Papers, Guides, Handbooks and Backgrounders

Columbia Institute’s report, "Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Public’s Right to Know," examines the proposed Bank, and government legislation that prevents public access to information.

Commissioned by Canada’s Building Trades Unions, Jobs for Tomorrow - Canada’s Building Trades and Net Zero Emissions explores the historic role of Canada’s construction industry and potential for low-carbon economy job growth.

Back in House: Why Local Governments are Bringing Services Home finds that across Canada and around the world public services that were once outsourced are now finding their way back in-house to municipalities -- mainly because using in-house services saves money.

With input from eight seniors centres in Metro Vancouver, the Columbia Institute report, Our Future: Seniors, Socialization and Health, spotlights how municipalities are frontline in seniors health by offering a wide variety of programs that help keep seniors healthy and independent and delay/pre

Procurement by private and public sector institutions is a major force in the economy. In BC, local governments and school districts alone spend more than $6.7 billion annually on procurement.