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1. Changing equalization won’t be easy—partly for good reason

   You hear a lot these days about reforming equalization. If Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party wins the next Alberta election, you’ll likely hear more. As it is, Saskatchewan has already put a reform proposal on the table: keep ...

2. Another wake-up call for Canadian governments to improve investment climate

   Suncor, one of the country’s largest energy companies, recently gave Canadian governments what should be a piercing wake-up call. CEO Steve Williams said his company won’t tackle any new major projects in Canada and his company will ...

3. U.S. invites new oil and gas investment while Canada lags behind

   Last week, America’s oil and gas sector received good news on the investment front. Pembina Pipeline Corp’s CEO Mick Dilger said that the next “game-changing” project could be in the United States, not Canada. He’s referring to the ...

4. Property tax and minimum wage hikes squeezing fragile Calgary retailers

   Calgary retailers have had a bad year, to say the least. Sales were down 3.8 per cent year over year as of March as laid-off employees have trimmed expenses and those worried about prospective layoffs have sat on their wallets. With an ...

5. Alberta’s carbon tax will lead to loss of jobs, income, exports, revenues, etc.

   The Alberta media is abuzz with the findings of an internal NDP analysis of its first-concept carbon tax. Chris Varcoe, at the Calgary Herald dropped some of the bombshell findings on June 17. To be fair, the carbon tax was not ...

6. Prentice chooses Getty over Klein; further erodes Alberta Advantage

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun With tumbling oil prices and resource revenues, Premier Jim Prentice had a choice when he delivered Alberta’s 2015 budget. He could emulate former premier Don Getty and raise taxes or follow the Ralph Klein playbook and reduce ...

7. Does Alberta need a sales tax?

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald, Jan 17, 2015 With oil prices plunging and provincial resource revenues expected to drop, Alberta’s red ink will rise. In response, Premier Jim Prentice has floated the notion of a provincial sales tax and/or hikes in other ...

8. Not your mother's budget surplus

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald When apologists for the provincial government's new borrowing binge defend it on the grounds that private sector companies borrow money for capital expenses so why not have the Alberta government do the same? their ...

9. Don't let mythical thinking on taxes mess up Alberta

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald As Albertans approach another provincial budget, the usual fables about Alberta's finances often crop up. To inoculate ourselves in advance, let's ponder two myths. Myth Number One: Alberta's wealth is a ...

10. Yes, your property taxes really are soaring

    Appeared in the Calgary Herald It's not your imagination. Your property taxes really are shooting higher. For those who haven't paid attention to their property tax bill until recently, let me offer some calculations: Had the city and province ...