Designing and implementing agri-environmental policies comes with high stakes for global agriculture and food systems that are vital for human well-being. They can also affect greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, land degradation and nutrient pollution. One of the keys questions must therefore be How do we know such policies are working? First of all, what […]

With the introduction of recent amendments under Bill 10 to Alberta’s fiscal framework, known as the Sustainable Fiscal Planning and Reporting Act (SFPRA), the Alberta government is taking a step back from fiscal transparency and accountability. The amendment in question narrows the reporting period for the second quarter (2Q) Mid-year Fiscal Update and Economic Statement […]

On April 1, 2023, Canada’s carbon tax increased from $50 to $65 per tonne. And following months of protest by Atlantic Canada’s political leaders, the federal tax came into effect there on July 1. “It’s a bad thing. It will punish Nova Scotians unnecessarily,” said NS Premier Tim Houston. They will have “a known disproportionate […]

Now that the writ has dropped, with election day on May 29th quickly approaching, both parties have shared policies that suggest a vision for the agriculture sector. With limited days remaining, the Simpson Centre has released its final report titled “Agriculture Matters: An Overview of Party Visions” to provide recognition to the agricultural sector and […]

With Alberta’s provincial elections coming up on May 29th, it is important that we don’t lose sight of Albertans’ priorities in election dialogue. No matter which party wins the election and forms government, they will be tasked with designing policies for all Albertans. At the Simpson Centre, we set out to learn which policy issues […]

The federal government announced on April 20 how much it will cost Canadian taxpayers to get Volkswagen to build an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Ontario. Ottawa will subsidize about 10 percent of the $700 million capital cost of the facility and will provide up to $130 million a year in production subsidies over […]

On May 29, 2023, Albertans will go to the polls and cast a vote that reflects their vision for the future of Alberta. Politics are complicated, and determining which party or candidate to vote for can be challenging. While you’re sorting through campaign messages to decide who to vote for, This blog offers a historical […]

The threat of trade retaliation is one more trick in big tech’s bag of tricks, but it won’t happen U.S. tech giants Google and Facebook are trying to up the ante and bring maximum pressure to bear on Canadian parliamentarians as Bill C-18, the Online News Act, begins its process through the Senate, having cleared […]

Carbon pricing is widely recognized as the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions. However, the differences between the federal backstop system and provincial carbon pricing systems might ultimately result in increased internal/external carbon leakage risks and competitiveness challenges for provinces with more stringent climate policies. For this reason, it is necessary to improve the economic […]