Business investment per worker in Canada is at its worst level compared to the United States in more than a quarter century, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Equipment Failure: Feeble Business Investment Costs Canadians their Competitive Edge,” authors William B.P. Robson,...

From coast to coast, non-renewable-resource taxation is a key source of provincial government revenue – and political rancour. Alberta has recently started a comprehensive review of its oil and natural gas extraction tax system. Newfoundland and Labrador is looking at a redesign of its royalty...

Skilled trades workers – ranging from electricians to carpenters to welders – are a crucial component of the Canadian labour force. However, many employers report that there are shortages of skilled workers in these occupations.Federal and provincial governments have targeted many grant and...

Canada’s oil sands accounted for 63 percent of oil production in Canada in 2019.Royalties from oil sands production have been the source of 7.7 percent of Alberta’s revenues since 2008 (Alberta 2020). Alberta regularly reviews the royalty regimes in place for oil and natural gas extraction,...

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed lives across Canada. This change may be most pronounced in Canada’s major cities and for public transit operators. Public transit is the essential component that enables the benefits of people coming together. These wider economic benefits – what economists...

With Toronto City Council due to discuss an increase in the land transfer tax (LTT) on highend homes at an upcoming meeting, this independent analysis of the impacts of such a move is intended to help inform the deliberations. In this E-Brief, we evaluate the economic cost of raising LTT...

Homebuyers in Canadian cities face a multitude of taxes and charges that increase the cost of buying a home. Government policies whose affect is to limit the supply of the kinds of homes people want and can afford are among the key causes of higher property prices. Restrictions on housing supply...