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1. In Ontario, the cost of doing business is high

   Jon Dwyer, the managing director of an Ontario-based bio-tech company, recently took to the CBC to express his concern that doing business in Ontario was becoming increasingly difficult. In his column, Dwyer states that rising energy ...

2. Going off the rails—does Ontario really need a high-speed train?

   Ontario is at it again. Promoting a vision of large-scale public spending to meet a future that may or may not be ready for it. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne recently announced a promise to build a high-speed rail line from Toronto to ...

3. Ontario government shifts today’s electricity bills (plus interest) onto future consumers

   Ontarians have seen their electricity bills skyrocket in recent years. From 2010 to 2016, the average monthly electricity bill for Toronto residents increased by more than 50 per cent, granting Torontonians the distinction of having some ...

4. Government’s plan for Northern Ontario fails to deliver

   When it comes to economic policy, good government involves knowing when to do something and when to do nothing. Ontario’s Northern Growth Plan is an interesting variation on this motif as a government policy that despite its lofty goals ...

5. Ontario’s basic income unlikely to help people get ahead

   This spring, the Ontario government will launch a three-year “basic income” pilot program and a key question to consider is how the program will impact the willingness of recipients to work. While it is possible to create a basic income ...

6. Ontario’s debt plan—weak and risky

   Ontario’s finances remain in deep trouble, despite last month’s announcement of a balanced operating budget for 2017/18. The province still has $312 billion in net debt, and expects to pile on more than $11 billion in new debt annually ...

7. Ontarians wait longer for health care than citizens of other universal health-care countries

   When the bar is low, it’s easy to present the picture of success. And in Canada, when it comes to wait times for health care, the bar is six feet under. Last week, Premier Wynne’s government issued a news release extolling the benefits ...

8. Ontario’s new prescription drug plan misses the mark

   The recent announcement from Queen’s Park about a new program (called OHIP+) that will provide “free” prescription drugs for Ontarians under 25 is a misguided exercise in rebranding that sets a dangerous precedent for future policy. ...

9. Ontario’s mountain of debt continues to grow

   Last week, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government published its budget for the 2017/18 fiscal year. As we warned in a recent study published before the budget was tabled, the Ontario government plans to add billions of dollars to the ...

10. Ontario budget—more spending, more debt

    This afternoon, Ontario’s Finance Minister Charles Sousa delivered the provincial government budget for fiscal year 2017/18. Headlines will likely focus on the government’s first balanced operating budget in a decade. A deeper look at ...