To a narrow, yet vocal contingent of Canadians, taking action on climate change is misguided or downright foolish. Why should Canada do anything about climate change? How can a country with only 0.5% of the world’s population stop the glaciers from melting or the oceans from warming? Why should Canadians put their necks out and […]
by Dale Beugin and Nic Rivers The most significant greenhouse gas policy you’ve probably never heard of—the federal Clean Fuel Standard (CFS)—is being developed this winter and throughout 2018. The federal government is looking for substantial emissions reductions from the policy. But a key question is how much will those emissions reductions cost? Could other […]
Canada is a decentralized, sparsely populated and very, very big country. Cultures and attitudes are often regional. Provinces don’t always see eye to eye. As an Albertan living in Ontario, these challenges have become evident in my ongoing dialogue with Albertans—especially when it comes to climate and carbon pricing. It can, on occasion, feel like we […]
Ecofiscal’s latest report assesses how well-designed user fees for municipal water and wastewater services promote conservation, generate revenue, and improve water quality. The report, however, scoped out the third pillar of municipal water systems—stormwater services. This blog fills the gap by looking more closely at stormwater services and how user fees can reduce flooding risk […]
Canada’s national parks host millions and millions of visitors every year, and entry was free in 2017 as part of Canada 150. As you might expect, people have flocked in record numbers. But national parks belong to the public. Should access always be free? And aren’t more visitors, rather than fewer, a good thing? In […]
Measuring our water consumption is fundamental to sustainable water management. Water meters provide municipal water utilities with vital information on how, when, and where we use water. They also allow municipalities to charge based on how much water we use. For these reasons and more, installing water meters is Best Practice #1 in our recent […]