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1. 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 ...

2. Alberta—from fiscal leader to fiscal laggard

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald, September 16, 2017 What a difference a decade makes. In 2007/08, Alberta had a balanced budget and was the only province whose financial assets exceeded its debts. In fact, the province’s net financial position (after ...

3. Canada’s Past Fiscal Leaders Are Now Fiscal Laggards: An Analysis of 2017 Provincial Budgets

   Around the turn of the 21st century, Alberta and Ontario could both boast of having comparatively sound public finances relative to most other provinces. In recent years, however, serious fiscal problems have emerged in both provinces. Alberta and Ontario ...

4. Alberta was once the land of opportunity—not so much any more

   Appeared in the Edmonton Journal, August 31, 2017 Go west, young man. Not long ago that was sound advice for a young person struggling to find opportunities in Eastern and Central Canada. While it may still hold true for parts of Western Canada, it’s no ...

5. Notley following Rae’s fiscal model—and getting the same results

   In 2015, Premier Notley’s incoming NDP government found itself at a crossroads when it came to handling Alberta’s deteriorating public finances. As detailed by a Fraser Institute study from that year, various past provincial NDP ...

6. Premier Notley choosing the wrong NDP premier to emulate

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun, Aug 10, 2017 None of us can control all the circumstances we face. What we can control, is how we respond to challenges. These choices often make the difference between positive and negative outcomes. It’s no different for ...

7. Rae Days in Alberta: The Notley Government at Two Years

   When Premier Notley took office two years ago in Alberta, her new government faced severe fiscal challenges. The province had a large and growing budget deficit and was headed towards net debt status for the first time in approximately 15 years. It was ...

8. Alberta’s 2017 budget—a bad case of déjà vu

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald, March 20, 2017 Many of us are guilty of failing to learn lessons from the past and then going on to repeat avoidable mistakes. Alberta’s 2017 budget is a prime example of this at the government level. Call it a bad case of ...

9. Alberta’s budget will make life worse—not better

   Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, March 20, 2017 Alberta’s 2017 budget address is subtitled “Working to Make Life Better.” Unfortunately, the budget lays out a path towards higher taxes and more spending-fuelled deficits and debt. Let’s start with the eye ...

10. Notley misdiagnoses Alberta’s fiscal problems and offers no workable solutions

    A clear takeaway from Alberta Premier Rachel Notley’s recent state of the province address is that virtually all of Alberta’s fiscal woes can be blamed on depressed oil prices. The reality is different. While there’s no doubt that the ...