If electricity prices keep rising at their current rate, the trade-offs that families have to make will become increasingly difficult to manage
By Taylor Jackson, Ashley Stedman, and Elmira Aliakbari The Fraser Institute Ontarians are all too familiar with the rising cost of electricity. They see it on their hydro bills every month. But just how much have prices increased and how do those bills compare to other Canadian cities? We analyzed electricity prices across Canada since 2008…
First Nations can’t veto development in northern Ontario. They must engage in good faith, just like business and governments, and not squander this opportunity
By Joseph Quesnel and Kenneth Green The Fraser Institute It’s often said that successful First Nations must operate at the speed of business, not the speed of government. That certainly applies to First Nations affected by the Ring of Fire mining proposal. Long delays and lack of communication between governments and the nine First Nation communities…
Canadian evidence consistently shows minimum wage hikes result in fewer job opportunities for inexperienced and low-skilled workers
By Charles Lammam, Hugh MacIntyre and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute The Ontario government recently proposed a series of changes to provincial labour laws, including a significant hike of the minimum wage to $15 per hour. But the proposed changes will hurt the vulnerable workers they’re meant to help. The proposal would increase the minimum wage from its current rate of…
Despite tabling Ontario’s first balanced operating budget in a decade, there are signs the government plans to go right back to undisciplined spending
By Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute Premier Kathleeen Wynne’s government recently tabled Ontario’s first balanced operating budget in a decade. While it’s good to see the province finally bring its expenditures in line with revenues, there are worrying signs the government plans to go right back to the undisciplined approach that created Ontario’s…
Spending on exploration – the lifeblood of the industry – dropped for the fourth consecutive year and is at its lowest point since 2005
By Kenneth P. Green and Taylor Jackson The Fraser Institute In recent years, depressed commodity prices have plagued Canada’s mining industry. One recent report showed that spending on exploration – the lifeblood of the industry – dropped for the fourth consecutive year and is at its lowest point since 2005. Amid conditions like these, when…
Phasing out coal had almost no effect on Ontario’s air pollution levels – and the government knew this was likely to be the case
The federal Liberal government plans to impose a national coal phase-out is based on the same faulty arguments used in Ontario, namely that such a move will yield significant environmental benefits and reduce health-care costs. Those arguments never made sense, and now with the Ontario phase-out complete, we can verify not only that they were…
Rosy rhetoric in economic statement just tells story of Greater Golden Horseshoe
By Ben Eisen and Joel Emes The Fraser Institute It’s no secret Ontario has experienced economic pain in recent years. The pain, however, has not been spread evenly, with some regions of the province hit harder than others. Recently, Ontario’s provincial government released its fall economic statement, which pointed to Ontario’s uptick in economic growth…
Prolonged poor economic performance has meant the unthinkable: Ontario’s average income is now below the rest of the country
By Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute The Ontario government's recent update on the province's economy offers a brief preamble on the 2008-09 recession's challenges, then this shockingly out-of-touch sentence: “Our plan is working.” Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s difficult to know where to begin pointing out the problems with…
Best practices from homebuilder-friendly neighbours can teach municipalities how to allow the supply of new housing to meet demand
Kenneth P. Green Steve Lafleur and Josef Filipowicz The Fraser Institute Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced that the province will not introduce a property transfer tax on foreign buyers, similar to that introduced in British Columbia. The premier and her government should be commended for avoiding an impulsive reaction to high housing prices. It’s…
Even if the government is finally able to claim no deficit next year, the mountain of debt accumulated over the past nine years will still be there
By Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute The Ontario government is reportedly in a spat with the province’s auditor general about the size of last year’s deficit. The auditor general pegs the shortfall at $5 billion, whereas the government, using a different accounting method, says it’s somewhat lower at $3.5 billion. It’s not…
By Taylor Jackson, Ashley Stedman, and Elmira Aliakbari The Fraser Institute Ontarians are all too familiar with the rising cost of electricity. They see it on their hydro bills every month. But just how much have prices increased and how do those bills compare to other Canadian cities? We analyzed electricity prices across Canada since 2008…
