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1. Alberta’s higher taxes, rapid debt accumulation and higher minimum wages are hurting workers

   A strong labour market is critical for the prosperity of workers. It matches workers looking for the right job opportunity with employers looking for workers with the right skills. But to properly judge the strength of Alberta’s labour ...

2. Not fake, but misleading news on minimum wages

   CBC’s The National ran a very touching story this week about the hard choices faced by three Toronto men holding down minimum wage jobs. It was both empathetic and sympathetic. Good. We shouldn’t skimp on either for people who are worse ...

3. Canada has lower job-growth, higher unemployment rate than U.S. over three years

   This Labour Day, while many Canadians and Americans spend time with friends and family, Canadian workers have less to celebrate than their American counterparts, as provincial labour markets have performed poorly compared to U.S. states ...

4. The evidence mounts—minimum wage hikes reduce job opportunities for vulnerable workers

   Many Canadian provinces have expressed a desire to hike their minimum wage to $15 per hour. Alberta has begun the process with incremental increases, Ontario has formally introduced a plan, and B.C.’s new government has mused about the ...

5. Participation rates—good news, bad news or neutral news?

   Part of being a market-oriented economist—and is there really any other kind?—is learning not to have the same reaction to economic news that everybody else does. For instance, this week StatCan published a short study on “The impact of ...

6. Go West, Young Adults: The 10-Year Western Boom in Investment, Jobs and Incomes

   If a young Canadian seeks economic opportunity—that is, employment and the chance to achieve at least a middle class income—which provinces can best provide those opportunities? The data show that Western Canada is the land of opportunity for young adults ...

7. Government legislated pay doesn't help the most vulnerable workers

   Appeared in the Financial Post What a world it would be if governments could simply legislate higher pay for low-wage workers without any ill effects. But we live in the real world and here public policy should be informed by evidence, not just good ...

8. Living Wages decrease employment and increase property taxes

   Appeared in the Terrace Standard Terrace city council recently shelved a proposal to implement a living wage policy. Terrace taxpayers should hope it stays shelved. A living wage is a minimum hourly wage that is supposed to be pegged to the level at which ...

9. The Economic Effects of Increasing British Columbia's Minimum Wage

   Minimum wages have long been the subject of considerable attention and debate. The controversy surrounding minimum wages arises from the tension between well-intentioned efforts to increase incomes for lower-income workers and the significant negative ...

10. Eliminating Barriers to Worker Mobility: Increasing the Availability of Skilled Labor in Alberta's Oil Sands Industry

    The demand in Alberta for skilled workers is projected to continue to grow rapidly, especially for oil sands construction projects. A ready supply of out-of-province workers would help to prevent construction project delays and cost overruns. Provincial ...