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1. 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 ...

2. 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 ...

3. 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 ...

4. Alberta NDP government’s spending trajectory mirrors that of Bob Rae’s in Ontario

   When Premier Notley’s NDP government took office in Alberta in 2015, it inherited a difficult fiscal situation. A sustained period of rapid spending growth under her predecessors, along with the fall in oil prices and resulting drop in ...

5. 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 ...

6. Sunshine list misses major problem with government worker pay in Alberta

   Sunshine lists are meant to provide taxpayers with information on how much governments are paying their highest paid employees. Alberta’s recently released sunshine list shows that last year, 3,511 Alberta government employees were paid ...

7. 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 ...

8. 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 ...

9. Budget season—Alberta and Ottawa must revert back to proven fiscal policies

   Budget season in Canada is now in full swing as governments unveil their tax and spending plans for the coming year and beyond. Two upcoming budgets deserve special attention: Alberta’s (March 16) and the federal government’s (March 22), ...

10. Alberta's Budget Deficit: Why Spending is to Blame, 2017

    Alberta is projected to run a deficit of $10.8 billion in 2016/17. This will be the province’s 8th deficit in nine years. The province is expected to return to a net debt position this year for the first time since 2000/2001. While the sharp ...