Who was Barbara Mitchell?
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Thinking About Poverty Part 2: Counting the Poor—The Empirical Evidence

Counting the Poor: The Empirical Evidence is the second part of the Thinking About Poverty series by Senior Fellow Christopher A. Sarlo. The new study finds that three different Statistics Canada models for measuring poverty are broadly consistent: Income poverty for households is in the five to seven per cent range; and for individuals, it is in the four to six per cent range. Critically, the study also measures consumption poverty, which measures what households consume rather than counting their income. This is important because many low-income households will draw on savings, charity, assistance from family, etc. that assists them but doesn’t appear in income statistics. Consumption poverty was less than three per cent of Canadians in 2019, which points to an all-time low for “basic needs” poverty in Canada.

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Comparing Median Employment Incomes in Canada’s Census Metropolitan Areas

Comparing Median Employment Incomes in Canada’s Census Metropolitan Areas measures median employment income—wages, salaries and commissions from paid and net self-employment income before taxes and transfers—across Canada’s 41 census metropolitan areas for 2019, and finds CMAs containing capital cities ranked highest on average.

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Mill’s Harm Principle: A Study in the Application of On Liberty

Mill’s Harm Principle: A Study in the Application of On Liberty is a new essay by Sandra J. Peart—part of the Institute’s Essential Scholar series—that explores in-depth John Stuart Mill’s famous harm principle, its relevance today and how it might impact the debates surrounding gun control, free speech and even mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Global Aftermath: The Economic and Fiscal Effects of COVID in Canada and the World

Global Aftermath: The Economic and Fiscal Effects of COVID in Canada and the World finds that during the pandemic, despite high levels of government spending and debt accumulation, Canada’s economy underperformed compared to most other advanced countries.

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The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2023

The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2023 is a new study that finds an estimated 1.2 million Canadian patients waited for medically necessary treatment last year, and each lost an estimated $2,925 (on average) due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours. Put differently, long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $3.6 billion in lost wages and productivity last year.

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Annual Survey of Mining Companies, 2022

The Annual Survey of Mining Companies, 2022 finds that Saskatchewan is the 3rd most attractive jurisdiction worldwide for mining investment, after Nevada (1st) and Western Australia (2nd). Notably, Newfoundland & Labrador ranked 4th and Quebec ranked 8th in this year’s survey. No other Canadian province or territory ranked in the global top ten, with Ontario ranking 12th, Manitoba 14th and British Columbia 15th.

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How Provincial Governments Respond to Fiscal Shocks and Federal Transfers

How Provincial Governments Respond to Fiscal Shocks and Federal Transfers is a new study that finds despite misperceptions that government deficits have no cost, higher deficit-financed spending by provincial governments over the past 50 years has, in fact, led to higher taxes and higher debt-servicing costs for taxpayers.

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