Ontario’s Future Prosperity: Issues, Challenges and Recommendations

Ontario as a small open economy has many fiscal levers and programs that could create and enhance its distinctive advantages in the North American global economies. Better tax policies and public services can encourage work, investment and more effective use of resources. In this paper, we examine expenditure and tax policies for Ontario in comparison to some other provinces and the United States. We examine the effects of these policies on the cost of doing business in Ontario and make recommendations for changes that would raise living standards in the province.