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1. Quarterly update highlights danger of riding rickety revenue rollercoaster

   The Notley government’s failure to restrain spending is quickly growing Alberta’s debt burden. ...

2. Four reasons why Alberta’s vague balance budget plan may fall short

   Last month, when Finance Minister Joe Ceci unveiled Alberta’s 2018 budget, despite weeks stoking expectations of a detailed plan to eliminate the province’s budget deficit, he instead delivered a risky plan almost entirely reliant on ...

3. Surprise—Alberta’s government debt burden is approaching Quebec’s

   The recent provincial budgets released by the Quebec and Alberta governments are a study in contrasts of government debt. On one hand, Quebec has a high-debt government that’s aiming to reduce its debt burden. On the other hand, Alberta ...

4. Alberta’s 2018 budget—a breathtaking exercise in complacency

   Yesterday, the Alberta government released its budget for the 2018/19 fiscal year. The document is essentially a status quo budget, which promises continued nominal spending growth over the rest of its fiscal plan (though more moderate ...

5. Another tough year for Alberta finances

   Another year, another deficit. The Government of Alberta has run nearly uninterrupted deficits since 2008/09, and this year is no exception. In fact, that $10.3 billion deficit the province plans to run this year is just shy of the ...

6. Alberta private sector improving but government finances remain in bad shape

   Dave Mowat, president of ATB Financial, said recently that Alberta’s economy was “turning the corner” after a difficult year in 2016. His comment came as the Crown Corporation released its financial results for the past fiscal year. ...

7. Spending growth by successive Alberta governments primary reason for big deficit

   Albertans are well aware that their provincial government is set to run a budget deficit this year that may exceed $10 billion. Many may assume this is simply due to a decline in government revenue, driven by lower resource prices. But ...

8. Spending cuts impose less economic damage than tax hikes

   Among Ottawa and the 10 provinces, eight governments are currently in deficit, spending more than the revenues they collect. As Canadian governments seek to eliminate their budget deficits, they should take note of a new study by a group ...

9. Dear Minister Ceci, when you’re in a hole, stop digging

   Finance Minister Joe Ceci (pictured above) released Alberta’s Second Quarter Fiscal Update this week, confirming that the province’s budget deficit this year will be even bigger than forecasted in his spring budget. While the budget ...

10. Spending choices, not a drop in oil prices, spurred Alberta’s chronic deficits

    Avoiding deficits during an oil boom should be a relatively straightforward proposition for governments in oil-rich jurisdictions. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in Alberta. A recent Fraser Institute study compared how Alberta ...