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  • The Leap is ambitious, but it’s not the end of capitalism

    The Leap Manifesto: A Call for Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another was launched by a group of prominent Canadians on September 15. So far, over 25,000 Canadians have added their names to the declaration. In the face of the ho-hum party platforms on offer, many…

  • Are Smart Meters Worth the Cost?

    A notice in my mailbox last week told me that smart meters are going to be installed in my neighbourhood. I’ll admit that the geek in me would like to see real-time information about my energy usage, but as an economist I’m interested in costs and benefits of the program.…

  • One Way the Richest 1% Can Help The Other 99%

    It’s often said that there aren’t enough rich people in Canada to make a real difference to fiscal policy and, in consequence, the rest of us. Yesterday Canadian Business’s annual special edition devoted to Canada’s richest 100 people hit the stands, where it will stay until Christmas. As a regular contributor I…

  • Why even conservatives are worried about rising inequality

    This essay was commissioned by the National Post.  It was published in today’s edition under the headline “A Problem for Everyone“.  In the print edition, the overline –  a large font summary of what you are about to read  written by the editors —  reads:  “Income inequality isn’t just unfair —…

  • Beware Private Water Speculators

    Planned Ontario mega-quarry threatens crucial water supply Hedge fund manager and billionaire Seth Klarman reportedly has a cautious approach to risk-assessment when investing for the Baupost Group of hedge funds. The New York Times (May 13, 2007) quoted Boston-based Klarman: “At Baupost, we are big fans of fear, and in…

  • Fast Facts: A middle of the road budget for tough times

    No one can envy Minister Wowchuk’s job of delivering this year’s budget. As we work our way through the “great recession” the budget will face even more scrutiny than usual. Her job is made perhaps even more difficult by the fact that nationally the recession seems to be releasing its…

  • Good Economy Project

    A decade of eroding tax fairness in BC

    Ask a British Columbian about taxes these days, and you’ll likely hear about the HST. But the HST is just one of many tax changes over the past decade, and its introduction is only one small piece of a larger story of eroding tax fairness. Most British Columbians would agree…

  • BC’s Regressive Tax Shift

    With much of the talk on taxes in BC about the HST, we issued a new report today that looks at the bigger context for BC’s tax system (Vancouver Sun oped here, CTV News story here). Iglika Ivanova, Seth Klein and I compare and contrast BC’s tax system after a decade where tax cuts…

  • $10 a day child care: smart public policy whose time has come

    Imagine if the BC government put as much energy and effort into solving BC’s child care crisis as it does in promoting LNG. This week, our Premier recalled the legislature from its regular summer break to pass special laws paving the way for one potential LNG project (more about why this is a…

  • The business elite’s parking tax backlash

    The media is reporting a “backlash” against the new parking tax in Vancouver.  The Vancouver Sun reports it is a “slickly organized” backlash being run by Vancouver’s business elite.  This is apparently a 30 member business coalition including the Board of Trade. This is not the first time Vancouver’s business…

  • Fast Facts: It takes all day to be poor

    The State of the Inner City Report 2009 For the past five years, CCPA Manitoba has conducted inner-city research in collaboration with community-based organizations. The purpose of our research has been to chronicle the progress being made and to identify where problems continue to exist and how they might be…

  • The Latin American Revolution (Part IV)

    The Bolivarian Revolution gives real power to the people An interview with Julio Chavez by Asad Ismi Julio Chavez is one of the leaders of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. In his country, he is known as “the other Chavez” (referring to President Hugo Chavez, to whom he has no…