Local Leviathans: The Rise of Municipal Government Spending in Canada, 1990–2018 finds that local governments across Canada have increased spending significantly in recent years—even before the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. In fact, from 2008 to 2018, total municipal spending in Canada increased 51 per cent, from $68.4 billion to $103.3 billion. And total municipal government revenues—including taxes, user fees and grants from other levels of government—increased 54 per cent over the same recent 10-year period.

How Much Could A Guaranteed Annual Income Cost? finds that if the federal government introduces a Guaranteed Annual Income program, it could cost taxpayers between $131.9 billion and $464.5 billion a year. This study estimates the potential costs of four different potential GAI programs including different options for reducing program costs by “phasing out’ the benefit as an individual’s income rises.

The Changing Size of Government in Canada is a new study that finds the combined size of the federal, provincial and municipal governments increased in every province, relative to the size of their economies, except Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island over the past 10 years.