Ever-higher minimum wages are pricing more people out of the job market and reducing economic opportunity
Minimum wages are on the rise again in Ontario. As of Oct. 1, the province’s incessant central planners have not one but six higher price controls for labour. These hurt the most vulnerable Canadians and do the bidding of unions. However, vociferous proponents delude themselves into thinking they have the moral high ground and are…
Online financial education is changing the game, threatening to impact financial advisers
One-third of Canadian millennials prefer going solo when it comes to managing and investing their money. Online financial education and tools are changing the rules of the game, threatening to affect financial advisers in the same manner emails impacted mail carriers. A recent poll conducted by Finder.com revealed that 33.7 per cent of millennials prefer…
Governments have to stop giving in to populist pressures
Now that the federal election is over, several financial sector experts and economists are turning their attention to the Trudeau government’s promise to raise the corporate income tax rate for banks and insurance companies from 15 per cent to 18 per cent. But while attacking these financial giants can pay off politically, the fact is…
When we slow down, look for options and are creative in our thinking, we save money, time and energy
It was my lucky day when Emile told me he had some roadkill in his freezer that he would trade for a couple cases of beer. Not so lucky for the cow that had been hit by the semi on the highway, I guess. Emile told me he had lots of steaks in the boxes…
The rich put their earnings into new ideas, venture capital funds and angel investments
There has been increasing clamour from some circles to impose a wealth tax upon Canadians. The usual government-expanding social ‘democratic’ pressure and interest groups are especially enthused by the idea. They also claim it’s popular among the public. A one-time tax of three per cent on individuals with wealth above $10 million and five per cent…
The government requires a complete 180-degree turn in policy
By Jason Clemens Milagros Palacios and Niels Veldhuis The Fraser Institute In a recent interview, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland explained the need to focus on economic growth to deal with many of Canada’s fiscal issues, including our high debt levels. Minister Freeland is correct that higher rates of economic growth would solve many of…
Food manufacturing lacks investment, suffers from thin margins, faces additional grocers’ fees and must deal with aging facilities
By Sylvain Charlebois and Amy Hill Dalhousie University Canadian food and beverage manufacturing plays a key role in supporting farmers and the rest of the food supply chain. The second largest manufacturing sector, food and beverage, contributed $26.5 billion to Canadian gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020. Just 10 manufacturing sectors – including food manufacturing…
U of A students providing free support to hundreds of business owners looking to create an online presence
While Paige Lutz didn’t know what she wanted to do when she joined the Alberta School of Business four years ago, she certainly didn’t foresee herself balancing the final classes of her degree with a University of Alberta-linked job she loves, helping traditional bricks-and-mortar businesses make the jump to virtual. “The fact that I’ve landed…
The Arctic, and all its alluring possibilities, is not part of the future as the energy and investment industries see it unfolding
Toronto-Dominion Bank announced recently it won’t loan money toward any oil and gas or related development in the Arctic. While this may elicit joy from the woke anti-fossil-fuel global warmists, this was in reality a very easy decision for TD. So too will it be for others like investment banks, institutional investors, and financial entities…
Price controls undermine investment, remove incentive for innovation and backfire for consumers
There’s a pervasive belief in Canada that wireless phone service prices are a ripoff. To suggest otherwise is heresy. Countless commentaries provide fodder for this belief, and every few years a politician takes on the purported problem. In the mid-2010s, for example, Industry Minister James Moore supported the entry of Verizon, although the U.S.-based prospective…