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1. Provincial finances in trouble—spotlight Central Canada

   The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) recently published its annual fiscal sustainability report, which provides long-term projections to assess the sustainability of public finances for the federal government and the provinces. In this ...

2. At least 1.8 million Ontarians will pay more in income taxes

   Ontario’s recent budget is jammed packed with new policies ahead of the upcoming provincial election. But what’s missing is any sign that the government wants to improve its uncompetitive personal income tax (PIT) system. In fact, the ...

3. Ontario budget ignores past promises, offers no plan to enhance economic competitiveness

   Predictably, many of the headlines on Ontario’s 2018 budget, released today, focus on Premier Kathleen Wynne’s so-called “free” child care plan and other big-spending items. It is, after all, a big-spending budget. But crucially, the ...

4. Ontario’s throne speech ignores growth and competitiveness

   On Monday, Premier Wynne’s government delivered its throne speech to layout its vision for the rest of its mandate and the future. Much will be said and written about what the speech discussed at length (various new government ...

5. Minimum wage hikes—negative effects may hit lower-wage regions of Ontario particularly hard

   Between now and 2019, Ontario will increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour. In total, this will be an increase of more than 30 per cent in less than a year-and-a-half. Canadian evidence consistently shows that higher minimum wages tend ...

6. Upcoming minimum wage hikes threaten younger and less-skilled Ontarians

   In January, Ontario’s minimum wage will increase to $14 an hour, up from $11.60 today. In January 2019, the wage floor will increase by another dollar to $15 per hour. There are good reasons to worry that such a rapid increase in the ...

7. Obstacles to business investment in Ontario—high labour costs

   A recent study by the Fraser Institute showed that weak business investment remains a serious problem for Ontario’s economy, with important implications for the province’s medium- and long-term growth prospects. While the provincial ...

8. Obstacles to business investment in Ontario—high electricity prices

   Ontario’s recent economic growth is masking a troubling slump in business investment in the province, according to a study released by the Fraser Institute this week. Despite a booming housing market, the province suffers from weak ...

9. Ontario debt—kicking the can down the road

   A new study released this today by the Fraser Institute examined the Wynne government’s plan to reduce Ontario’s debt burden to pre-recession levels (26-27 per cent) by 2029/30 from its current level of 37.5 per cent. The government’s ...

10. Obstacles to business investment in Ontario—uncompetitive tax rates

    A recent study from the Fraser Institute highlights a substantial problem for Ontario’s economy—the fact that business investment to the province remains weak. In fact, business investment still hasn’t recovered to pre-recession levels. ...