Who was Barbara Mitchell?
Printer-friendly version

Despite good intentions, raising the minimum wage will do little to reduce poverty mainly because most minimum-wage earners don’t live in low-income household. Raising the Minimum Wage: Misguided Policy, Unintended Consequences diffuses the notion that the typical minimum-wage earner is a single parent struggling to survive.

read more
Printer-friendly version
Report Card on Ontario's Secondary Schools 2016

Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2016 ranks 676 public, Catholic, and independent secondary schools based on seven academic indicators using data from the annual province wide tests of literacy and math skills.

read more
Printer-friendly version
Impact of Higher Interest Rates on the Cost of Servicing Government Debt

The Impact of Higher Interest Rates on the Cost of Servicing Government Debt spotlights the interest rate risks faced by governments across the country using Ontario and Quebec—Canada’s two largest and most indebted provinces—as examples.  It finds that a higher than expected rise in interest rates could jeopardize provincial government promises of balanced budgets and surpluses.

read more
Printer-friendly version
Permit Times for Mining Exploration

Permit Times for Mining Exploration: How Long Are They? is the Fraser Institute’s first ever survey about permit times—the length of time it takes mining companies to get approval for mining exploration. The study compares the efficiency, transparency and certainty of the permitting processes in jurisdictions across Canada, based on the experiences and opinions of mining industry professionals. It finds that permit times for mining exploration are increasing across Canada and especially in Ontario.

read more
Printer-friendly version

Despite a popular narrative at Queen’s Park, which blames Ontario’s large deficits and massive debt on the 2008 global economic downturn and other uncontrollable economic forces, Ontario’s chronic budget deficits stem from years of rapid spending growth, as detailed in Spending is the Source of Ontario’s Deficit and Debt Problem.

read more
Printer-friendly version
Why Are Interest Rates So Low

Monetary policy is having less and less impact on interest rates in developed economies such as Canada because the demographic relationship between borrowers and savers has changed dramatically. Based on financial and demographic data for 29 developed countries, Why Are Interest Rates So Low? presents a ground-breaking new model of how interest rates are determined by focusing on changing demographics—not monetary policy.

read more
Printer-friendly version
Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada's Premiers 2016

Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada's Premiers, ranks premiers based on three fiscal policy categories: government spending, taxes, and deficits and debt. Premiers who managed spending more prudently, balanced their books and paid down debt, and reduced or maintained competitive tax rates ranked higher. In the 2016 ranking, British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard essentially tied for the best record at managing provincial finances.

read more