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1. Premier Notley says ‘PIMBY’ to new Alberta refinery

   On Premier Rachel Notley’s Christmas list was new petroleum refining capacity for her province of Alberta. In early December she issued a request for expressions of interest in new capacity to Alberta’s oil and gas industry and though ...

2. Three tricky points for equalization abolitionists

   For as long as equalization has existed (since 1957), Quebec has always received the largest payment. ...

3. Hampering resource development makes it harder for Quebec to end reliance on equalization

   The Trudeau government’s recent announcement that Quebec will receive billions in equalization payments next year while Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland—Canada’s major oil producers who are facing hard times—will not, caused outcry ...

4. Provincial finances in trouble—spotlight Western Canada

   The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) recently published its annual fiscal sustainability report, which provided long-term projections to assess the sustainability of public finances for the federal government and the provinces. In this ...

5. A worrying trend at the Edmonton Food Bank

   As I noted in a recent column in the Calgary Sun, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has an odd idea about Alberta’s economic “recovery.” I quoted the Premier, in her optimism: “As things continue to look up, we have another sign more ...

6. Alberta needs diversification—of oil transport capacity

   If it wasn’t already clear why Alberta needs a broader customer base and more highly diversified oil transportation capacity, recent events should make it painfully obvious. First, despite today’s dip, oil prices for West Texas ...

7. Alberta’s debt may eclipse 100 per cent of GDP

   Up until 2016/17, the Government of Alberta had no net debt. That is, its financial assets (such as the Heritage Fund) were greater than its liabilities. The province burned through $35 billion of financial assets beginning in 2008/09, ...

8. Decline in federal tax revenue highlights importance of a strong Alberta

   A recent Globe and Mail feature revealed that federal personal income tax revenue declined by nearly $5 billion between 2015 and 2016. According to subsequent analysis by University of Calgary economist Lindsay Tedds, an eye-popping 97 ...

9. Things are looking better for Canadian oil and gas

   Statistics Canada has some good news for anyone interested in the health of Canada’s oil and gas industry. Canadian oil production is nearly at full capacity, and natural gas is also showing solid growth compared to last year at this ...

10. Equalization isn’t meant to help with economic downturns

    A lot of recent discussion about equalization —which may be moot since the program has just been renewed for five years—has focused on how it hasn’t helped Alberta through its recent difficult patch and also hasn’t helped other regions ...