FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2018 HAMILTON – A new report finds outdated Ontario labour laws are now sheltering almost $2.5 billion worth of publicly funded municipal infrastructure work from fair and open competition. That is over three times more than the $750 million worth of work blocked from competitive bidding in 2012 – prior to the start of many major projects since then and the addition of the Region of Waterloo to Ontario’s closed jurisdictions. The findings appear in the newly published Shortchanging Ontario Cities: A Cardus Competitiveness Monitor Update.  “Ontario cities need enormous help in getting infrastructure built, which only becomes more expensive without fair and open bidding for construction contracts,” says Brian Dijkema at think tank Cardus. “With fair and open bidding, projects in Toronto, Hamilton, Waterloo Region, and Sault Ste. Marie would save taxpayers more than $370 million – and that’s just taking the median estimate of how badly inflated construction prices are because of an outdated provision of the Ontario Labour Relations Act.”  Estimated Costs of Projects Sheltered from Fair and Open Bidding in OntarioCity of Toronto$1,697,580,770Region of Waterloo$317,227,933City of Hamilton$235,628,000City of Sault Ste. Marie$45,429,750Toronto District School Board$177,514,336  Gross Total$2,473,380,789  Estimated 15% savings from open bidding$371,007,118The research is clear. Residents of Toronto, Hamilton, Waterloo Region, and Sault Ste. Marie would be able to afford much more infrastructure if the province brought outdated labour laws in compliance with Ontario’s own procurement directives, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development best practices, and procurement expert recommendations. “The longer outdated laws are on the books, the longer Ontario cities will be shortchanged,” said Dijkema. To book an interview with Brian Dijkema, please, contact Daniel Proussalidis. MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613-241-4500 x508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 13, 2018 OTTAWA – The federal government’s target of welcoming almost one million new immigrants to Canada by the end of 2020 will mean a major boost to the country’s faith communities. New public opinion research by the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with think tank Cardus, has found that almost four in 10 first generation immigrants to Canada are religiously committed – largely certain in their beliefs, and most likely to attend religious services, pray to God, and read the Bible or other sacred text regularly. That’s almost double the proportion of the general Canadian population. The data suggest the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada departmental plan for increased immigration will lead to a religious influx to this country. “Newcomers to Canada enrich this country, in part, by bringing a faith commitment with them,” says Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, director of the Cardus Religious Freedom Institute. “That means faith and religion are an inseparable and growing part of Canada’s diversity – one that requires a deeper understanding of each other’s beliefs beyond a superficial acknowledgment of holidays or traditions.” Another 21 percent of immigrants are privately faithful, identifying with a religious tradition, but infrequently reading sacred texts or attending religious services. Less than a third of immigrants are spiritually uncertain – lacking strong convictions on matters of faith – while just 11 percent reject religion altogether. Meanwhile, the same poll finds 64 percent of first generation immigrants agree that religion’s overall impact on the world is positive. That’s stronger than the 55 percent of Canadians in general who agree. “The polling reinforces what fair-minded Canadians know to be true: There must be room for religious expression in public life if Canada’s commitment to diversity is to mean anything,” says Bennett.  To book an interview with Rev. Dr. Bennett, please, contact Daniel Proussalidis. To see full poll results and methodology, please, click here. MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613-241-4500 x508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2018 A new study finds that Saskatchewan’s 2012 expansion of independent school funding made educational options more affordable for parents without disrupting the public school  system.  In the first year that partial funding became available for Qualified Independent Schools, half the non-funded independent schools in the province joined the new category, receiving 50 percent of the per-student average funding that government schools get.  Since 2012/13, QIS enrolments have grown by about 37 percent, but overall numbers are small, moving from 608 to 834 students. “Any major changes occurred only in the first year of the policy change, probably reflecting pent up demand for more alternative and affordable options,” says Dr. Deani Van Pelt, a Cardus Senior Fellow and author of the new Cardus report. “And the new funding led to benefits for all stakeholders. Parents and students have more options. Schools have improved stability, credibility, and professional development, and government benefits through improved transparency of independent school operations.” In order to receive funding, non-profit QIS schools must meet a series of requirements, including adherence to the Saskatchewan curriculum, employing only fully certified teachers, and submitting to provincial supervision and inspection. The Cardus study also found that while the independent school sector as a whole grew by 24 percent over the period, religious independent schools enrolled 77.3 percent of independent school students in 2017/18, an almost 5 percentage point decline since 2012/13 the number of specialty schools such as Montessori, Waldorf, and online schools has grown, rising almost 3 percentage points since 2012/13 to comprise 46 percent of Saskatchewan’s independent schools the independent school sector remains small, enrolling only 2.4 percent of Saskatchewan students A PDF version of Qualified Independent Schools in Saskatchewan: An Examination of a Recent Policy Change for a New Category of Funded Independent Schools is freely available online. For interviews with Dr. Van Pelt, please, contact Daniel Proussalidis at dproussalidis@cardus.ca.  MEDIA INQUIRIESDaniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613-899-5174 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2018 Ontario can make educational options more affordable for families without disrupting public schooling . A newly released Cardus study examines the Saskatchewan government’s 2012 move to extend partial funding to previously unfunded independent schools in that province. In the first year that funding became available for Qualified Independent Schools, half the non-funded independent schools in the province joined the new category, receiving 50 percent of the per-student average funding that government schools get for operational expenses.  Since 2012/13, QIS enrolments have grown by about 37 percent, but overall numbers are small, moving from 608 to 834 students. Of particular interest is the fact that the number of qualified independent schools has remained virtually unchanged over six years. “The major change in the number of schools participating occurred only in the first year of the policy change, probably reflecting pent up demand for more alternative and affordable options,” says Dr. Deani Van Pelt, a Cardus Senior Fellow and author of the new Cardus report. “It is possible we’d see a similar effect in Ontario if the province adopted a similar policy: An initial adjustment in schools qualifying for participation in the new category of funded schools, followed by a period of relative stability.” Saskatchewan requires Qualified Independent Schools to meet a series of requirements in order to receive partial funding, including adherence to the Saskatchewan curriculum, employing only fully certified teachers, and submitting to provincial supervision and inspection. “All stakeholders won in Saskatchewan,” says Dr. Van Pelt. “Parents and students had more options. Schools received improved stability, credibility, and professional development, and government benefitted through improved transparency of independent school operations.” A PDF version of Qualified Independent Schools in Saskatchewan: An Examination of a Recent Policy Change for a New Category of Funded Independent Schools is freely available online. For interviews with Dr. Van Pelt, please, contact Daniel Proussalidis at dproussalidis@cardus.ca.  MEDIA INQUIRIESDaniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613-899-5174 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2018Comment Magazine has launched the Seerveld Prize for New Writers. The prize offers an opportunity for new or experienced writers – who’ve never been published in Comment – to hone their craft, receive public recognition, and contribute to the public theology journal published by think tank Cardus. The first place prize winner will collect $1,500 CAD, and the runner-up win $1,000 CAD. Winning articles will be published on the Comment Magazine website and given consideration for publication in the Winter 2018 print issue.Seerveld Prize essay entries can focus on one of three themes: public theology and public life, New Minimalism, and the Cardus Manifesto. Full explanations of the themes are available online.For contest details, click here. The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2018.-30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications dproussalidis@cardus.ca Office: 613-241-4500 x508

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 19, 2018Hamilton, ON – If the new Ontario government eliminated the practice of restricting bidding on construction projects based on union affiliation, the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Community Housing Corporation would stand to gain billions of dollars. According to the new Cardus report, Skimming off the Top: How Closed Tendering Weakens our Ability to Pursue the Public Good, restricted bidding based on union affiliation adds up to 25 percent to project construction costs and reduces the pool of bidders by 84 percent. With bidding on TDSB and TCHC construction contracts limited to firms affiliated with a subset of building trades unions, the research suggests both organizations are overpaying significantly as they seek to chip away at their $4 billion and $2.6 billion repair bills over the next decade.“With fair and open bidding for construction projects, the TDSB could find school repairs up to $1.8 billion more affordable,” says Skimming off the Top author Brian Dijkema. “Similarly, the TCHC could find housing repairs $560 million more affordable without asking taxpayers for a penny more.”The Ontario government could help both the TDSB and TCHC by moving to eliminate the outdated provisions of the Labour Relations Act, which allow them to restrict bidding based on union affiliation. Dijkema notes, the provisions of the Act are fundamentally unfair.“To disqualify a firm whose workers have made a choice to join one union or another is completely contrary to the purpose of government, whose job it is to rule for all, and which has a constitutional obligation not to discriminate against people for exercising their rights,” Dijkema says in Skimming off the Top.To access Skimming off the Top, click here.-30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications dproussalidis@cardus.ca Office: 613-241-4500 x508

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 19, 2018Hamilton, ON – If Ontario Power Generation (OPG) construction contracts were tendered openly and fairly to all qualified bidders, the estimated $25.8 billion refurbishment of the Bruce and Darlington nuclear plants might be as much as $5.2 billion lower. According to the new Cardus report, Skimming off the Top: How Closed Tendering Weakens our Ability to Pursue the Public Good, restricted bidding based on union affiliation adds up to 25 percent to project construction costs and reduces the pool of bidders by 84 percent. Bidding on OPG construction contracts is limited to firms affiliated with a subset of building trades unions. That means fewer bidders, leading to higher costs for the Bruce and Darlington refurbishment projects – possibly as much as $5.2 billion higher than open, fair bidding would have achieved.“Restricted bidding isn’t in the public interest,” says report author Brian Dijkema. “It makes the construction of public infrastructure less affordable by inflating costs. And it stacks the deck in favour of a small group of firms based on union affiliation, which is unfair to taxpayers and to workers in the broader construction industry.”Dijkema notes that costs are only one issue to consider. Restricted bidding is also fundamentally unfair. “To disqualify a firm whose workers have made a choice to join one union or another is completely contrary to the purpose of government, whose job it is to rule for all, and which has a constitutional obligation not to discriminate against people for exercising their rights,” Dijkema says in Skimming off the Top.To access Skimming off the Top, click here.-30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications dproussalidis@cardus.ca Office: 613-241-4500 x508

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2018A new study by think tank Cardus suggests the cost of British Columbia’s public infrastructure projects could balloon by up to $6.4 billion if the province moves to restrict bidding on construction contracts. The provincial government has mused about imposing project labour agreements (PLAs) on infrastructure construction. Restrictive PLAs limit bidding on construction projects to firms based on union affiliation. Any firms not affiliated with those unions workers would be forced to pay dues to a union that they did not choose in order for their company to bid on work. The province has an estimated $25.6 billion worth of bridges, roads, hospitals, schools, and B.C. Hydro projects planned over the next three years, media reports suggest. The new Cardus report, Skimming off the Top: How Closed Tendering Weakens our Ability to Pursue the Public Good, cites research that shows restricted bidding typically blocks eight out of 10 contractors from bidding on work, forcing up contract prices by anywhere from two to 25 percent. Based on that research, restrictive PLAs could add from $512 million to $6.4 billion to B.C.’s future infrastructure construction costs.“Restricted bidding isn’t in the public interest,” says report author Brian Dijkema. “It plays favourites with a small group of firms, placing specific corporate interests over the interests of the public paying for the projects, the interests of construction workers, and the interests of the construction industry.”Dijkema notes B.C.’s debate over PLAs isn’t just about public dollars.“At its heart this is about whether the government will respect the diverse choices of all of its citizens, or stack the deck for those who align with the government,” he says. “Union, alternative union, and non-union labour are all deeply embedded in B.C.'s public construction industry, and have been for years. Government's role is not to pick winners in a diverse labour landscape; it is to ensure a fair, transparent, and competitive procurement process for all of it citizens, for the public interest."  To access Skimming off the Top, click here.-30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications dproussalidis@cardus.ca Office: 613-241-4500 x508

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2018OTTAWA – A new poll suggests newcomers to Canada are more open than Canadians generally are to seeing religious and faith community participation and influence in the country’s social and political debates. An Angus Reid Institute poll done in partnership with Cardus found that almost two-thirds of immigrants (64%) say religious voices should have some or a major influence in Canadian public life. That compares with 49% of Canadians generally who take the same view.“We’ve seen courts begin to close the public square to the public expression of faith and even provincial and federal governments try to keep religion in its own private corner,” says Ray Pennings, Cardus Executive Vice President. “But as immigrants tell us – many from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa – the enforced secularism we increasingly see in Canada is at odds with their expectations and values. If Canada is to keep welcoming newcomers, it will need to accommodate voices of faith.”The poll also found immigrants take a distinct view of the contributions of religious communities. A full 57% of immigrants agreed that religious communities make a “very good” or “more good than bad” contribution to Canada and Canadian society. Only 36% of Canadians in general said the same thing.Immigrants also credited religious communities with helping them settle into life in Canada. About half of immigrants (49%) say religious communities helped them find a job and a place to live, or to get language training after they arrived in Canada. More than six in 10 immigrants say religious communities helped give them a social network. And 65% of immigrants say religious communities provided them a spiritual home during their transition to life in this country.“Religious communities are leaders in supporting and setting up immigrants for success in Canada,” says Pennings. To see full poll results and methodology, please, click here.MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613-241-4500 x508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca