Canada is losing its edge in the competition for global capital. After a decade of remarkable progress in reducing the tax burden on business investment — moving from one of the least tax-competitive jurisdictions among its industrialized peers in 2000, to ranking in the middle of the pack by 2011 — Canada has slipped by […]

There are things about Canada’s economy that Canadians take for granted: We are unusually reliant on exports; and we are exceptionally reliant, even precariously so, on trade with one particular market, the United States. But despite the fact that we are accustomed to believing such things, a closer examination reveals a different picture. A report […]

Dr Jennifer Winter, Associate Area Director for Energy and Environmental Policy at The School of Public Policy, investigated the widely touted green jobs numbers from a Clean Energy Canada report published last week. In short, Winter challenges the formulas and definition used to determine the number of jobs counted as green – a formula that […]

The following statements can be quoted, and should be attributed to Prof. Jack Mintz, Director and Palmer Chair at the School of Public Policy December 9, 2014 “I believe the Ontario Securities Commission is following a prudent path in creating an Offering Memorandum regime similar to those in Quebec, Alberta, BC and other provinces. However, […]

Canada has been scratching its head for quite a while over how it will fund its urgent infrastructure needs. A report published today by The School of Public Policy, written by Jack Mintz and Stephen Richardson, suggests offering tax exemptions to foreign pension funds could help get these projects off the ground. Mintz and Richardson’s […]

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the most commonly diagnosed neurological disorder in children. Over the past 30 years, ASD prevalence has risen by 600 per cent.  It is sometimes claimed that families living with ASD are migrating to Alberta to access higher funding for ASD support.  Prevalence estimation has an important role in informing policy […]

The property tax is effectively the tax source of municipal governments in Canada. But lately, many commentators and municipal politicians are arguing that property tax is no longer adequate to finance the public services and infrastructure that large cities, like Edmonton and Calgary, need to provide. They insist that cities should be given the power […]

Given the large Caribbean diaspora in Toronto and Montreal, and the fact that a great number of Canadian vacationers escape to Caribbean destinations every winter, there is no question that connections between Canada and the Caribbean are important. Canadian businesses have also made major investments in the Caribbean, especially in the finance and resource sectors. […]

The government of British Columbia has made LNG for export a cornerstone of its economic strategy.   There is no question that Asia needs more energy. So the future for Canada’s LNG exports seems bright – but is it? A ground-breaking report released today by The School of Public Policy at a press conference and business […]