Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that the federal government is offering $14 billion to the provinces and territories as part of a safe restart agreement. The offer is a federal contribution to support the safe re-opening of the Canadian economy over the next six to eight
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As financial pressure increases on provinces and municipalities across Canada from a massive decline on revenues due to COVID-19, the traditional debate about “who pays for what” is top of mind for governments at all levels. Prime Minister Trudeau and Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna announced that the
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There is an old American folk song by Woody Guthrie called “Jolly Banker.” In it, Guthrie (a noted union activist) depicts a helpful banker with a constant smile who is there for families in need with loans for furniture, lines of credit, and deferred mortgages. Over the course of
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Long-term care facilities, especially those in Ontario and Quebec, have been hard-hit by outbreaks of COVID-19. Premiers Ford and Legault specifically requested the assistance of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) medical teams in April to help manage the outbreak in some long-term care facilities. A report written
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Ontario Cancels Schools, Feds Extend and Expand Benefit Programs As provinces and the federal government seek to re-open economies, government programs are being amended and extended to better target the needs of all Canadians. Yet at the same time, other decisions made by governments for public health
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Ontarians recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Holland. Of course, that liberation started months before on the beaches of Normandy with the largest seaborne invasion in history. In a stroke of dumb luck, Axis commander Erwin Rommel was absent from the front lines that day. German intelligence
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The Ford government has announced details of stage one of its provincial Framework to Reopen, starting on May 19th. Ontario has focused on workplaces and services that are well-positioned to adopt workplace safety measures, while avoiding overburdening public transit and other services. Business and services permitted to
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Continuing the approach of broad economic measures in response to COVID-19, the federal government has announced new liquidity measures to support large businesses. The measures are meant to provide bridge financing through the crisis, and complement existing support programs for businesses, including wage subsidies. The program is
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As we reach the end of the first week of May, the discomfort and lack of ease over what to do about the future of the COVID-19 situation is starting to show amongst politicians across governments. The effect of COVID-19 on the economy is unprecedented. Highlighted by
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In Canada, pundits sometimes use a clever observation to denote the difference in cultures between Americans and Canadians: the expiration notice on Canadian produced food says, ‘best before’ while American made food says, ‘consume by.’ The difference is supposed to illustrate a separation in positive versus negative
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