Contents: The Discount Rate Revisited (Spring 2008) by Laura Weir, Derek Aldridge, Kelly Rathje, and Christopher Bruce This article reports on our latest survey of discount rates. We conclude that no changes to our existing discount rate assumptions are warranted, though a reduction in our long-term rate may be necessary in the future if the… Continue reading

Contents: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on the Educational Attainment and Adult Earnings of Canadian Women by Christopher Bruce and Daniel Gordon This article concerns sexual abuse cases and the difficult task of determining the impact that the harm has had on the plaintiff’s earning capacity. Christopher Bruce and his colleague from the University… Continue reading

Contents: Forecasting the long-term interest rate on Government of Canada bonds: “market-based” versus “conservative” investment by Christopher Bruce In the article Christopher Bruce examines a subtle issue relating to interest rates. He explains the difference between the interest rates realised by buying bonds and holding them to maturity, and selling and re-buying before maturity. These… Continue reading

Contents: The Cost of Household Services, Alberta, 2006: A Survey by Christopher Bruce and Amelia Lamb The article reports the results of a survey we conducted in late 2005 and early 2006. We obtained housecleaning, handyman, landscaping and snow removal, child care, and home care/meal preparation rates from a large sample of agencies and individuals… Continue reading

Contents: Estimating non-discriminatory lifetime earnings for young females by Christopher Bruce and Kelly Rathje This articles examines the sources of male/female earnings differentials that might arise from differences between the sexes in labour force participation rates, part-time hours, and retirement ages. It concludes that, even in the absence of labour market discrimination, women may earn… Continue reading

Contents: Claims by Elderly Parents for Loss of Caregiving by Adult Children by Hugh P. Finnigan The article addresses the fact that many adult children accept at least some responsibility for the provision of care to their aging parents. This leads to a possible claim by elderly parents for the loss of caregiving services, if… Continue reading

Contents: The Discount Rate Revisited by Christopher Bruce, Derek Aldridge, Kelly Rathje, and Hugh Finnigan In this article we review the recent evidence – both statistical and theoretical – concerning the discount rate (or real rate of interest). We review a number of different interest rates for each quarter since 1995 and find that every… Continue reading

Contents: The Impact of Disability on Earnings: Reliable Data by Christopher Bruce From his analysis in his previous article, Dr. Bruce concluded that, to be reliable, evidence must be based on data sets that meet two criteria: First, the number of observations must be large enough that one can be certain that a representative sample… Continue reading

Contents: The Reliability of Statistical Evidence Concerning the Impact of Disability by Christopher Bruce In the article Christopher Bruce provides a caution concerning the acceptance of statistical evidence about disability. Dr. Bruce argues that the courts and opposing counsel do not subject certain types of medical opinion to sufficiently strict statistical standards. Specifically, he shows… Continue reading

Contents: Using family background to Predict Educational Attainment in Canada by Carmen Anderson with Christopher Bruce When a minor has suffered a serious injury, it is necessary to predict what the income level of the plaintiff would have been in the absence of that injury. In most cases, this is done by projecting an education… Continue reading