Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission in the News

Featured News Stories

Opinion:  To avoid catastrophic climate change, we need carbon pricing

“The best that science has to offer is telling us that we should act with urgency on climate change. The best that economics has to offer is telling us we have a key solution right under our noses. Carbon pricing is now a Nobel Prize-winning idea. Let’s take this occasion to remind ourselves that in Canada’s climate debate, evidence should carry the day.”
Read Chris Ragan and Dale Beugin’s article

So, Calgary: what if every time you threw out your garbage, you had to pay a fee?

“What Ecofiscal is proposing is pretty simple: We’d all be charged a new fee each time we have garbage that needs to be picked up. The thing is, if you don’t put out the bin for collection, you don’t get charged the fee. So that incentivizes people to not put their bins out when they’re not full and, as a result, the city spends less having to collect that garbage.”
Read Robson Fletcher’s article

Price environmental risks like carbon: Ecofiscal Commission

“When it comes to responding to accidents like the train derailment that happened yesterday near Pemberton, there is a tendency within government to respond with tougher and potentially overly prescriptive regulations. But the Ecofiscal Commission is suggesting an alternative with a model that is similar to putting a price on carbon: putting a price on risk.”
Read Nelson Bennett's article

Video, Audio and Podcasts

The Ecofiscal Commission regularly appears on a variety of current affair shows on television as well as in radio and podcasts, including CBC’s Power and Politics and CTV’s Power Play.

January 2020

• Top Tory contenders will fight carbon tax if they win leadership race by Marieke Walsh, The Globe and Mail (January 29, 2020)
• VIDEO: Meeting Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Targets. Chris Ragan on TVO’s The Agenda (January 27, 2020)
• Opinion: Let’s not overlook the carbon footprint of what we import by Robert Fattal, Montreal Gazette (January 15, 2020)
• New Conservative leader, new climate plan? by Max Fawcett, Maclean’s (January 10, 2020)
• Every Canadian province — including Alberta — now has a carbon tax. But the ‘pure politics’ battle isn’t over by Rosa Saba, The Toronto Star (January 1, 2020)

December 2019

• Editorial: Why the next decade could bring new hope in the fight against climate change The Globe and Mail (December 25, 2019)
• Liberals in dilemma over carbon taxes, greenhouse gas emissions and a $20B mine in Alberta by Jesse Snyder, National Post (December 18, 2019)
• Editorial: No, Canada can’t save the planet by exporting more natural gas The Globe and Mail (December 12, 2019)
• Wilkinson says carbon price hikes won’t be decided until 2022 by The Canadian Press, CTV News (December 4, 2019)
• Editorial: Carbon taxes are necessary – but they’re not the only tool in the box by The Globe and Mail (December 3, 2019)
• The climate is changing, so why won’t the Conservatives? by Gillian Steward, The Toronto Star (December 2, 2019)
• Quadruple carbon tax to meet 2030 targets or pay more to hide costs, Ecofiscal Commission report says by Aidan Chamandy, The Hill Times (December 1, 2019)

November 2019

• Editorial: The perils – and possibilities – of high carbon taxes, The Globe and Mail (November 29, 2019)
• Opinion: Want to end congestion? Put a price on our roads by Jennifer Keesmaat, The Globe and Mail (November 28, 2019)
• A $210-a-tonne carbon tax? Fat chance by Gary Mason, The Globe and Mail (November 28, 2019)
• Three ‘boring’ things that get the blood boiling by Daniel Kitts, TVO (November 28, 2019)
• Does climate change cause flooding? Don’t ask Doug Ford’s government by Alastair Sharp, National Observer (November 28, 2019)
• Political promises on climate change are fake news by Lorrie Goldstein, The London Free Press (November 28, 2019)
• VIDEO: Carbon tax must increase to $210 a tonne by 2030 to meet Paris targets, says report CBC Power & Politics (November 27, 2019)
• VIDEO: Economic think tank: Canada can meet emissions targets by David Akin, Global News (November 27, 2019)
• The Drilldown: New Ecofiscal Commission report recommends quadrupling carbon price by Felixe Denson, iPolitics (November 27, 2019)
• Canada should quadruple carbon tax to meet 2030 targets, commission says by Marieke Walsh, The Globe and Mail (November 27, 2019)
• Honesty in accounting is missing from every major party’s climate change policies by David Akin, Global News (November 27, 2019)

June 2019

• Opinion: Talking honestly about the carbon tax requires serious political courage by Neil Macdonald, CBC (June 18, 2019)
• Ottawa won’t raise the carbon price beyond $50, environment minister says by Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star (June 13, 2019)
• No, Canada cannot get credit for its low-carbon exports by Jason Dion, Policy Options (June 10, 2019)
• He has no plan, but Canadians still trust Scheer more than Trudeau to handle climate change by John Ivison, National Post (June 10, 2019)

May 2019

• NDP’s $15-billion climate plan greeted with mixed reviews by Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star (May 31, 2019)
• Andrew Scheer wants an energy corridor across Canada. Here’s how the decades-old idea could work by Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press (May 24, 2019)
• Opinion: Saskatchewan’s highest court ruled in favour of carbon pricing – and it wasn’t really close by Stewart Elgie and Nathalie Chalifour, The Globe and Mail (May 17, 2019)
• Opinion: Carbon pricing and climate change mitigation: This is not a hockey game by David D. Maenz, Regina Leader-Post (May 16, 2019)
• Ottawa plans to impose levy after Kenney tables legislation to kill Alberta’s carbon tax by James Keller, The Globe and Mail (May 14, 2019)
• Doug Ford says carbon taxes will cost us. Here are six reasons not to believe him by David Olive, The Toronto Star (May 10, 2019)
• Sask.’s highest court to release decision on province’s challenge of federal carbon tax by Kendal Latimer, CBC News (May 3, 2019)
• ‘Vast majority’ of Canadian CEOs support carbon pricing: Economics professor, BNN (May 3, 2019)
• Saskatchewan carbon tax challenge rejected, CTV News (May 3, 2019)

April 2019

• British Columbia mining standards put Alaskans at risk, experts say by Alex McCarthy, Juneau Empire (April 30, 2019)
• The extra carbon taxes the Liberals aren’t talking much about by Peter Shawn Taylor, National Post (April 25, 2019)
• Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax is revenue neutral… for now by Neil Macdonald, CBC News (April 24, 2019)
• Is it time for a strategic retreat from carbon pricing? by Max Fawcett, Maclean’s (April 18, 2019)
• Post-Alberta win, Kenney faces long court battle over constitutionality of Ottawa carbon tax by Jesse Snyder, National Post (April 17, 2019)
• Canada has lost a key partner on climate change by Nelson Bennett, Business in Vancouver (April 16, 2019)
• How the Alberta election could impact British Columbia by Alex McKeen, Melanie Green, and Cherise Seucharan, Star Vancouver (April 15, 2019)
• Alberta election sparking politicians to fog truth about carbon tax: economist by Bob Weber, The Canadian Press (April 12, 2019)
• Do any of Alberta’s political parties have a good enough plan for climate change? by Emma McIntosh, Star Calgary (April 11, 2019)
• COMMENTARY: How Canada’s carbon tax works by Kathryn Harrison, UBC, Global News (April 6, 2019)
• What you need to know about the federal carbon tax by Peter Armstrong, CBC The National (April 2, 2019)
• Here’s how the federal government hopes its new carbon tax will work by Peter Armstrong, CBC News (April 2, 2019)

March 2019

• Should Canada charge drivers to use roads during rush hour? by Jane Gerster, Global News (March 30, 2019)
• 10 GIFs that debunk myths about carbon pricing in Canada by Tabatha Southey, Maclean’s (March 29, 2019)
• Carbon Tax In Need Of An Intervention? The Geoff Currier Show, Global News 680 CJOB (March 29, 2019)
• Opinion: User fees for water and wastewater encourage wise behaviour by Justin Leroux and Jonathan Arnold, Montreal Gazette (March 22, 2019)
• Climate change: Hope in action by Sandi Stride and Andrea McDowell, Hamilton Spectator (March 22, 2019)
• Here’s what Doug Ford failed to mention in his latest rant about the carbon tax by Fatima Syed, National Observer (March 13, 2019)
• Letter to the editor: Monitoring of Casco Bay indicates urgent need for carbon tax by Fern Stearns, Press Herald (March 8, 2019)
• Carbon taxes can be both good policy and good politics by Brendan Boyd and Trevor Tombe, Policy Options (March 4, 2019)

February 2019

• Opposing carbon tax shortsighted by Roger Gagne and Andy Kubrin, Lethbridge Herald (February 26, 2019)
• Everything You Need To Know About Pipelines — And Why They’re So Controversial by Rachel Chen, Chatelaine (February 20, 2019)
• Federal government says it must fight ‘grave risks’ of climate change at Sask. carbon tax challenge CBC News (February 14, 2019)
• Environmentalists, farmers stake sides in Saskatchewan’s carbon tax challenge The Canadian Press (February 13, 2019)
• Shifting the economics by Jonathan Arnold, Resource Recycling (February 11, 2019)
• When we debate carbon pricing, can we at least stick to the facts? by Elizabeth Beale, Don Drummond, Glen Hodgson, The Globe and Mail (February 6, 2019)
• Redwater decision is progress, but environmental liabilities run deep by Chris Ragan, Simon Dyer, Blake Shaffer, The Globe and Mail (February 4, 2019)

January 2019

• At committee: Financial cybersecurity, climate change leadership and future business by Kady O’Malley, iPolitics (January 28, 2019)
• Green Party touts the carbon company it’s keeping by Holly Lake, iPolitics (January 25, 2019)
• Here’s how Trudeau’s carbon price will actually affect the economy (according to economists) by Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star (January 23, 2019)
• Road toll critique odd to hear from carbon tax-supporting Notley, economist says CBC News (January 22, 2019)
• Doug Ford said a federal carbon tax will trigger a recession and economists disagreed. Now he’s doubling down on his claim by Shawn Jeffords, National Press (January 22, 2019)
• Economists cool to Doug Ford’s warning of ‘carbon tax recession by Mike Crawley, CBC News (January 22, 2019)
• Doug Ford is blowing smoke by warning about a recession Editorial, Toronto Star (January 22, 2019)
• Doug Ford Called Out For Claiming Trudeau Carbon Tax Will Trigger Recession by Emma Palling, Huffington Post (January 21, 2019)
• Doug Ford warns of recession with carbon tax, economists disagree by Laura Stone, Globe and Mail (January 21, 2019)
• Fact check: Scheer slams Liberal’s carbon tax for exemptions, but experts say that’s not the whole story by Rebecca Joseph, The Canadian Press (January 3, 2019)