The C.D Howe Institute published a new report, “Retiring Employees, Unretired Debt: The Surprising Hidden Cost of Federal Employee Pensions,” in which authors William B.P. Robson and Alexandre Laurin argue that official figures for federal pension obligations understate future costs and leave many plans seriously underfunded. “Ottawa’s unfunded pension liability is nearly $100 billion worse than … Read more
A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute finds that barriers to increasing housing supply, many stemming from excessive regulation, are driving up the price of homes in Canadian cities by six figures. In Through the Roof: The High Cost of Barriers to Building New Housing in Canadian Municipalities authors Benjamin Dachis and Vincent Thivierge calculate that the … Read more
Canada’s financial institutions are key to solving the country’s productivity problem, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Productivity and the Financial Sector – What’s Missing?” author Jeremy Kronick argues that rules and regulations governing the financial sector need to be modernized to promote innovation and productivity among banks, credit unions, … Read more
C.D. Howe Institute experts weigh in on the federal budget’s key themes: “The government has finally listened to common sense with respect to the proposed changes to small business passive income rules by pretty much abandoning its proposals,” said Alexandre Laurin, Director of Research. “The budget is on the right track by denying the use of … Read more
The best and worst major cities for business investment are identified in a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In Business Tax Burdens in Canada’s Major Cities: The 2017 Report Card authors Adam Found and Peter Tomlinson compare business tax burdens in 10 Canadian cities, the largest in each province. “Before a business decides to … Read more
Ottawa’s proposed changes for the tax treatment of income from passive investments in incorporated businesses will not achieve its goal of promoting fairness in the tax system, according to a report released by the C.D. Howe Institute. In Off Target: Assessing the Fairness of Ottawa’s Proposed Tax Reforms for “Passive” Investments in CCPCs, author Alexandre Laurin … Read more
In Not Ready for Prime Time: Canada’s Proposed New Securities Regulator, published by the C.D. Howe Institute, author Harvey Naglie argues that, in its current form, the proposed new securities regulator suffers from key flaws that need addressing. According to the participating jurisdictions, this new regulator, the Capital Markets Regulatory Authority, will streamline Canada’s capital markets regulatory … Read more
A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute states that Ottawa should strengthen the screening process to improve the literacy skills of immigrants. In The Power of Words: Improving Immigrants’ Literacy Skills, author Parisa Mahboubi argues that Canada needs to improve selection policies for immigration screening, either by giving more weight to language proficiency or by making language … Read more
A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute finds that the Infrastructure Bank holds great potential, but still needs work to realize its potential. In Banking on Infrastructure: How the Canada Infrastructure Bank can Build Infrastructure Better for Canadians, author Steven Robins suggests that the bank could significantly improve the quality of infrastructure development in Canada and recommends a … Read more
Ottawa is sitting on a $3 billion stake in major seaports, and could bring in private investors to raise cash for other priorities, finds a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In Casting Off: How Ottawa Can Maximize the Value of Canada’s Major Ports and Benefit Taxpayers, author Steven Robins suggests that major port authorities … Read more
