Finance minister Mike de Jong recently issued a flurry of press releases touting the high credit rating of the BC government by various rating agencies. In one release he said: “The judgment of the rating agencies is an objective confirmation that by balancing our budget and keeping our debt affordable for British Columbians, our finances are on the right track.” Statements like these can mislead British Columbians about the actual state of BC’s finances, which may not be as rosy as the minister lets on.
government spending
Juin 2, 2014
2:00AM
Premier Couillard's government will table its first budget on June 4 and early signs suggest it's not going to be business as usual.
Mai 31, 2014
2:00AM
Question: If someone made $62,000 last year, had $187,000 in their bank account, and yet sought a $5,360 subsidy from government, what would the common sense response be?
Mai 27, 2014
2:00AM
A new report on provincial debts and deficits by Moody's, the international credit rating agency, is another piercing reminder of Ontario's serious fiscal challenges.
Mai 22, 2014
2:00AM
Lost in the current flurry of Ontarios election campaign is the one key issue facing the province, and indeed all of Canada: Ontarios laggard economic performance is dragging down the national economy.
Mai 15, 2014
2:00AM
Ever wonder how Canada's net federal debt reached $671 billion by 2013? Or how net provincial debt among the provinces ended up at $509 billion that same year? Wonder no more. It's partially due to massive subsidies to corporations, government businesses and even consumers that over three decades amounted to $684 billion.
Avril 24, 2014
2:00AM
With talks to expand the Canada Pension Plan having stalled, the Ontario government has pledged to roll out its own provincial version.
Avril 17, 2014
2:00AM
As Ontario continues to undermine its economic future with growing debt, the province does not receive near the critical scrutiny it should from the media and financial markets. In reading CIBC World Markets latest Economic Insight, its not hard to understand why.