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1. Ford Government Fiscal Policy Approach Mirrors that of McGuinty and Wynne

   This bulletin analyzes the recent 2021 budget that Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government tabled in order to assess the extent to which it continues or changes the general fiscal policy approach of the Liberal governments of Premiers ...

2. Ford government should exercise prudence in these volatile times

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, March 19, 2020 As uncertainty swirls, the Ford government, which next week will release a fiscal update—instead of a planned complete 2020 budget—should remember that prudence is the best shield to protect government finances. ...

3. More money from Ottawa the wrong solution to Ontario’s fiscal challenges

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, December 4, 2019 Ontario premier Doug Ford used a recent meeting of premiers to encourage his counterparts to join him in pressing the Trudeau government for an increase in cash transfers to help the provinces cope with rising ...

4. Globe and Mail misrepresents state of Ontario finances

   According to the Globe and Mail’s editorial board, Ontario’s new government has been “ peddling a fiscal fantasy.” The reality, however, is just the opposite—it’s the Globe that’s misrepresenting the current state of Ontario’s finances ...

5. Ford government following fiscal strategy of its predecessors

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, April 17, 2019 Last week, Premier Ford’s government tabled its budget for the 2019/20 fiscal year. Those hoping for a fast path to fiscal recovery were likely disappointed. The budget forecasts another deficit of more than $10 ...

6. A Turning Point or More of the Same? Ontario's Fiscal Choices in Budget 2019

   As the Ford government approaches its first full budget, it must decide how to confront the $13.6 billion deficit it faces, as well as the stock of public debt forecasted to reach $346 billion this year. There is nothing new about Ontario’s difficult ...

7. Ford government should heed lessons of recent fiscal history

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, February 21, 2019 In last week’s fiscal update, Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli had a little bit of good news. Ontario’s budget deficit for this year is now forecasted to be $1 billion less than previously thought, at $13 ...

8. A visit from the ghost of Ontario’s fiscal future

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, December 19, 2019 In Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge is memorably visited by the “ghost of Christmas future” who shows him a disturbing glimpse of things to come. Last week Ontario was visited by a ghost of the ...

9. ‘Mini-budget’ an early test of Ford government resolve

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, November 14, 2018 This week, Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli will table his government’s fall economic statement—an update on provincial government finances—which is expected to be a “mini-budget,” meaning it will also ...

10. Restoring Ontario's Public Finances

    Ontario’s public finances have deteriorated over the last few decades as chronic deficits have led to mounting public debt. Nevertheless, the situation can be repaired—and relatively more quickly than might be imagined. Restoring Ontario’s Public Finances ...