Editor's Notes

A former Fraser Institute scholar came by the office the other day and announced that he was planning to move himself and his family across the border into Washington state. He has always retained his American citizenship, so the move will not prove particularly problematic. This academic has found that he can get work in his chosen field in the US, and has calculated that if he does make the move, for a comparable salary he will end up with almost double his after-tax disposable income. In part, this is because housing costs in Washington State are less than in Vancouver. That said, a large part of his projected windfall comes from much lower taxes over the border.

Canadian governments must recognize that intelligent, skilled people such as this man are capable of, and willing to, make significant moves to increase their standards of living. If we want to keep these people in Canada, we must keep public spending down, and lower the tax burdens we impose on all Canadians.

The feature article of this issue of Fraser Forum gives you some idea how our provincial governments fare in comparison with each other and with the US states as they attempt to keep spending in check and, in some cases, lower their tax rates.

This Issue's Authors

Brian April is Director of Development at The Fraser Institute. He has a Ph.D. in Modern History from the University of Cambridge.

Guy Cloutier is President and CEO of Canadian Direct Insurance. The proposal contained in the article here was presented to the government of British Columbia's Review Team on February 3, 1997.

Joel Emes is Research Economist at The Fraser Institute. He has his Masters in Economics from Simon Fraser University.

Laura Jones is Environment Economist at The Fraser Institute. She received her M.A. in Economics from Simon Fraser University.

Karen E. Lam is Director of the International Centre for the Study of Public Debt at The Fraser Institute. She has an M.A. in Economics from the University of Toronto.

Kristin McCahon is Director of Publication Production at The Fraser Institute. She has an M.A. in English Literature from the University of B.C.

Lydia Miljan is Director of the National Media Archive, a division of The Fraser Institute. She earned an M.A. in Communications from the University of Calgary. She researches and writes On Balance.

Kate Morrison is Co-ordinator of the National Media Archive. She has a B.A. (Hons) in Economics and Communications from Simon Fraser University.

Cynthia Ramsay is Health Economist at The Fraser Institute. She has her M.A. in Economics from Simon Fraser University.

John Robson is Deputy Editorial Pages Editor at the Ottawa Citizen. He has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin. He has written several Fraser Institute Critical Issues Bulletins and many articles in Fraser Forum.

Chris Sarlo teaches economics at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario. He is the author of Poverty in Canada, published by The Fraser Institute.

Karen Selick practices law in Belleville, Ontario, and is a columnist for Canadian Lawyer. You can reach her at kselick@connect.reach.net.

Michael Walker is Executive Director of The Fraser Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. He has written, edited, or co-authored dozens of Fraser Institute publications.

Mark Weller is Manager of Information Systems at The Fraser Institute. He has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of British Columbia.

Edwin G. West is Professor Emeritus (Economics) at Carleton University. He has written several articles and books for The Fraser Institute.

Walter Williams is John M. Olin Distinguished Scholar at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and is a syndicated columnist. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles.

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