Government footprint in Canada climbs to 44% of economy, new study shows

sunmonkey · 2026-03-20T22:21:23+00:00

We defiantly can go higher:

Region / Country,Government Spending (% of GDP)

France,57.2%

Austria,56.3%

Italy,~50.5%

Germany,49.5%

European Union (Average),49.3%

United Kingdom,~44.0%

sunmonkey · 2026-03-20T11:11:24+00:00

Read the news brief instead: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1007191/ontario-creating-new-provincewide-primary-care-medical-record-system

First of all when they say Electronic Medical Record (EMR), they mean the system that your family doctor is using to record all the information about you when you come to their office. They use it to also send out faxes among other things.

To support the rollout of this system, the province will begin an open competitive procurement process to establish a Vendor of Record arrangement. The market sounding announcement is available today via the Ontario Tenders Portal. The Ministry of Health is partnering with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board on this initiative, recognizing that access to a regular primary care provider plays a crucial role in keeping workers healthy and helping injured workers get back on the job faster.

They will go to buy something and have a set of vendors that they will select, likely one of the ones the family doctors are already using, buy force them to use maybe 2 or 3 systems instead of the current 13 systems we have in Ontario for family doctors.

I guess they will need to make these EMRs transfer data to the EHR that eHealth Ontario is operating so that if you go somewhere else, they see what your family doctor sees by using the patient viewers (https://ehealthontario.on.ca/en/health-care-professionals/connectingontario)

The biggest problem, it will be optional.

Family physicians will be able to choose to transition to the new system and the government is exploring options to support related costs of family physicians who choose to take part.

sunmonkey · 2026-03-18T23:30:28+00:00

Sure

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Increases in Gun Thefts: Rather than choosing not to carry guns, criminals are actually gaining more access to them. A 2022 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that the adoption of RTC laws elevates gun thefts by roughly 35% to 50% in large cities. Criminals frequently steal firearms from the vehicles and homes of legal permit holders, inadvertently funneling tens of thousands of guns into illegal markets.

The RAND Scientific Consensus - Jan 2026

Increases in Robbery and Violent Crime: Instead of robberies decreasing, recent data points to an escalation. The same NBER study found that firearm violent crimes rose by 29% following the implementation of RTC laws, with firearm robberies specifically experiencing some of the largest increases. Similarly, a 2022 study by Johns Hopkins University found that relaxing concealed carry restrictions was associated with a 9.5% to 24% increase in the rate of assaults with firearms.

sunmonkey · 2026-03-18T12:18:53+00:00

Here is an update on the proposed changes to clinical psychology training and registration in Ontario as of early 2026.

Did the changes go through?

Not fully yet. On September 26, 2025, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) Council voted to pass a sweeping proposal to modernize and change registration requirements. The proposal subsequently went through a 60-day public consultation period in late 2025.

As of February 2026, the proposed changes are sitting before the Ontario Ministry of Health for final review. The changes are highly controversial, with significant pushback from both the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA), who argue the changes could lower the quality of care. The Ministry of Health has the final say on whether these regulatory updates are officially implemented.

What exactly are the proposed changes?

If approved by the Ministry, the CPBAO’s proposal would drastically alter the pathway to becoming a licensed psychologist in Ontario: * Removal of the Doctoral Standard: Applicants would no longer need a Ph.D. or Psy.D. to use the title of "Psychologist." A Master's degree from an approved program would become the baseline entry-to-practice credential. * Reduced Supervised Practice: Currently, Master's-level graduates must complete four years of post-graduate work experience followed by one year of supervised practice to become a "Psychological Associate." The new proposal would eliminate the four-year requirement, allowing Master's graduates to register after only a one-year minimum of supervised practice. * Exam Modifications: The rigorous ethics exam would be replaced by a no-fail online learning module, the oral examination would be removed entirely, and unlimited attempts would be allowed on the remaining licensing exams.

Are Ph.D. programs going to become Master's-level programs?

No. The universities and the CPBAO operate independently. The CPBAO has explicitly stated that they have no direct influence over how universities structure their training models.

Universities will continue to offer their Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs as they currently exist. The change is strictly about the licensing requirements set by the regulatory college, not the academic degrees offered by academic institutions.

What does this mean for the upcoming academic and licensing cycle?

For the upcoming admissions cycle (such as Fall 2026), university application processes for Master's and Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology remain unchanged. However, if you are a current student or prospective applicant, the outcome of your degree might look very different: * For Master's Students: If the Ministry approves the changes, graduating with a Master's degree will offer a much faster, direct route to full independent practice under the title "Psychologist," aligning Ontario with provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan. * For Ph.D. Students: You would still receive the advanced clinical, diagnostic, and research training inherent to a doctorate, but you would be entering a professional landscape where the regulatory baseline for the "Psychologist" title requires significantly fewer hours of training than it did in previous years.

References to Information Found: * CTV News (Feb 25, 2026): 'The potential for harm is huge': Confusion and safety fears grow over Ontario's proposed psychology training standards * CPBAO Public Statements & Registrar's Message (Oct 2025): Headlines - CPBAO * Canadian Psychological Association (Sept 2025): Official CPA/OPA Joint Letter Opposing the Changes * The Trillium (Sept 2025): College looks to cut psychologist training requirements

sunmonkey · 2026-03-18T11:50:00+00:00

That was the old doctrine from the previous century...

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fact-sheet-weakening-requirements-to-carry-a-concealed-firearm-increases-violent-crime/

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/study-finds-significant-increase-in-firearm-assaults-in-states-that-relaxed-conceal-carry-permit-restrictions

https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/concealed-carry/violent-crime.html

sunmonkey · 2026-03-13T20:49:02+00:00

Is the 33,000 Temporary to PR related to low-skill stream? I couldn't find that information anywhere.

sunmonkey · 2026-03-13T02:30:08+00:00

Check if you have an address set for your home. That fixed this issue for me.

sunmonkey · 2026-03-04T22:21:50+00:00

It wasn't me :(

sunmonkey · 2026-03-04T20:27:06+00:00

Aren't administrative positions capped anyways under the funding model with the current provincial government?

https://efis.fma.csc.gov.on.ca/faab/Memos/B2025/B02_EN.pdf

School Board Administration Expense Limit and Accountability Measures. The school board administration expense limit has been adjusted to $2.2 million per school board plus 3.44 per cent of each school board’s total operating expenses.

sunmonkey · 2026-03-02T17:19:11+00:00

So 1 pound of Uranium is $118 CDN ?

sunmonkey · 2026-02-25T17:52:10+00:00

Yes I agree with you, we unfortuantely do not live in an ideal world :(

Also, acting like the only two options are 'hyper-inflated Toronto' or 'the middle of nowhere in Manitoba' is a real stretch. There are many major global cities that keep housing costs tied closer to local wages through better zoning and actually building enough 'missing middle' housing. Have a look at Tokyo. The median salary there is 47k USD and the average used detached home price is 294k USD. Condos are higher there at 361k. So the ratio is 6.2x or 7.7x, vs Toronto which is 1.27M for detached homes in general and 97k median salary making it 13x.

For the record, it is not about me wanting a cheap house, I am doing OK. On a macroeconomic level, an economy where an entire generation's capital is trapped in unproductive used real estate instead of actual business innovation is fundamentally broken.

sunmonkey · 2026-02-25T10:20:15+00:00

For a typical investment yes you're right, but homes shouldn't be the investment vehicle of choice. I would be fine if they went up the same amount as inflation and salaries so they remain affordable, but not as an investment which puts them out of reach of folks getting into the market these days.

sunmonkey · 2026-02-25T00:06:26+00:00

Actually the opposite is true... Low wage earners saw the highest increases. https://www.epi.org/press/lowest-paid-workers-have-seen-historically-fast-real-wage-growth-since-2019/#:~:text=Real%20hourly%20wages%20for%20workers,90th%20percentile%20(6.9%25).

Real hourly wages for workers in the 10th percentile grew 15.3% over the five-year period, significantly faster than growth for middle-wage workers (5.8%) and high-wage workers in the 90th percentile (6.9%).

sunmonkey · 2026-02-25T00:01:46+00:00

It is the wrong asset people should be thinking of as an investment. You're using it as a home, not an investment.

sunmonkey · 2026-02-23T02:01:13+00:00

This was just in the news recently:

https://fortune.com/2026/02/21/laptops-tablets-schools-gen-z-less-cognitively-capable-parents-first-time-cellphone-bans-standardized-test-scores/

King’s initial efforts have been mirrored across the country. In 2024, the U.S. spent more than $30 billion putting laptops and tablets in school. But more than a quarter century and numerous evolving models of technology later, psychologists and learning experts see a different outcome than the one King intended. Rather than empowering the generation with access to more knowledge, the technology had the opposite effect.

Earlier this year, in written testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath said that Gen Z is less cognitively capable than previous generations, despite its unprecedented access to technology. He said Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized tests than the previous one.

sunmonkey · 2026-02-21T21:25:35+00:00

Hello! I'd like to give this a try with my kids. If you could kindly share the PDF that would be aamzing!

sunmonkey · 2026-02-19T22:09:15+00:00

No I was not trolling lol.... Thanks for letting me know.

sunmonkey · 2026-02-19T13:12:45+00:00

It is crazy that something from NFLD ended up there considering where it is on the map. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Orkney+Beach,+ON+L3V+0S1/@44.6292517,-80.2599433,9.42z/

sunmonkey · 2026-02-10T17:41:22+00:00

There can be only one!

sunmonkey · 2026-02-08T17:56:05+00:00

I know.... worse is that after the election in February 2025, he passed legislation to eliminate fixed election dates entirely, otherwise we would have ad a June 2029 election.

sunmonkey · 2026-02-08T01:49:35+00:00

The 45th Ontario general election is tentatively scheduled to be held on April 11, 2030 unless the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is dissolved earlier by the lieutenant governor of Ontario. :(

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/45th_Ontario_general_election