Think-tank Research

Log Export Policy for British Columbia (2014). Fraser Institute.

This study reviews BC's current log export policies, and provides a comparison of three possible options for reform. The results suggest a streamlined export quota system is preferrable to unilaterally removing all log export restrictions. However, it is demonstrrated that Canada and BC can potentially gain from the removal of log export restrictions if trade concessions of equivalent value are secured in trade negotiations with Japan and China.

(w/ I. Herzog) Economic freedom and the environment (2014). Fraser Institute.

We examine a multicountry data set for over a hundred countries spanning a period from 2000 to 2010 to identify the relationship between economic freedom and two environmental indicators (concentrations of fine particulate matter and carbon dioxide emissions).

Canadian Environmental indicators- Water (2013). Fraser institute.

Canadians are concerned about the abundance and quality of our freshwater resources, yet information is widely dispersed and often difficult to obtain. This publication reviews a wide array of data and government publications to assess the state of Canada’s water resources in an effort to make the information more accessible to policy-makers and the general public.

Lifting the Moratorium: The Costs and Benefits of Offshore Drilling in British Columbia (2012). Fraser Institute.

This study combines information from academic papers, government commissioned reports, and government databases in order to estimate the expected net benefits to Canadians from removing the federally imposed moratorium on offshore oil operations on Canada’s west coast. The study not only considers the economic benefits and costs, but also calculates estimates for the potential environmental damages and monetary costs from oil spills, such as lost profits to fisheries and tourism, the cost of cleaning up and containing a spill, and even psychological loss (nonuse value).

Canadian Environmental Indicators- Air Quality (2012). Fraser Institute.

This study examines long-term monitoring data from Environment Canada’s National Air Pollution Surveillance network on five major air pollutants regularly cited as posing health risks to Canadians: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. The study also examines the air quality standards and regulatory mechanisms already in force in Canada to determine whether local air quality is getting better or worse, and how it compares to the clean-air targets in place across the country.