of Issues it would consider in its hearings on TransCanada Pipeline’s (TCPL) Energy East Application.[1] In response, TCPL has asked for[2] and been granted[3] a […]

I have run a small business (consulting) for 20 years and my business has benefited by the small business tax rate, which, as government spokespersons and many in the media have been continuously emphasizing, is considerably less than the individual rate.  However, that is the rate of tax paid by my business.  My business is […]

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare penned that famous quote “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The reference is often used to imply that the names of thing don’t affect what they are, but can we apply this to public finance? Namely, does the […]

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI have long had lower incomes than residents of provinces to their west.  Since moving to New Brunswick from Alberta I have been surprised by two features of the public discussion of the reasons for the regional disparity.  First, cultural explanations for the lower incomes seem to be widely accepted […]

During our recent vacation in Argentina, Canada appeared in the news three times.  There was a television report on the forest fires in British Columbia, a two-page newspaper article on a terminally ill Victoria man’s assisted suicide, and an article in LA NACION on the price of milk in Canada.  Well, the story was motivated […]