Latest News

New research from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy suggests the city’s ten-year plan to address homelessness might be working. The study tracked the number of stays in emergency shelters since Calgary embarked upon its plan in 2008. According to their data, emergency shelter stays — measured as a percentage of Calgary’s adult population — has […]

A financial panel appointed in May to advise the Yukon government on looming budget deficits says if taxes must be raised, the territory should consider a sales tax. The panel says shifting taxes from income to consumption will also create a more stable source of revenue for the territorial government. It suggests the government save […]

Perhaps it’s too early to discern, after just two negotiating sessions among the NAFTA partners, whether the United States has a game plan for reaching agreement, or whether they are just going through the motions with a view to pulling the plug on the hopeless task of a lopsided “America First” deal. Either way, the […]

During the 2015 election campaign, the Liberals promised to eliminate the small-business deduction, which would have meant the same, single corporate income tax rate for businesses large and small. It was a good idea. Eliminating special rates for small business, at the federal and provincial level, would reduce distortions between different-sized businesses and make the […]

Canada’s oil-producing provinces are seeing the biggest spike in insolvency in the country, according to new statistics from the Government of Canada. Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan had the highest percentage increases in the number of consumers and businesses unable to pay their debts in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2017, compared to the previous year, […]

Credit rating agency DBRS says without measures to rein in its finances, Alberta is at risk for another downgrade. In July, the agency changed its long-term outlook for the province from stable to negative while maintaining Alberta’s ‘AA (high)’ credit rating. Lower oil prices hitting Alberta budget, forcing drop in this year’s price forecast But DBRS […]

As regulators continue to examine whether sales fees should be unbundled from investment products, a new report suggests the move could have serious ramifications for Canadians’ access to financial advice and raise issues of investment choice, industry concentration and price transparency for clients seeking financial advice. The report, released Thursday by the School of Public […]

Cost overruns at the North West Redwater Partnership’s Sturgeon refinery are back in the news. The Government of Alberta has confirmed that capital costs are now estimated at $9.3 billion, about a billion more than the last estimate in 2014. And that estimate was $2 billion higher than the 2011 estimate of $6.5 billion. It […]