Lawyer, writer and wit Stephen Lautens has an eye for worthy stories and a deft way with words. This example can be found at his blog, Stephen Lauten’s Parking Space:
According to the author – who previously wrote a report that said poverty is not really a problem in this country – parents here only need to spend around $3,000 to $4,500 a year to raise a child. In fact, “it has never been easier, financially, to raise children in Canada.”
If you are an actual Canadian parent like me, that is when your morning coffee shoots out your nose.
Most studies and estimates place the annual cost of raising children at between $10,000 and $15,000 a year. According to the new Fraser Institute Report parents don’t necessarily need to spend money on things like a bigger house or apartment, so it’s not fair to count that towards child costs.
That is the point when you wonder if anyone at the Fraser Institute has actually met any children…
Readers of Stephen Lautens, at least ones beyond the age of 30, might find that his playful and pointed style strikes a familiar note. Actually, the name provides a clue as well.
Stephen is the son of Gary Lautens, a giant of Canadian journalism who passed far too young. I remember Gary well; he was one of my favourites.
Categories: Fraser Institute
in-sights.ca 
if the Fraser Institute is raising their own children on that $3 or $4k a yr, perhaps some one should check to see if the children are receiving adequate health and dental care, are being feed properly and if they have clean cloths to wear.
The Fraser Institute obviously has not been to purchase mild for 3 teenage sons recently or had to buy diapers or buy school supplies. these people are so out of touch, its funny,. I think Rick Mercer could do a whole program on how to raise your kids in Canada on their suggested amount.
Guess the boys and girls at the Fraser Institute have never been out of the lower mainland and seen what food costs in the North. they are funny.
Seeing as its so cheap according to the fraser institute to raise kids, perhaps some should drop their kdis off with them and see how they do on their budget.
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Well if we are going to boycott people and organizations that spread the Fraser Institutes gospels we could start with the Neo-Liberal party of BC. Ans we could force whomever wins the federal election to take away their tax exempt status, maybe we could say they took up birdwatching. In all seriousness them having tax exempt status shows just how deep business has it hand up in our puppet governments, and how much of a sham our “society” has become.
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Yes, a”gospel” you say, interesting way to put it. I would think the word “disease”, more appropriate.
This “local” branch of the “one percenters”, is exactly what this country does not need. Arrogance and superiority complex's seem to come to the fore whenever these sociopaths get on their soapbox. A republican style group of cronies, bent on shaping the world to fit “their” own needs, and to hell with the poor, disenfranchised, and those whose participation in their global scheme of things are deemed “irrelevant”
What a sad world we live in, that gives time or even attention to this group of manipulators…
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L'auto in the photo says it all, doesn't it?
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Clickable link to the CBC report referenced above: Immigrants a 'fiscal burden,' Fraser Institute report suggests
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Ordinary citizens have no ability to alter the direction of the Fraser Institute but we can take steps to boycott businesses of the people who support the organization or spread its gospels.
The latter includes most every newspaper chain in British Columbia, particularly Postmedia. Businesses to avoid would include among others: London Drugs, IGA Marketplace, Canaccord, Kal Tire, Beedie Group, Golden Boy Foods, Westwood Plateau, Westbild (Pacific Place, Meridian Corner, Meridian Crossing, Gibsons Park Plaza, Predator Ridge, etc)
Much further reading about the F.I. here about the Fraser Institute
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Interestingly enough The Fraser Institute has just released a report on the cost of “elderly” immigrants on the taxpayers of Canada.( aprox $20 Billion per year).
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fbritish-columbia%2Fstory%2F2013%2F08%2F29%2Fbc-fraser-immigration.html&ei=vCYhUvqxFKzFiwLx5YHYBA&usg=AFQjCNEqwl-HNOr3dyRxgGZtoCqqXBCMVA&bvm=bv.51495398,d.cGE
Hmmmm, get rid of the elderly and have cheap babies.
The Fraser Institute is on a ROLL.
Why, its a recipe for success.
Now, if it wasnt for global warming we could send allll the elderly to the ice flows of baffin Island and save the polar bears from extinction!
Its a win,win win.
If we can get the environmentalists AND the Fraser Institute on board. What a coup.
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Quite some time ago I was part of one of the many collectives that broadcast on CFRO – Vancouver's Co-op radio. One of the shows we produced I remember well after all these years. It was a show long interview and call in with Michael Walker, then the head boy at the Fraser Institute. We played a Nazi tune from Cabaret to lead off the show. There is nothing funny about the Fraser Institute, though they are easy to laugh at. The scum are responsible for every homeless person in our country and a whole lot of other heartless crap besides.
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“poverty is not really a problem in this country – parents here only need to spend around $3,000 to $4,500 a year to raise a child. In fact, “it has never been easier, financially, to raise children in Canada”
If I didn't know who said that and was asked to guess who said it, my first guess would be a child 12 years old or less. If that was wrong, my second guess would be a patient confined to a mental institution.
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Anon-Above–
Maybe child care?
(which was another thing the author of the report decided to leave out of his calculation because, apparently, it is only needed by those that can afford it – seriously)
.
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If this is indeed true, I wonder where all that “extra” money I was giving my ex-wife for child support went to?
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The Fraser Insitute.
A sad mockery of itself.
If they continue down the road of biased, pro capitalist propaganda nobody will pay any attention to their “studies” unless they are so blatantly absurd people will read them for their amusement value….
Any attention is better than being ignored.Kind of like the kid that eats worms in the school yard on a dare.
Waaaaait a minute.
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I always thought the Fraser Institute was a neoconservative right wing 'think tank'. But, evidently, it is the Fraser Institute Comedy Club.
Keep those papers coming boys and girls, because they are hilarious!
We need humour in these difficult times.
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