Public Finances

Municipal governments that have generously disclosed data have seen their rankings rise for the most part, while minimally informative governments have not been so fortunate. Ben Eisen, formerly of the Frontier Centre and now research director with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies in Nova Scotia, says, “I would certainly hope that those municipalities that had less information publicly available for this report would carefully examine practices in other cities and consider different strategies to make their governments as transparent as possible.”

There is some confusion lately regarding the proposed expansion of the Canada Pension Plan. Supporters of CPP, for instance, argue that the federal government has a responsibility to provide for retired Canadians and that Ottawa is capable of doing so without any unintended consequences.

Several provinces from across the country have called for increases in CPP contributions to secure the retirement futures of those who are currently not saving enough. Fantauzzo said there is a need for younger generations entering the workforce to retain a greater portion of income and revenue, as opposed to contributing more to the CPP, to ensure that they and their employers have the resources and flexibility necessary for surviving in today’s economy.

AIMS' Charles Cirtwill comments on a new tax credit for N.S.

In this op-ed in the Saint John Telegraph-Journal, AIMS President & CEO Charles Cirtwill says the provincial government must capitalize on its decision to raise taxes and further invest in New Brunswick's future.

AIMS President & CEO Charles Cirtwill was on News 88.9's Todd Veinotte show talking about the NB budget and his op-ed in the Telegraph Journal.