Archive for the ‘Policy Context’ Category

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Canada doesn’t lack in terms of university-industry collaboration

Wednesday, September 18th, 2019

The share of industry-funded R&D in Canadian universities hovered around eight percent over the past couple of decades. That may not sound like a lot, but it has been consistently higher than the equivalent figure for American universities, which has fluctuated at around five percent in the same period.

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What if the long-expected boomer retirement boom never happens? The trend is in that direction

Wednesday, July 10th, 2019

… with lifespans now much longer than was the norm a few decades ago, both working and earning incomes for an eventual retirement are no doubt looked at differently than used to be the case. As well, workers with higher levels of education are more apt to be in the labour market as they age, as compared with those with lower levels of education… older workers may find themselves working, but on contracts or in part-time jobs, which may not be their first choice.

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Employment Insurance isn’t working for everyone

Sunday, July 7th, 2019

… working-age adults don’t need income support for as long as they can remain active in the labour force. If that was ever true, it is increasingly not the case… Recognizing the changing nature of the labour market, and ensuring systems are in place to support those who do that work is key to building a more inclusive and resilient economy where all workers and their families are protected against hardship. We can’t predict the future of work, but we can prepare for it.

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Canadian corporations may have avoided $25-billion or more in taxes in 2018: PBO

Friday, June 21st, 2019

Canadian companies transferred more than $1.6-trillion in 2018 to low-tax countries known as offshore financial centres and conduits to these nations, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer… if just 10 per cent of that amount was transferred to avoid taxes, that would mean Ottawa lost out on $25-billion in federal revenue. Billions more would have been lost in provincial corporate taxes.

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Ontario moves to transfer recycling costs from cities to waste-producing companies

Friday, June 7th, 2019

Ontario is moving to force large food retailers and product manufacturers to pay the full cost of recycling, in a major shakeup aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment… Ontario would join British Columbia as the only other province where large food retailers and consumer packaged-goods companies fully cover recycling costs, a system known as extended producer responsibility, or EPR.

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Everyone’s Income Taxes Should Be Public

Sunday, April 14th, 2019

Calling for more disclosure may seem discordant at a time of growing concern about privacy. But income taxation is an act of government, not an aspect of private life. Property tax records provide a reasonable model. Local governments disclose the name of the property owner, the value of the property and the amount of taxes owed and paid. The same information should be available for income taxes — nothing more is necessary.

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Changing disability definition a dangerous mistake that will harm thousands

Monday, April 8th, 2019

The government is holding consultations on these changes right now. We do not know who has been invited. And we have no commitment that what they are told will be made public… it should leave anyone who cares about those who suffer from arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, mental illness, addictions, and many other conditions that can disable people intermittently, or from which they may recover in a few years, extremely worried.

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New Ontario law allows less pay for overtime

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019

Time-and-a-half pay in Ontario is usually mandatory when employees work more than 44 hours a week, unless an overtime-averaging agreement in place. Under Bill 66, employers will have expanded use of these agreements and will be able to average workers’ hours over the course of a month rather than two weeks, resulting in less overtime pay… the new measures will encourage employers to assign erratic schedules to workers in order to minimize overtime payments.

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Employment changes would mean working more and earning less overtime pay

Sunday, March 17th, 2019

The key changes proposed by the PCs concern ministry of labour oversight of excess hours of work and overtime averaging agreements, and could result in many Ontarians working more hours and earning less overtime pay… An inevitable result will be the proliferation of overtime averaging agreements in workplaces where no justifying circumstances are present, and employers are simply seeking to cut costs at their employees’ expense. Employees are typically told to sign these agreements at their time of hire, and overwhelmingly do so for fear of being passed up for a candidate who will.

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US Tax Changes should Trigger Bold Reform in Canada

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

The authors propose a cash-flow tax, or what economists call a tax on economic “rents” which would involve the immediate write-off of all capital expenditures coupled with the elimination of the debt-interest deduction. The idea is to replace the corporate income tax with a tax that applies only to above-normal return on investment and is, therefore, neutral with respect to business investment and financing decisions.

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