For a long time, OCUFA has been critical of Canadian business’ sluggish performance in R&D funding. New data reveals that their poor performance is only getting worse. Business expenditures on research and development (R&D) in Canada have been decreasing for a few years, but the decline appears to be picking up steam. Statistics Canada estimates for 2013 show a […]
You may have seen some commentary recently suggesting that Canadian professors make more than their American counterparts. But according to new data, American faculty members make considerably more than their colleagues north of the border. International comparisons always face the problem ensuring apples-to-apples comparisons. Without taking account of differences in the way in which the […]
Faculty unionization has a positive impact on students and universities, according to a new American study . The Impact of Unionization on University Performance: A Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis, written by Mark Cassell, shows that unionization leads to a more efficient and effective institution, while promoting student success. The paper’s primary findings include: Unionized institutions show lower costs and […]
The latest Federal Scientific Activities report from Statistics Canada indicates that Canada’s federal government expenditures on science and technology for 2013-14 will decline 3.3 per cent from the previous year. The reduction will not only harm government agencies like Statistics Canada and the National Research Council, but will also reduce funding to research “performers” like universities. If inflation forecasts […]
Support for research and development in Canada has stagnated, due largely to a decrease if federal government support. Ontario continues to do better than most provinces, but mainly by directing more operating funds to research activities. Statistics Canada reports that research and development (R&D) spending by universities and other higher education research institutions rose by 3.4 per cent between 2011-12 and 2012-13. After […]
A decade ago, Mike Lazaridis highlighted the role of university research in developing the talent needed for success in the wider world of R&D. This is no less true today. Unfortunately, Canada continues to lag in university attainment rates, particularly in advanced degrees. Given the importance of producing research talent, it is no accident that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development […]
The latest data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that Ontario continues to lead the pack in university attainment. Overall, Canada’s attainment rate in college and university education amongst 25-64 year olds is the highest amongst OECD member countries. Canada’s ranking is due in large part to college attainment rates. Although three other […]
The latest release of Financial Information of Universities and Colleges offers little reason for optimism that the Ontario’s university funding gap will be closed any time soon. A brief respite courtesy of the Ontario government’s Reaching Higher plan notwithstanding, per-student provincial operating funding for Ontario’s universities has lagged the average in the rest of Canada […]
Talking about tuition fees out of context makes little sense, according to a report on Learning and Earning by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Hugh Mackenzie writes that the role of the income tax system must be taken into account in any discussion of tuition fee policy. In most provinces, government funding is the largest single […]
Critics of the productivity of Ontario’s universities need to check their facts. Ontario universities are doing much better than their American peers when it comes to graduation rates. Over the last decade, the overall graduation rate amongst undergraduates in Ontario has been steadily improving. The latest data show it at 81 per cent. Once first professional […]
It’s often assumed that Ontario’s tuition fees are a bargain compared to those in the United States. But tuition fees are rising faster in Ontario, and the percentage of university revenue made up of student fees is higher in the province than in American public institutions. Data from the United States indicate that inflation-adjusted tuition and […]
Two recent reports form the Centre for Policy Alternatives address the gender gap in Canada and Ontario. Both find that not enough is being done to close the distance between men and women in the workplace. Closing the Gender Gap takes a look at a variety of indicators used by the World Economic Forum to assess the gender gap […]
If a government’s commitment to “innovation” can be measured by its support to the institutions that carry out innovative research and educate the people who put their own ingenuity to work, Ontario’s government support is on a downward slide. University funding as a percentage of GDP still lags well behind the rest of Canada, despite […]
The Conference Board of Canada recently reported on this country’s innovation record, with Canada ranking thirteenth of the sixteen countries considered. While Canada got a grade of “B” for public spending on research and development (R&D), Canadian business got a “D” for its efforts and ranked second from last. The report observes that Canadian business expenditures on (R&D) […]
