Tax Freedom Day for the average Canadian family falls on June 10 this year—one day later than in 2014, according to the Fraser Institute’s annual calculations. Tax Freedom Day measures the total yearly tax burden imposed on Canadian families by all levels of government: This year, the average Canadian family (with two or more people) will pay $44,980 in total taxes or 43.7 per cent of its annual income.

The Principle of Targeting in Energy and Environmental Policy spotlights the effectiveness of energy and environmental regulations implemented by governments throughout Canada in recent years.  While championing the economic principle of ‘targeting’, the study finds that many of the applied regulations – such as bans on plastics bags, prohibitions against 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, household appliance standards and ethanol blending mandates – are inefficient, costly and do little to improve the environment.

A Longer-term Perspective on Canada’s Household Debt written by Philip Cross, former chief economic analyst for Statistics Canada, spotlights the nature of household debt in Canada since the 1970s, looks at Canadians’ net worth levels and explores debt-to-income ratios in other countries. It finds that Canadians are managing their debt levels responsibly with no evident strain to their incomes or balance sheets.