Canada's Ecofiscal Commission is an economics project formed in 2014 by a group of Canadian economists from across the country. Chaired by

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

economist Christopher Ragan, the group seeks to broaden the discussion of

environmental pricing reform Environmental pricing reform (EPR) or Ecological fiscal reform (EFR) is a fiscal policy of adjusting market prices to account for environmental costs and benefits; this is accomplished by the utilization of any forms of taxation or subsidy to ince ...

beyond the academic sphere and into the realm of practical policy application.

Policies

The Commission focuses on three major policy streams (

Climate and energy In the 21st century, the Earth's climate and its energy policy interact and their relationship is studied and governed by a variety of national and international institutions. The relationships between energy-resource depletion, climate change, ...

, Water, and Livable Cities). Key areas of research and policy include: *

Carbon price Carbon pricing (or pricing) is a method for governments to mitigate climate change, in which a monetary cost is applied to greenhouse gas emissions. This is done to encourage polluters to reduce fossil fuel combustion, the main driver of climat ...

Energy subsidies Energy subsidies are measures that keep prices for customers below market levels, or for suppliers above market levels, or reduce costs for customers and suppliers. Energy subsidies may be direct cash transfers to suppliers, customers, or relat ...

* Water pricing * Municipal

user fee A user fee is a fee, tax, or impost payment paid to a facility owner or operator by a facility user as a necessary condition for using the facility. People pay user fees for the use of many public services and facilities. At the federal level ...

s *

Congestion pricing Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand, such as through higher peak charges for use of bus services, electricity, metros, railways, tel ...

* Landfill and solid waste pricing

Reports

In 2015, the Commission released three reports on the subject of provincial carbon-pricing in Canada—making a case for subnational carbon pricing policy, laying out principles for an effective cap-and-trade policy in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, and explaining carbon competitiveness, respectively. In 2015, the commission also release a report on the subject of congestion pricing, making the case for pilot projects in four Canadian cities:

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In 2016, the Commission released two more reports on carbon pricing. The first was on different methods of revenue recycling, and the second on comparing stringency. And in the fall of 2016 the Commission released a report on biofuels. In 2017, Ecofiscal released its third major carbon report, focused on what other policies are needed for comprehensive climate packages. It found that three types make sense: gap-fillers, signal-boosters and ones that provide co-benefits. The research emphasized cost-effectiveness. In September 2017, the Commission released its first report on municipal water. Titled Only the Pipes Should be Hidden, the report makes the case for user fees to tackle the interrelated problems of infrastructure gaps, water quality and a need for more conservation.

Advisory board

Composed of Canadian leaders in industry, the environment, and across the political spectrum, the commission's advisory board provide guidance, and diverse perspectives on how to design practical ecofiscal policies for Canada's unique context. Advisors include: * Elyse Allan * Gordon Campbell *

Jean Charest John James "Jean" Charest (; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was a member of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding se ...

* Karen Clarke-Whistler *

Jim Dinning James Francis Dinning (born December 4, 1952) is a Canadian Progressive Conservative politician and businessman. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (1986–1997), and now is on the board of directors of several Canadian compa ...

* Peter Gilgan *

Michael Harcourt Michael Franklin Harcourt OC (born January 6, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city, from ...

* Bruce Lourie *

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

Peter Robinson Peter Robinson may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Robinson (sideshow artist) (1873–1947), American actor and sideshow performer, known for his appearance in film ''Freaks'' (1932) * J. Peter Robinson (born 1945), British musician and film score ...

Lorne Trottier Lorne M. Trottier, OC (born 15 June 1948) is a Canadian engineer, businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded Matrox, a computer corporation that specializes in computer graphics. Trottier sits as an advisor to Canada's Ecofiscal Commission. ...

* Annette Verschuren * Steve Williams

References

External links

* {{official website, https://ecofiscal.ca Environmental organizations based in Canada Environmental organizations established in 2014 Political advocacy groups in Canada