Blog Post

Ontario 2017 Budget: Spending cap-and-trade revenues and other clean growth measures

May 02, 2017

On April 27, the Government of Ontario presented its first balanced budget in 9 years. The headlines had to do with its focus on health care and housing. But there are a number of clean economy efforts included in the budget as well.

Blog Post

Nova Scotia 2017 Budget: Infrastructure spending but no clean growth mentions

May 02, 2017

In its second surplus budget in a row – and one that came just 3 days before an election was announced – the Government of Nova Scotia focused on tax cuts, highways and roads, and healthcare in its 2017 budget.

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How SMEs can thrive with a price on carbon

May 02, 2017

The carbon pricing systems that have been adopted by four Canadian provinces and are soon to be in place across Canada will have an impact on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Blog Post

How Clean Innovation Happens

Apr 04, 2017

Following 3 years of investigation, Smart Prosperity Institute has released a Policy Brief that introduces a model for understanding clean innovation and the role of governments in accelerating it.

Blog Post

Clean innovation emerges as major focus of Budget 2017

Mar 22, 2017

Canada’s transition to a stronger, cleaner, more innovative economy received a substantial boost when Minister of Finance Bill Morneau tabled the 2017 Federal Budget.

Blog Post

A good idea spreads: Quebec issues its first green bond

Feb 24, 2017

The Province of Quebec is following Ontario’s lead, issuing its first green bond this month.

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Implementing green infrastructure across Canada

Feb 13, 2017

Local governments across Canada are starting to look at rainwater through a new lens – as a resource that can be managed and harvested on site as opposed to a waste product that must be removed.

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Government Critical in Supporting Clean Innovation, But the Design of Government Matters

Feb 06, 2017

There is a growing recognition that direct government involvement is critical to the promotion of clean energy technologies and sustainability transitions. Technologies like the internet, lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, and wind and solar energy were aided by government policy.

Blog Post

How a Low Carbon Fuel Standard could reduce your GHG footprint without you even noticing

Feb 06, 2017

Never heard of a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)? That's okay. Neither have most survey respondents in British Columbia (BC), the only Canadian jurisdiction with one currently in place. Yet when the policy was explained, 90% of respondents supported it.

Blog Post

Ontario issues its third – and largest – green bond

Feb 03, 2017

Good ideas are worth repeating. And the Province of Ontario has found that green bonds are a good idea. On January 26, 2017, Ontario issued its third green bond – it’s largest yet – a reopening of its 2016 bond amounting to $800 million.

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Guest Blog: How much is a wetland worth?

Jan 20, 2017

This guest blog is based on the paper “Valuing ecosystem services in the Columbia River Treaty” written by Anthony Cotter (Simon Fraser University) as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Public Policy.

Blog Post

Low-carbon policy research for 2017

Jan 10, 2017

With the announcement of the Pan-Canadian Framework (PCF) on Clean Growth and Climate Change on December 9, we can now see the trajectory that federal, provincial and territorial climate policy will follow over the short and medium term.

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A deeper dive on BC’s carbon tax and household gasoline consumption

Nov 22, 2016

While people on both sides of the border are still digesting the American election results, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that his government is moving forward with a pan-Canadian carbon price. Given the risk of weakened climate policies in the US for the coming years, some might wonder if it is still a good idea for Canada to move ahead without our gargantuan neighbor.

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Big Ideas for a Stronger, Cleaner Economy

Nov 02, 2016

We are excited to be guest editors for the new special issue of Canadian Public Policy Journal (CPP) - “Big Ideas for Sustainable Prosperity: Policy Innovation for Greening Growth.”

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Introducing Smart Prosperity Institute

Oct 24, 2016

Today we turn over a new leaf. Or rather I should say a new maple key. After 8 years of operating under the name Sustainable Prosperity I’m excited to announce that, effective today, Canada’s leading source of research and insights for a stronger, cleaner economy has changed its name to: Smart Prosperity Institute.

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Building Connections – My experience at the 4th Canadian PhD and Early Career Workshop in Environmental Economics

Jun 17, 2016

The 4th Canadian PhD and Early Career Workshop in Environmental Economics — supported by Sustainable Prosperity — was hosted at the University of Ottawa from June 1st to June 2nd. This annual workshop brings together PhD students and early career researchers working on topics in Environmental Economics, Natural Resource Economics, Energy Economics, Economy of Climate Change, Energy Economics, and other related disciplines.

Blog Post

In Memory of Alan Nymark: Big thinker, policy leader, champion for change

Jun 07, 2016

This week Sustainable Prosperity lost one of its biggest champions as well as a friend in Alan Nymark. Alan was a lifelong champion for the idea that we can grow an economy that values environmental protection and has room for all.

Blog Post

Where have all the Canadian data gone?

Jun 06, 2016

It turns out we have a data void in Canada. If you’ve been following our series of blogs on #GreenTape (the first looked at environmental regulation and innovation, the second at good design of environmental regulation, you’ve seen how environmental regulation, when designed well, can bring both economic and environmental returns. You’ve also seen that retrospective analysis of environmental regulations can provide meaningful insight into where, when and how to design environmental regulation.

Blog Post

9 ways to design better environmental regulation

Jun 06, 2016

We have all heard the saying, “I’m drowning in red tape”. It’s a common rebuke from businesses and others being forced to comply with regulation. Green tape, the environmental equivalent of red tape, refers to the rules and regulations that limit pollution or protect ecosystems. While green tape also draws its fair share of complaints, it turns out environmental regulation can be designed in a way to produce environmental and economic benefits that can outweigh at least some of the drawbacks – if not all of them.

Blog Post

Beyond the stigma – environmental regulation can help drive clean innovation

Jun 06, 2016

Thirty years ago, as concerns grew over dioxins appearing in fish downstream from pulp and paper mills, Swedish firms developed chlorine-free pulp bleaching technologies. Developing these technologies helped protect fish and ecosystems. What’s more, it opened up new markets in Germany for the Swedish firms’ more-environmentally-friendly products, and allowed the leading firms to sell their technology to other jurisdictions. A win for the environment and the economy.

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