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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. 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 ...

3. 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 ...

4. 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, ...

5. 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 ...

6. In Alberta’s wine war with B.C., I’m siding with Australia

   B.C. premier John Horgan threatens to delay the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion yet again so Alberta premier Rachel Notley cancels Alberta’s purchases of B.C. wine, at least those that take place through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor ...

7. Risky business—the clean tech gamble

   Governments across Canada are betting big (carbon tax) money on clean tech. Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta have all directed funds from carbon pricing into ventures promoting “clean tech” (a.k.a. technology that provides ...

8. New jobs numbers underscore need for improved investment climate in Alberta

   New Statistics Canada data show that Alberta’s unemployment rate climbed from 7.9 per cent to 8.6 per cent in July—the highest rate the province has experienced since 1994. While this is merely a snapshot of a single month, the ...

9. An HST for Alberta? It depends what the money is used for

   In Wednesday’s Financial Post, University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe made the case for a provincial harmonized sales tax (HST) in Alberta. Tombe argued that a harmonized sales tax in Alberta would cause less economic damage for ...

10. 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 ...