Who We Are

Staff

Senior Research Staff

Brett J. Skinner, President and CEO; Director, Health Policy Research
Brett J. Skinner is the Fraser Institute's President and CEO as well as Director of Health Policy research. He holds a BA from the University of Windsor, an MA through joint studies between the University of Windsor and Wayne State University in Detroit (Michigan), and a PhD from the University of Western Ontario, where he has lectured in both the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Political Science. He has also worked as a research consultant to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (Toronto). Since 2002, Dr. Skinner has authored or co-authored nearly 40 major original pieces of applied economics and public policy research. In 2003 he was a co-winner of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation’s Sir Antony Fisher Memorial Award for innovative projects in public policy. His research has been published through several think-tanks including the Fraser Institute, the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (Halifax) and the Pacific Research Institute (San Francisco). His work has also been published in several academic journals including Economic Affairs, Pharmacoeconomics and Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Dr. Skinner is frequently cited by Canadian, American, and global media. He has presented his research at conferences and events around the world, including twice testifying before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in Ottawa, and twice briefing bi-partisan Congressional policy staff at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Peter Cowley, Senior Vice President Operations and Director, School Performance Studies
Peter Cowley is the Senior Vice President Operations and Director of School Performance Studies at The Fraser Institute. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.Comm. in 1974. Shortly thereafter, he began a long career in marketing and general management in several sectors. During his assignments in general management, process improvement was a special focus and interest. In 1994, Mr Cowley independently wrote and published The Parent’s Guide, a popular handbook for parents of British Columbia’s secondary-school students. The Parent’s Guide web site replaced the handbook in 1995.

In 1998, Mr Cowley was co-author of the Fraser Institute’s A Secondary Schools Report Card for British Columbia, the first of the Institute’s continuing series of annual reports on school performance. This was followed by the 1999 Report Card on British Columbia’s Secondary Schools, Boys, Girls, and Grades: Academic Gender Balance in British Columbia’s Secondary Schools, and The 1999 Report Card on Alberta’s High Schools. Since then, Mr Cowley has co-authored all of the Institute’s annual Report Cards. Annual editions now include Report Cards on secondary schools in British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, as well as Report Cards on elementary schools in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. He continues his research on education and related issues for the Fraser Institute.

Michael Walker, President, Fraser Institute Foundation, and Senior Fellow
Michael Walker is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute and President of the Fraser Institute Foundation. He served as Executive Director of the Fraser Institute from its establishment in 1974 until 2005. He received his BA (summa) from St. Francis Xavier University and his PhD in Econometrics at the University of Western Ontario. He writes regularly for daily newspapers and financial periodicals. His articles have appeared in technical journals in Canada, the United States, and Europe, including the American Economic Review, the Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Public Policy, Health Affairs, and the Canadian Tax Journal. He has written or edited 50 books on economic matters.

Gerry Angevine, Senior Economist, Energy Studies
Gerry Angevine is Senior Economist in the Fraser Institute’s Centre for Energy Studies.
Dr. Angevine has been President of AECL, an energy economics consulting firm, since 1999 and was a Managing Consultant with Navigant Consulting Ltd. from 2001 to 2004. He was President, CEO, and a Director of the Canadian Energy Research Institute from 1979 to 1999. Prior to that, he worked as an economist at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the Bank of Canada.

Dr. Angevine has undertaken domestic and international studies in the markets for natural gas (including trade, pipelines and storage), oil and oil products (including oil sands, refining and investment), and electricity (including deregulation, water rentals, and renewables). He has advised the Alberta Department of Energy and testified before the National Energy Board as an expert witness. He has a PhD in Economics from the University of Michigan, a MA in Economics from Dalhousie University and a B.Comm. from Mount Allison University.

Amela Karabegovic, Senior Economist, Fiscal Studies
Amela Karabegović is a Senior Economist in the Fiscal Studies Department at the Fraser Institute. She holds a BM (Great Distinction) in General Management from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and a MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She is a coauthor of the Economic Freedom of North America, Economic Freedom of the Arab World, Myths and Realities of TILMA, Transparency of Labour Relations Boards in Canada and the United States, Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States, Measuring the Flexibility of Labour Relations Laws in Canada and the United States, Tax and Expenditure Limitations: The Next Step in Fiscal Discipline, and the Prosperity Series—Ontario.

Charles Lammam, Associate Director, Centre for Tax & Budget Policy, and Centre for Studies in Economic Prosperity
Charles Lammam is Associate Director of the Centre for Tax & Budget Policy and the Centre for Studies in Economic Prosperity at the Fraser Institute. Since joining the Institute, Mr. Lammam has authored or co-authored several research reports and shorter articles on a wide range of public policy issues including taxation, government budgets, investment, labour markets, entrepreneurship, privatization, transportation infrastructure, and charitable giving, among others. He is a regular contributor to Fraser Forum, the Fraser Institute’s policy magazine, and frequently writes commentaries that have appeared in major Canadian newspapers such as the National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Sun, Montreal Gazette, Calgary Herald, and Vancouver Sun. Mr. Lammam also regularly gives presentations to various groups, responds to media queries, and appears on radio and television broadcasts across the country to discuss the Institute’s research. He holds an MA in public policy and BA in economics with a minor in business administration from Simon Fraser University.

Fred McMahon, Vice President International Policy Research and Director, Centre for Globalization Studies
Fred McMahon is the Vice President of International Policy Research and Director of the Centre for Trade and Globalization Studies at the Fraser Institute. He manages the Economic Freedom of the World Project and examines global issues, such as development, trade, governance, and economic structure. The Centre coordinates the Economic Freedom Network, an international alliance of independent think tanks in 70 nations. As well, the centre publishes the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies. Mr. McMahon is the author of numerous research articles and several books including, Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth: The Impact of Federal Transfers on Atlantic Canada, which won the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for advancing public policy debate, Road to Growth: How Lagging Economies Become Prosperous, and Retreat from Growth: Atlantic Canada and the Negative Sum Economy. He has written for numerous publications including the European Journal of Political Economy, the SAIS Journal (School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University), the Wall Street Journal, Policy Options, National Post, Time (Canada), Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, and most other major Canadian newspapers. Research articles he has recently authored or co-authored include: Economic Freedom of North America, Quebec Prosperity: Taking the Next Step, The Unseen Wall: The Fraser Institute's Annual Trade Survey, and Economic Freedom of the Arab World. He has a MA in Economics from McGill University, Montreal.

Mark Milke, Director, Alberta Policy Studies
Mark Milke is the Director of Alberta Policy Studies at the Fraser Institute. He also manages the Fraser Institute’s Centre for the Study of Property Rights. A long-time contributor to the Institute, having authored the Institute's work on corporate welfare and B.C. treaties, as well as being a regular contributor to Fraser Forum, Mr. Milke has extensive experience analyzing and writing about public policy, particularly in the areas of government spending, land claims negotiations, and taxation. He is the former research director for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and former B.C. and Alberta director with the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation. Mr. Milke is the author of three books on Canadian politics and policy: Tax Me I'm Canadian, Barbarians in the Garden City, and A Nation of Serfs. In 2006, he co-wrote a series of columns with Preston Manning on the future of Alberta. Mr. Milke is also a Sunday columnist for the Calgary Herald and a monthly columnist for Business in Vancouver. His work has appeared in the National Post, Globe and Mail, Reader’s Digest, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, Victoria Times Colonist, and the Washington, D.C.–based magazine The Weekly Standard. He has a PhD in political science and is a lecturer at the University of Calgary.

Jean-François Minardi, Associate Director, Economic Freedom and Development Centre; Associate Director, Global Natural Resource Policy Centre
Jean-François Minardi holds a MA in Economics and International Projects Management from the Université Paris XII. He has completed his PhD coursework focusing on International Relations at the Université de Montréal, where he also holds a MA in Political Science. He is co-author of The Government's Grab Groundwater: An Attack on Property Rights in Quebec and author of What does the future hold for Quebec agriculture and The Management of Water Services in Montreal. He has written articles for Fraser Forum and Perspectives and published op-eds for newspapers in Quebec including La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal, Le Soleil, The Gazette and Le Devoir.

Neil Mohindra, Director, Centre for Financial Policy Studies
Neil Mohindra is the Director of the Centre for Financial Policy Studies at the Fraser Institute. Mr. Mohindra previously worked for the Financial Services Commission of Ontario as Policy Manager for the Joint Forum Secretariat, Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators, in which he managed the cross-sectoral projects of Canadian provincial pension, securities, and insurance regulators. This included strategic planning, developing policy options and recommendations, managing external stakeholder engagement, and developing communications strategies. Mr. Mohindra worked for Insurance Bureau of Canada as a Senior Policy Analyst and led the development of industry positions on a number of issues key to the property and casualty insurance industry such as the 2006 review of federal financial institutions legislation. Prior to Insurance Bureau of Canada, he was a policy analyst on financial sector issues at the Department of Finance Canada where his responsibilities included briefing the department’s member on the Financial Stability Forum. Earlier, he was a research associate with the Task Force of the Future of the Canadian Financial Services Sector (the “MacKay Taskforce”). Mr. Mohindra also previously worked at the Fraser Institute where he authored a number of papers, articles, and opinion pieces on securities regulation. He holds a BA (Honours) in Social Sciences (Economics) from the University of Ottawa and an MBA in Finance from McGill University.

Milagros Palacios, Senior Research Economist, Fiscal Studies
Milagros Palacios is a Senior Research Economist in the Fiscal Studies Department at the Fraser Institute. She holds a BA in Industrial Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Concepción, Chile. She is co-author of Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States, Fiscal Performance Index, Tax Freedom Day, Canadian Provincial Investment Climate Report, An Empirical Comparison of Labour Relations Laws in Canada and the United States, Union Disclosure in Canada and the United States, Canadian Government Debt, and Transparency of Labour Relations Boards in Canada and the United States. Her recent commentaries have appeared in such newspapers as the National Post and Windsor Star. Since joining the Institute, Ms. Palacios has written regularly for Fraser Forum on a wide range of topics including labour regulation, fiscal issues, taxation, charitable giving, and a host of environmental issues such as air quality, Kyoto, and water transfers.

Mark Rovere, Associate Director, Health Policy Research Centre
Mark Rovere is Associate Director of the Health Policy Research Centre at the Fraser Institute. He holds a BA (honours) and a MA in Political Science from the University of Windsor. Since joining the Institute, Mr. Rovere has co-authored numerous studies on a range of health and pharmaceutical policy issues including Canadian pharmaceutical pricing, access to new medicines, government drug expenditures, Canadian and American prescription drug spending, and the sustainability of public health care in Canada. His recent commentaries have appeared in such newspapers as the National Post, Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, Windsor Star and Toronto Sun.  He also regularly appears on radio shows across the country to discuss the Institute’s health policy research, and has appeared on a number of television news programs including CBC News Hour, CTV News, SUN TV’s Daily Brief, and CPAC’s Prime Time Politics. Mr. Rovere has also written regularly for the Fraser Forum on a variety of health and pharmaceutical policy related topics. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. 

Michael Thomas, Associate Director, School Performance Studies
Michael Thomas is the Program Director, Children First: School Choice Trust and Associate Director, School Performance Studies. Mr. Thomas is a former policy advisor in the Ontario Ministry of Education, where his files included adult education, students at risk of not meeting their graduation requirements, the new curriculum, student health initiatives, and the community use of schools. He also served as a public school trustee on the Toronto District School Board from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Thomas has also held positions within the City of Toronto, and the Ontario Ministries of Tourism and Recreation, and Citizenship. He holds a BA in political science from York University.

Niels Veldhuis, Vice President Canadian Policy Research
Niels Veldhuis is the Vice President of Canadian Policy Research at the Fraser Institute and one of Canada’s most-read private-sector economists. As an economist, Niels has written 6 books and over 50 comprehensive studies on a wide range of economic topics including taxation, banking, productivity, investment, entrepreneurship, labour markets and government finances. His latest book The Canadian Century: Moving out of America’s Shadow is a national bestseller published by Key Porter in May 2010. Niels is in high demand for his opinions and perspectives on major economic and social issues, appearing regularly radio and television programs across Canada and the United States. He has written over 200 articles that have appeared in over 50 newspapers including the Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal and the Economist. He also writes a bi-weekly column for the Financial Post. Niels is regularly asked to appear before committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate as an expert witness. He travels widely across North America, speaking to business groups, corporate gatherings, voluntary organizations and students. His speeches are humorous, educational, witty and thought-provoking. Niels holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, with joint majors in business and economics and a Master Degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University. He was recently named one of Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 by Business in Vancouver.

Alana Wilson, Senior Research Analyst, Global Centre for Mining Studies
Alana Wilson is a Senior Research Analyst with the Fraser Institute’s Global Centre for Mining Studies and is overseeing a multi-year project to monitor the debate surrounding global mining issues. Her research focuses on identifying misperceptions and erroneous claims put forth by anti-mining campaigns and groups. Ms. Wilson has a MSc. in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics and a BSc. Agroecology (Honours) in Food and Resource Economics from the University of British Columbia. She joined the Fraser Institute in 2011 after six years spent working in international and rural development in Washington, D.C., Peru, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Joel Wood, Senior Research Economist, Centre for Environmental Studies, and Senior Research Economist, Centre for Risk and Regulation
Joel Wood is the Institute’s Senior Research Economist in the Centre for Environmental Studies and Centre for Risk and Regulation. He has completed a Master’s degree in Economics and a PhD in Economics from the University of Guelph under the supervision of Dr. Ross McKitrick. Dr. Wood completed his undergraduate studies in Economics at the University of British Columbia. His areas of research interest include environmental economics, energy economics, natural resource economics, applied econometrics, applied microeconomics and public policy.