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About SecondStreet.org

A message from our President, Colin Craig

SecondStreet.org is a Canadian research organization that uses personal stories and experiences to advocate for better public policy outcomes.

 

Statistics and research matter, but numbers alone rarely change minds. We put ordinary Canadians – patients, parents, families and communities – at the centre of public policy, connecting their experiences to practical reforms that can improve people’s lives.

 

We pair those stories with research, evidence and lessons from Canada and around the world to examine what is working, what isn’t and what governments can do differently.

 

Today, our primary policy priorities are health care and education. A third will be unveiled in 2027. Across each area, the same principles guide our work.

Our Impact

Since launching in 2019, our small startup has had a big impact:

25+

Policy Changes

Our work has contributed to policy changes in health care, education, cutting red tape, and taxation. (Click to learn more)

350+

Videos

From compelling stories in Canada to important lessons from abroad.

37+Million

Video Views

Real stories reaching millions of Canadians every year.

43+Million

Online Reach

Times our content has been seen on social media like Facebook, YouTube, and X.

600+

Media Mentions

Print, TV, radio, and online!

50,000+

Email Subscribers

Canadians especially dedicated to following our work.

Our Vision

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01Our Vision

A Canada where government policies empower the people. We envision a free and prosperous nation built on opportunity, choice, and responsibility. Government should work for you and remove barriers to a happy life.

02Our Mission

To turn stories into solutions. We use real-life experiences to drive free-market reforms that improve the quality of life for every Canadian, moving our systems from broken monopolies to proven, world-class models.

03Method and Activities

We inform the public and lawmakers about constructive public policy ideas and solutions. Our activities include: storytelling, investigative reporting, research papers, participating in media interviews, holding public forums and presenting policy ideas to lawmakers and hearings.

Our Policy Principles

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01Health Care

Every patient deserves timely access to the health care they need.

Across Canada, too many patients wait months or even years for surgeries, diagnostic scans, specialists and other necessary care. Some deteriorate while waiting; others die before receiving the care they need. Others are forced to leave their province or country to find treatment.

It does not have to be this way.

Many countries with universal public health care systems – particularly in Europe – achieve better results by organizing and delivering care differently. Canada should learn from them.

SecondStreet.org supports reforms that put patients ahead of the system: reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, funding providers in ways that reward them for helping more patients, and using public, non-profit and private providers when they can deliver quality care cost-effectively.

Just like in Europe, patients should have greater choice in where and how they receive care, including the ability to pursue alternatives when the existing system cannot treat them within a medically appropriate period.

And governments and health authorities should be accountable for the results they deliver. Canadians pay into the health care system throughout their lives. The system should be there when they need it most – and when it’s not, it should have to help patients get the care they need elsewhere.

02Education

Every child deserves an education that fits.

Every child is different. Families should have access to educational environments that help their children learn, develop and succeed.

Yet many parents are concerned about the direction of the school system, how well their children are doing and the limited choices available to them.

SecondStreet.org supports greater choice for families, more openness to different school models and greater freedom for educators to innovate.

Schools should focus relentlessly on student achievement. Teaching practices should be grounded in evidence and proven approaches to learning. Classrooms should be safe and orderly, expectations should be high and parents should have access to meaningful information about their children’s education.

Governments should measure and disclose results, encourage excellence and learn from schools and jurisdictions that are succeeding.

The goal should not be to protect one particular system or model. It should be to help every child receive an education that works for them.

Our Policy Priorities

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01People come before systems

Government programs and public institutions exist to serve people – not the other way around.

Patients, students, families and communities should come before bureaucracies, institutions and special interests. Governments often struggle to reform systems that are failing people. That’s not good enough. When programs and institutions no longer meet people’s needs, governments must have the courage to reform them.

02Choice empowers people

People are better served when they have meaningful choices.

Governments should be open to different approaches and providers – public, non-profit, charitable and private – when they can improve services, increase options and deliver better value.

Individuals and families should have greater control over decisions that directly affect their lives.

03Results and accountability matter

Good intentions are not enough.

Governments should measure performance, publish results and compare outcomes. Programs and policies that are not working — or are not cost-effective — should be reformed.

Public institutions should be accountable to the people they serve.

04Evidence should guide reform

Public policy should be informed by data, research and real-world experience rather than ideology or political fashion.

Governments should follow the evidence, measure results and be willing to change course when an approach is not working.

05Innovate — and learn from what works

No institution, government or country has a monopoly on good ideas.

Governments should encourage experimentation, remove unnecessary barriers to innovation and learn from successful jurisdictions.

When another province or country is achieving better results, Canada should ask what it is doing differently — and how better practices can be implemented.

Editorial Independence

Research findings and policy solutions should be driven by evidence — not the donor writing the cheque.

 

With this in mind, SecondStreet.org does not accept funding from governments or government employee unions. We believe organizations that scrutinize government programs and institutions should not depend financially on the governments they are examining.

 

SecondStreet.org relies on donations from foundations, individuals and businesses. Donors do not determine our research findings, conclusions or the policy solutions we put forward. Funding is never conditional on SecondStreet.org reaching a particular conclusion.

 

All Canadians — including prospective donors — are encouraged to review our research, videos and other content. If you like what we do, please consider making a donation to support our work.

Our History

The Story of our name,
with CEO and Founder Troy Lanigan

What "Second Street" Means

Second Street is actually the most common street name in Canada – there is one in almost every community.

 

Second Street is where people live, work, learn, pray, shop, and eat. It’s where lives are lived, discussions had, experiences shaped.

 

It is from this place we gather the conversations and experiences of Canadians as they pertain to government policies. 

Read More

Meet Our Team

Founder and CEO

Troy Lanigan

President

Colin Craig

Executive Secretary

Melanie Harvie

View All Staff

Annual Reports & Case for Support

Each year SecondStreet.org produces a “Case for Support” document that explains the history of our organization, our vision and we make our pitch as to why you should consider a donation. These documents also include our Annual Reports so readers can learn more about what we accomplished the previous year.

2026

View Report

2025

View Report

2024

View Report

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How You Can Take Action

Whether you donate, speak up, or share our work, every action strengthens the push for better policies in health care, education, and everyday life. When Canadians get involved, leaders pay attention—and real reform becomes possible.

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Prevention – reduce demand in the first place

If Canadians lived healthier lives, we could reduce demand for emergency services, orthopaedic surgeries, primary care and more. 

For instance, if you visit the Canadian Cancer Society’s website, you’ll read that “about four in ten” cancer cases are preventable. The Heart and Stroke Foundation notes that “almost 80 percent of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy behaviours.” A similar number of Diabetes cases are also preventable. 

Many joint replacements and visits to ERs and walk-in clinics could also be avoided through healthy living. 

To be sure, not all health problems can be avoided through healthy living – everyday the system treats Canadians with genetic conditions, helps those injured in unavoidable accidents and more.  

But there is an opportunity to reduce pressure on the health care system through Canadians shifting to healthier lifestyles – better diets, more exercise, etc. 

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or see this column. 

Partner with non-profits and for-profit clinics

European countries will partner with anyone who can help patients. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a non-profit, a government entity or a private clinic. What matters is that patients receive quality treatment, in a timely manner and for a competitive price.  

In Canada, governments often delivery services using government-run hospitals instead of seeing if non-profit or private clinics could deliver the services more effectively. 

When governments have partnered with non-profit and private clinics, the results have often been quite good – Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia are just a few examples of where partnerships have worked well. 

Canada should pursue more of these partnerships to reduce wait times and increase the volume of services provided to patients.  

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or see the links above. 

Make cross border care more accessible

In Canada, citizens pay high taxes each year and we’re promised universal health care services in return. The problem is, wait times are often extremely long in our health system – sometimes patients have to wait years to see a specialist or receive surgery. 

If patients don’t want to wait long periods, they often have to reach into their own pocket and pay for treatment outside the province or country. 

Throughout the European Union, we also find universal health care systems. But a key difference is that EU patients have the right to go to other EU countries, pay for surgery and then be reimbursed by their home government. Reimbursements cover up to what the patient’s home government would have spent to provide the treatment locally. 

If Canada copied this approach, a patient waiting a year to get their hip operation could instead receive treatment next week in one of thousands of surgical clinics throughout the developed world. 

Governments benefit too as the patient is now back on their feet and avoiding complications that sometimes come with long wait times – meaning the government doesn’t have to treat those complications on top of the initial health problem. 

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or this shorter video. 

Legalize access to non-government providers

Canada is the only country in the world that puts up barriers, or outright bans patients from paying for health services locally. 

For instance, a patient in Toronto cannot pay for a hip operation at a private clinic in Toronto. Their only option is to wait for the government to eventually provide treatment or leave the province and pay elsewhere. 

Countries with better-performing universal health care systems do not have such bans. They allow patients a choice – use the public system or pay privately for treatment. Sweden, France, Australia and more – they all allow choice. 

Why? One reason is that allowing choice means some patients will decide to pay privately. This takes pressure off the public system. For instance, in Sweden, 87% of patients use the public system, but 13% purchase private health insurance. 

Ultimately, more choice improves access for patients. 

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or watch this short clip on this topic. 

Shift to funding services for patients, not bureaucracies

In Canada, most hospitals receive a cheque from the government each year and are then asked to do their best to help patients. This approach is known as “block funding”. 

Under this model, a patient walking in the door represents a drain on the hospital’s budget. Over the course of a year, hospital administrators have to make sure the budget stretches out so services are rationed. This is why you might have to wait until next year or the year after for a hip operation, knee operation, etc. 

In better-performing universal health systems, they take the opposite approach – hospitals receive money from the government each time they help a patient. If a hospital completes a knee operation, it might receive, say, $10,000. If it completes a knee operation on another patient, it receives another $10,000. 

This model incentivizes hospitals to help more patients – to help more patients with knee operations, cataract surgery, etc. This approach also incentivizes hospitals to spend money on expenses that help patients (e.g. more doctors, nurses, equipment, etc.) rather than using the money on expenses that don’t help patients (e.g. more admin staff). 

To learn more about this policy option, please watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or see this post by MEI.