‘I’m concerned with the lack of rigour’: AG flags poor effort recovering billions in suspected COVID-19 overpayments, with sole focus on speed of delivery
COVID‑19 benefit programs cost Canadians about $211-billion during the audit period, but about 14 per cent of the payouts, or $30-billion, need to be investigated and $4.6-billion the audit deemed as outright overpayments.
To ease the housing crisis, keep building outside the box
Ready-to-assemble modular housing is the solution. These purpose-built, pre-fabricated homes are easily shipped and assembled on-site, and have been gaining increasing exposure in recent years.
Unlocking affordable infrastructure through tax-free municipal bonds
Despite infrastructure’s long life, many municipalities are cautious about debt financing, even when offered attractive matching capital grants by other levels of government.
To build our better tomorrow, we need the builders
Current immigration programs and the federal point system discriminate against the trades in favour of applicants with higher education. These are policy problems that can be addressed with policy solutions.
Significant policy shifts have been made, but government still leaving surrogacy families behind
It is time the government and all Parliamentarians look to include a 15-week benefit for parents via surrogacy in this much-needed EI modernization. Because it’s 2022.
Affordable shelter, fertilizer emissions, and tourism topped lobbying issues in busiest October since 2018
YWCA Canada is calling for increased funding under the National Housing Strategy for a grants-based system to fully fund shelters that are specifically dedicated to women and gender-diverse people.
How does Canada solve its sustainable infrastructure crisis?
The ever-present threat of climate change increasingly permeates every aspect of our lives—from transportation to food security, and from affordable and safe housing to clean air and reliable supply chains. But how does Canada solve a sustainable infrastructure crisis? Through knowledge, global connections, and innovation. Sustainable infrastructure is not only about green transportation and energy-efficient […]
Building a more sustainable financial foundation for Canada’s universities and colleges
At first blush, a Statistics Canada report on university finances released last month seemed to trumpet some good news for the country’s academic community. Universities and colleges, it appears, weathered the first waves of the COVID-19 storm surprisingly well, posting a collective and record-breaking surplus of $7.3-billion in 2020-21. But when you dig further into […]
Here’s what’s still needed to drive innovation
In 2017, Canada launched the world’s first national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy—led by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and funded by the federal government—was created to help establish a robust national AI ecosystem by 2030. The ambitious goal was to accelerate AI research and education, spur the development […]
Universities with expanded or refined online courses want more broadband access for students
Universities across Canada have mostly returned to in-person classes after more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some expanded online courses are keeping the demand high for increased broadband connectivity in remote areas of Canada so students can take advantage. “This semester, we have about 10 per cent of our courses that are […]
