Canadian health care systems struggle to hold on to their young nurses, reveals this MEI publication. “For every 100 nurses we train in the country, 40 are leaving the profession before their 35th birthday,” states Emmanuelle B. Faubert, economist at the MEI and co-author of the publication.

The federal government’s decree seeking to protect certain woodland caribou herds would result in the loss of at least 1,990 jobs in Quebec’s rural regions, according to this Viewpoint published by the MEI. “If the federal government goes ahead with its decree, it will cause the loss of a minimum of 1,990 jobs, and with no guarantee that the caribou will be saved,” warns Gabriel Giguère, senior public policy analyst at the MEI and author of the study.

Allowing Canadian patients to get reimbursed from the government for care received outside the country – just like Europeans do – would help reduce waiting times, according to this Economic Note published jointly by the Montreal Economic Institute and SecondStreet.org.

A new interpretation of Quebec’s Notarial Act would almost double the cost of a mortgage transfer in the province, according to this MEI study. “With its new interpretation of the Act, the Chambre des notaires has monopolized the preparation of legal forms for mortgage transfers,” states Gabriel Giguère, senior policy analyst at the MEI and author of the study.

Reforming agricultural zoning to ease a transition toward residential zoning would help to make housing affordable again, according to this MEI study. “The fact is that there is a lot of land in our cities that could support households if zoning allowed,” says Gabriel Giguère, senior policy analyst at the MEI and author of the study.

Autonomous non-profit hospitals tend to perform better than government-run hospitals, shows this MEI study. “Interminable waits in Canadian hospitals show that our healthcare systems are struggling to deliver basic services to the population,” says Emmanuelle B. Faubert, economist at MEI and author of the study. “By allowing independent non-profit hospitals to open, our governments would help increase treatment capacity, to the benefit of patients.”

The regulatory burden is preventing the housing supply from adjusting itself, contributing to the rapid increase in housing prices seen in Montreal, points out this study published by the MEI. “The more regulation there is, the longer it takes and the more it costs to build new units, thus making housing more expensive and harder to find,” says Vincent Geloso, senior economist at the MEI and author of the study.

Although the state of Montreal’s social housing stock has gone from bad to worse over the past five years, Mayor Valérie Plante insists on building more, decries this MEI study. “Those who require housing assistance are being forced to live in deplorable conditions,” states Gabriel Giguère, senior public policy analyst at the MEI and author of the study.

The number of patients leaving Quebec emergency rooms without being treated is rising, shows this study by the MEI. “These discouraged patients who leave ERs without having been treated are not leaving because they feel better, but rather because the system can’t give them access to care,” explains Emmanuelle B. Faubert, economist at the MEI and author of the study.

Ottawa’s proposed ban on the use of temporary replacement workers during work stoppages will significantly disrupt vital services, asserts this MEI study. “Banning the use of replacement workers for federally regulated industries will enable small groups of unionized employees to stop key transportation infrastructure from working,” explains Gabriel Giguère, public policy analyst at the MEI and author of the study.