OTTAWA—Underinvestment in infrastructure is not a crisis but a chronic problem in Canada, says a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The study, by economist and CCPA Research Associate Hugh Mackenzie, reveals the extent of underinvestment in infrastructure over the past four decades and makes recommendations on how to close the infrastructure funding gap.
Public services and privatization
TORONTO—Toronto’s public libraries are the busiest in North America and second busiest in the world but have suffered from 20 years of chronic underfunding, says a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Ontario (CCPA-Ontario) report.
The Great Equalizer: The Case for Investing in the Toronto Public Library looks at public library use and government funding going all the way back to pre-amalgamation 1992 – something no one had ever done before.
CANADA ATLANTIQUE – Un nouveau rapport du CCPA-NÉ rendu public aujourd’hui renferme des prévisions concernant les pertes d’emploi au sein du secteur fédéral dans la région de l’Atlantique et l’impact qu’auront ces coupes sur la région. Le CCPA-NÉ publie son rapport intitulé L’impact des suppressions d’emplois au gouvernement fédéral dans les provinces de l’Atlantique alors que la population s’interroge sur les desseins du gouvernement fédéral.
ALANTIC CANADA - A new CCPA-NS report released today makes projections for federal public sector job loss in Atlantic Canada and discusses the breadth and depth of its impact in the region. CCPA-NS publishes Public Disservice: the impact of federal government job cuts in Atlantic Canada at a time when many are questioning a federal austerity agenda that is eliminating jobs, programs and services Canadians need, while refusing to provide the information needed to fully understand the consequences.
Margaret Atwood tweeted in defence of public libraries during last year's budget discussions at Toronto's City Hall, but just how much do Torontonians love their libraries? Toronto's public libraries are the busiest in North America, they're the second busiest in the world – and they're more popular than the top 10 entertainment draws in the city. If you love your public library, spread the love with this infographic and share it with your friends.
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Regina —Saskatchewan’s public liquor system is superior to both Alberta and British Columbia’s private liquor delivery system in terms of price, revenue generation and the mitigation of social harm. That is the conclusion of a new collaborative report by the Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute.
Saskatchewan’s public liquor system is superior to both Alberta and British Columbia’s private liquor delivery system in terms of price, revenue generation and the mitigation of social harm. That is the conclusion of a new collaborative report by the Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute.
Most Canadians, according to one poll at least, did not much like the recent federal budget, but still found it benign. No matter how often the government tells us it is changing the game, we seem reluctant to believe it.
This detailed statistical review of the 13 statistical graphs contained in the Conservative changebook platform document finds that not one of them conforms to the normal requirements of academic or professional practice.
At least three of the graphs (which illustrate various statistical arguments related to the Conservative platform) present data that is clearly false. All of the others contain major errors in the labeling of variables or axes; internally inconsistent or manipulative scaling of bars and data; and misleading or incomplete references to source data.
For the past 40 years political leaders — supported by the majority of professional economists in the academy and private sector — have reduced the role government plays and increased the degree of competitiveness in the economy. The number of public-sector enterprises that have been sold off (such as Manitoba Telephone Services, Petro Canada and Air Canada), and the increasing willingness of governments to downsize the public sector and deregulate key sectors of the economy (e.g., transportation, energy, telecommunications), are testimonies to this shift in governance.