This is a fairly obvious point, but I don't recall seeing it discussed anywhere.  When we examine the costs of a public policy, we not only need to consider the financial costs, but other opportunity costs as well.  Take, for instance, the costs of an election.  We not only need to consider the financial costs […]

A quote from a recent Liberal Party report on the oil sands Yet oil sands development is accelerating. It is as though the oil sands have been, and are being, developed within the confines of a neo-classical political and economic mindset that ignores externalities – in this case, the cost of economic development on the […]

From today’s Toronto Sun on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG): Ontario’s hoping to hit the jackpot with online gambling. After years of dwindling attendance at its traditional casinos, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is moving into Internet gambling… Why is the government considering doing this? The article gives a few reasons:

In the last 24 hours the Sun chain has published two staunchly anti-libertarian editorials, which is a little surprising given the events of the past few weeks. I will link to them under the fold. My purpose for doing so is not at all to bash the Sun or libertarians – rather it’s used as […]

Toronto Star: “Industry Minister Tony Clement says opponents of the Conservatives’ decision on the census are just whining because they once had a “good deal” to get information they needed while letting Ottawa force citizens to supply the data.” Let’s suppose you owned a bakery and you believed your bread prices were too low for […]

I’m putting together a list on twitter of ‘Economists who work in Canada and Canadians that are economists.’  Right now it’s a very short list: Kevin Milligan of UBC Rachel Ziemba of Roubini Global Economics Stephen Gordon Mike Moffatt Know of any other economists on twitter that I can add to the list? Anyone can […]

One talking point I have heard a fair bit the last few days is: “There are a lot of voluntary surveys out there that seem to be accurate. Are you suggesting they’re all flawed?” The answer is that those voluntary surveys rely on a mandatory census and as such, the removal of the census will […]

I think we could all use a lighter topic to discuss. Here’s one, courtesy of Baseball Reference. Sean Forman lists the five most “clutch” and five least clutch players in Major League Baseball history. Frank Robinson comes in as the 2nd least clutch, which causes Sean Forman to respond: I’m going to let someone else […]

Professor Gordon, that is. This time it’s the National Post: Economists Niels Veldhuis, of the Fraser Institute, and Stephen Gordon, of Laval University, join host Chris Selley for a surprisingly spirited debate on the elimination of the mandatory long-form census. Also, as Canada’s biggest Hogan’s Heroes fan (seriously – I do a pretty good Col. […]

From the Toronto Star – Compromise calls for dropping jail time to allow mandatory census to go ahead: Federal Conservatives are being urged to compromise on their axing of the long census questionnaire, perhaps by repealing the threat of jail time for non-completion or pruning so-called sensitive questions… Fellegi said he hopes a compromise can […]