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1. Government spending varies widely across major Ontario municipalities

   Burlington spent nearly 17 per cent of tax-financed expenditure on “general government.” ...

2. Municipal spending in Ontario—a snapshot

   With municipal elections looming across the country, voters should be aware of the fiscal sustainability of city hall. The federal Parliamentary Budget Office’s recent sustainability report has noted that for subnational governments in ...

3. Debt and decline—Ontario’s challenges in three snapshots

   Ontario’s upcoming provincial budget will likely include a significant increase in government spending with an eye on the spring election. Liberal Finance Minister Charles Sousa has already indicated that the pre-election budget will now ...

4. Canadian household debt concerns are overblown

   Once again, alarms are sounding about the level of household debt in Canada. A recent Financial Post story highlighted reports by both Equifax Canada and the Swiss-based Bank of International Settlements (BIS) about the growing household ...

5. Ontario’s fiscal paradox—a balanced budget and mounting debt

   Ontario has wrapped up its 2018 pre-budget public consultations as it prepares to deliver its next provincial budget. Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa confirmed in the fall fiscal statement that Ontario’s 2018 budget will be ...

6. Ontario government celebrates lotteries and booze while applying ‘sin taxes’

   Ontario’s dispute with Liquor Control Board (LCBO) employees, which led to a tentative agreement earlier this week, highlights the continuing importance of “sin taxes” as a source of Ontario government revenue. Moreover, Ontario’s ...

7. Why are northern Ontario’s cities really shrinking?

   The latest census results have caused quite a bit of alarm in northern Ontario as three out of the five major cities have seen a drop in their population while the other two are displaying rather stagnant population growth rates. ...

8. Municipal finances in Ontario—growing water charges, too

   While there is a growing property tax burden in Ontario, what’s often left out of the discussion is the parallel rise in separate water and sewer/wastewater charges. The BMA Management Consulting Group’s annual municipal studies present ...

9. Narrative about Canada’s post-recession economic superiority overlooks provincial laggards east of Manitoba

   A popular narrative holds that Canada weathered the global financial crisis and recession relatively well, outperforming many advanced countries economically since 2009. This is true for the country as whole particularly when Canada is ...

10. A Brief History of Ontario Public Debt

    Appeared in the Financial Post Ontario’s net public debt is estimated at $287.3 billion and will hit nearly $320 billion by 2017.  The evolution of this daunting number is an interesting story as the spring budget approaches. Much like Rome, Ontario’s ...