
6-minute read
Will Interest Rates Make Debt Service Payments Explode?
Higher interest rates would lead to a rapid increase in debt service payments for the Quebec government, according to this study by the MEI. The Institute calculates that an increase of 0.76 percentage points in the effective rate on new borrowing by the Quebec government would result in a $1.56 billion increase in interest payments on the debt in 2027.

5-minute read
Learning to Be Patient: Emergency Room Wait Times Keep Rising Despite Promises
The median length of stay for a patient in an ER in Quebec was 5 hours and 11 minutes last year, according to this MEI study. With the exception of the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the median length of stay of an emergency room visit has been increasing for four years, going from 4 hours and 31 minutes in 2018 to 5 hours and 11 minutes last year.

15-minute read
Consultations prébudgétaires 2023-2024: Santé – Finances publiques – Énergie (in French only)
Brief submitted by the MEI as part of the 2022-2023 pre-budget consultations of the Quebec Finance Department.

10-minute read
Improving Housing Affordability in Montreal by Reducing Construction Regulation
The City of Montreal’s housing policies drive up construction and housing costs in the area, shows this MEI publication. In particular, the study targets the City’s “20-20-20” regulation mandating the kinds of housing units to be built as well as certain financial contributions to the municipal government.

5-minute read
Canada’s 2030 GHG Emission Targets: Globally Insignificant, Likely Counterproductive
Canada should focus more on global impact than on local reduction efforts in its attempts to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, according to this new study by the Montreal Economic Institute.

11-minute read
Labour Shortages: Helping a Trapped Pool of Potential Workers Help Themselves
The federal and provincial governments should make the reduction in social benefits more gradual in order to encourage employable welfare beneficiaries to join the labour market, concludes this MEI study.

11-minute read
Increase Productivity to Respond to the Labour Shortage
In order to alleviate the lack of labour, the Quebec government should lower corporate taxes, which would stimulate investment in productivity, according to this study published by the Montreal Economic Institute.

17-minute read
Lifting the Ban on Duplicate Private Health Insurance in Quebec
Allowing insurers to offer so-called duplicate health insurance policies to their Quebec clients would help reduce wait times, according to this new study published by the Montreal Economic Institute.

9-minute read
What If Tuition Fees Were Adjusted?
Adjusting tuition fees in Quebec based on program costs would be fairer, and would be less expensive for over half of undergraduate students, according to this new publication by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI).

5-minute read
ESG Disclosure: Mandatory Inclusion of Scope 3 Emissions Will Hurt Small Businesses
Plans to mandate scope three emissions reporting would be detrimental to small businesses, finds this new report published by the Montreal Economic Institute.