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1. Scrapping Robertson's duplex plan will do nothing to make Vancouver more affordable

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province, December 11, 2018 On the campaign trail, every member of Vancouver’s newly-minted city council promised to tackle housing affordability in Canada’s most expensive city. It’s curious, therefore, that later this month ...

2. Calgary faces the consequences of overreliance on business taxes

   Calgary households will see a $60 property tax increase, on average. ...

3. Ontario takes important step towards rental affordability

   The Ford government today tabled its first fiscal update, giving Ontarians a glimpse of its direction in major areas of public policy. Of interest to Ontarians struggling to afford and/or attain rental housing, the update eliminated rent ...

4. Rather than help all renters, B.C. government picks a lucky few

   The Horgan government recently announced plans to spend $492 million on the provision of 4,900 subsidized rental units in British Columbia over the next two to three years. There’s a clear need for units with below-market rents, and this ...

5. The most tangible threats to cities are manmade

   Although best known to Canadians as Halloween, October 31 is also World Cities Day —a time to think a bit, between the candy and costumes, about why cities are important and some key challenges they face. Canada is an urban country, with ...

6. Here’s how Mayor Tory can deliver on housing

   Mayor John Tory received a huge vote of confidence Monday, receiving 63.5 per cent of the vote in Toronto’s municipal election, eclipsing the next most popular candidate by more than two-to-one. On one hand, this can be interpreted as an ...

7. Three 'housing' priorities for Vancouver’s new mayor and city council

   Mayor-elect Kennedy Stewart wants to reach 85,000 new housing units over 10 years. ...

8. Vancouver’s new government will face enormous pressure to grow the housing stock—quickly

   With a municipal election looming, here’s a statistic that crystalizes one of, if not the most, important issues of the campaign. Home prices in Vancouver have grown almost 70 per cent since the last municipal election in 2014. Add in ...

9. Municipal spending on the rise across Metro Vancouver

   Municipalities play an essential role in the lives of Canadians. As the closest level of government to citizens, they are often the most visible—from snowplows to police patrols. It’s this visibility, and the central role these services ...

10. City size doesn’t determine spending habits in Metro Vancouver

    “Economies of scale” is a well-known economic concept. Basically it’s the idea that the “per unit” cost of providing something goes down as more of it is produced—think one big factory producing car tires or beer bottles at a lower cost ...