Today. Tomorrow. Together.

Vivic Research is an economic and public policy research firm dedicated to supporting actors working towards systems change with evidence-based research.

In work done for the Ottawa Coalition for a People’s Budget, Vivic Research created the Alternative Budget which presents a progressive and ambitious vision for the City of Ottawa and its finances. The proposals put forward in this alternative budget require substantial funding. To fund them, we have reallocated millions of dollars from the police budget to other City programs, reduced spending on fossil fuel infrastructure, and implemented new taxes. Read More

Employment Insurance in Canada: A Literature Review of Current Internal Government Studies

The Vivic team summarizes relevant findings from 13 studies developed by Employment and Social Development Canada on the state of the Employment Insurance Program 2013 and 2019. The studies examine many facets of the EI program, such as apprenticeships, training, the compassionate care benefit, the work-sharing program, the reasons why those who are eligible for benefits do not apply, and the extent to which the program alleviates poverty and redistributes income across program participants. Read More

Key Performance Indicator Roadmap: A Path Forward for Measuring Fort Calgary's Impact

Vivic worked with the Fort Calgary Society to develop key performance indicators to track their success in advancing reconciliation and cultural heritage in the City of Calgary. These KPIs were anchored in a logic model for the organization that mapped out how each of Fort Calgary's activities created the outcomes they wanted to provide to the community. Read More

Towards Equitable Post-secondary Education in Canada

In work done for the Canadian Federation of Students, Vivic Research presented a series of policy recommendations aimed at easing the burden of student debt and tuition prices. The recommendations we put forward prioritized the needs of low-income and otherwise marginalized students, in doing so, advocating for progressive change in Canada’s approach to education funding. Read More

Reforming the Competition Act

Vivic’s Robin Shaban testified to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science, and Technology on April 6th and 20th, 2021. She highlighted the need for reform to Canada’s Competition Policy to make our economy more equitable for all Canadians. To learn more, check out our briefing note to the Committee. Read More

Monopoly and the Covid Recovery

At the 2021 Canadian Economics Association conference, Vivic's Robin Shaban presented at a panel on how we can create a more just and resilient economy post-pandemic. Robin highlighted the role of monopolies and market power in creating inequality and how we need legislative reform to address the issue. Read More

Non-Police Mental Health Crisis Response for the City of Ottawa

Vivic, sponsored by 613-819 Black Hub, undertook community consultations to explore the possibility of a non-police response to mental health crises. The report reviews public policies that have contributed to crises situations, the history and current operations of emergency responses, existing alternatives across North America and available responses in Ottawa. The strategy is a detailed proposal of a non-police mental health crisis response that would better meet community needs, and includes the cost of the program and concrete steps to reallocate funding from the Ottawa Police Service. Read More

Check and balance: The case for improving Canada’s Competition Act to protect workers

The Vivic team along with co-author Ana Qarri outline how the Competition Act could be doing more to protect workers, and where it falls short. It also provides a guide for advocates and labour unions on how to engage with the Competition Bureau during the course of merger investigations. Read More

No One Left Behind: Strategies for an Inclusive Recovery

This report, produced by Vivic Research and Campaign2000, examines child poverty through a human rights and social determinants of health framework. The report includes over 60 recommendations for all levels of government to take action that would eradicate child poverty. The polices recommended are meant to address higher poverty rates in marginalized communities and therefore need to be developed with the communities they target and incorporate trauma-informed principles to policymaking. Read More

Alternative Municipal Budget for the City of Ottawa 2022

For the second consecutive year, the Ottawa Coalition for a People’s Budget and Vivic Research present a progressive alternative budget for the City of Ottawa. Building off and learning from last year’s experience, this budget puts forwards policies that would improve the lives of all community members, rather than allow developer influence to run the city. Read More

Study of Competition Issues in Data-Driven Markets in Canada

The Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada commissioned this study of Competition Issues in Data-Driven Markets in Canada in the fall of 2021. This independent expert report takes a case study approach, exploring nine business behaviours that occur in a digital context and testing how they may or may not be currently contemplated under the Competition Act. It concludes with a cross-cutting policy approach that will aid in preserving and encouraging competition in data-driven markets. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. Read More

Seven reasons why privatization of public services is the wrong answer

Inez Hillel and Saamia Ahmad of Vivic Research collaborated with Simon Enoch from the Saskatchewan Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to dispel seven common myths about privatization. Their article in The Monitor debt, service quality, wages and job loss, and cost savings. Read More

Playing the Long Game: Keeping Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy diverse and sustainable

Vivic Research’s work on privatization in Newfoundland and Labrador is featured in the CCPA’s The Monitor. Vivic explores the potential short and long run economic impacts of the Premier’s Economic Recovery Team report, which focused heavily on debt and proposes drastic cuts to the province’s public services. Vivic finds that privatization could result in a net loss of provincial income and increase dependency on oil and gas revenue. Read More

Making Ontario a Safer Place to Work

In collaboration with the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), Vivic investigated trends in funding for Ontario's Heath and Safety Associations. We analyzed shifts in the total funding and funding mix of the Associations from 2013 to 2020, and examined how claim rates, injury rates, and fatalities changed over the last decade. Read More

Labour Markets and the Competition Act

The Western Law Economics Research Group and ASCOLA Canada hosted the panel "Labour Markets and the Competition Act". Vivic's Robin Shaban presented on the intersection of competition and labour policy and the relevance of monopsony power for workers Read More

Labour Shortages, Monopsony, Power and their Role in our Current Labour Markets

At the 2022 Canadian Economics Association, Vivic's Robin Shaban presented on the role of labour market monopsony in our current labour shortage and the importance of competitive labour markets in supporting current social programs, like the Canada Child Benefit. Read More

Research support for report: How to Reduce the Depth of Single Adult Poverty in Canada

Vivic was engaged by the Maytree Foundation and Community Food Centres Canada to develop a microsimulation model of a new federal tax credit targeted to low-income, working-age singles. Using data from the SPSD/M and the programming language R, the team built the model and produced several metrics of program efficiency and effectiveness, including some custom metrics. As part of the project, the Vivic team also undertook a scan of other jurisdictions which was used to benchmark the proposed program against those of other nations. Read More

Job creation through transformational climate investments: Assessing the impact of proposed climate investments in Canada

Vivic Research was retained to estimate the potential employment impacts of the proposed investments in Spending What it Takes: Transformational climate investments for long-term prosperity in Canada published by Climate Action Network Canada and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. In this report, the potential employment effects of the proposed investments are estimated using an input-output (I-O) model of the Canadian economy. Our results suggest that the proposed investments could result in an average of an additional 145,900 – 176,000 jobs over the next five years, with employment increasing over time along with the proposed investments. Read More

See All Our Work