B.C. budget should focus on delivering better public value on big projects

Dan Baxter, Regional Director, B.C.

As property taxes, mortgage payments and grocery bills keep going up, many will be looking for relief in this month’s B.C. budget. But relief doesn’t have to come in the form of another big spend, deeper debt budget. Instead, the province should be making public investments go further, by providing better value on big ticket items like infrastructure.

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Bad government regulations make Canada less competitive

Paul de Jong, President & CEO

Canada’s Competition Commissioner is straight up about one the biggest problems plaguing Canada’s economic competitiveness. As Matthew Boswell notes, “There are regulatory barriers to competition throughout our economy.” Those barriers, or government policies, are contributing to a massive hike in the cost of building public infrastructure projects, and it’s happening across Canada.

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Toronto gains global attention for high construction costs

Karen Renkema, Vice President, Ontario

It’s a dubious distinction that makes building more affordable housing in Toronto a whole lot more daunting. A new global ranking shows Toronto has the second highest construction costs not just in Canada, or even North America, but the world. And the reason can’t be blamed entirely on factors that are out of the city’s control.

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Open tendering would help Toronto build a better city

Stephen Hamilton, Director, Public Affairs, Ontario

During a recent mayoral debate, candidates were asked if they support open tendering. Their responses were remarkably different. While many Toronto voters may not be familiar with the term, what they should know is that Toronto has a lot to gain by following the lead of every other Ontario city, and supporting a competitive bidding process on taxpayer-funded projects.

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Alberta construction voters: trust your instincts

Paul de Jong, President

If the results of Alberta’s last provincial election are any indication, Albertans are not an apathetic bunch. In fact, far from it. Voter turnout in the last Alberta election was 68 percent, the highest showing since the 80s. That’s when the NDP made history, becoming the first incumbent government to fail to win a second term.

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