Who was Barbara Mitchell?
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Mining and Aboriginal Rights in Yukon

Mining and Aboriginal Rights in Yukon: How Certainty Affects Investor Confidence finds that the legal certainty established by modern land claim agreements in Yukon — once seen as an advantage in attracting new investment — is now being undermined by Canadian courts. Specifically, the courts have forced unforeseen obligations upon governments and third-parties, beyond the requirements already spelled out in modern treaties, thus leading to a decline in investor confidence. The study warns that Yukon’s experience could be a harbinger of uncertainty right across the country and particularly British Columbia.

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LNG Exports from British Columbia: The Cost of Regulatory Delay

LNG Exports from British Columbia: The Cost of Regulatory Delay finds that unless BC’s regulatory process for liquefied natural gas industry is streamlined, the province risks losing out on over $20 billion a year on export revenues.

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The Economic Freedom of the World 2015 report uses data from 2013 (the most recent year available) to rank jurisdictions based on their levels of economic freedom (measured in size of government, taxation, regulation, rule of law, etc.).

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Understanding the Increases in Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada

Compensation costs—including salaries, benefits and pensions—consume almost three quarters of all increases in spending on public schools, concludes Understanding the Increases in Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada. The study highlights how spending on public schools increased between 2003-04 and 2012-13 with the additional money paying mainly for salaries, pensions and benefits. For example, over this time frame compensation costs rose from $30.9 billion to $44.6 billion—an increase of $13.8 billion, which represents 72.2 per cent of the overall $19.1 billion increase in education spending during the 10-year period.

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Enrolments and Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada

Enrolments and Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada points out how an overall increase in education spending has taken place despite a decline in student enrolment. The study finds that public school enrolment declined by 4.9 per cent—from about 5.3 million students to a just over 5 million between 2003-04 and 2012-13. In aggregate, Canada increased education spending in public schools by $13.8 billion from 2003-04 to 2012-13 more than was necessary to account for enrolment and price changes. If per student spending in public schools had remained constant over this period, the aggregate amount of education spending in public schools in 2012-13 would have been 22.8% lower.

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Improving Union Accountability with Worker Choice

Improving Union Accountability with Worker Choice follows the recent Royal Assent given to Bill C-377, federal legislation that requires Canada’s labour organizations to publicly disclose basic financial information (such as expenditures, revenue, and their financial position). The study finds that, while the new law makes improves union accountability, unionized workers in Canada’s private sector still face a lack of choice when it comes to joining and financially supporting a union.

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Canadian Consumer Tax Index, tracks the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2014, taking into account both the visible and hidden taxes that families pay to all levels of government (including income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, health taxes, fuel taxes, alcohol taxes, and more). It finds that, in 2014, the average Canadian family earned $79,010 and paid $33,272 in total taxes compared to $28,887 on food, clothing and shelter combined.

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