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1. Alberta carbon tax—just bad economics

   Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, December 18, 2019 As the Kenney government begins its constitutional challenge to Ottawa’s carbon tax on consumers, both the provincial and federal governments agree on Alberta’s new carbon tax on large industrial emitters. ...

2. Spending reductions in the 1990s dwarf Kenney’s budget plans

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun, December 11, 2019 The Kenney government’s first budget, tabled in the fall, has attracted more attention and commentary than most provincial budgets. Critics predict harmful economic effects due to the planned spending ...

3. Alberta’s fiscal plan—put the pedal to the metal

   Based on last week’s provincial budget, the Kenney government in Alberta plans to return to sounder fiscal ground. Since 2008, the province has run large deficits, turning a balance sheet in the black up to $35 billion to a net debt of ...

4. Alberta’s budget at a glance

   Today’s Alberta budget represents a marked departure from recent fiscal policy in the province. Alberta governments of various stripes have run nearly uninterrupted deficits since 2008/09, and the province has gone from having $35 billion ...

5. To balance the budget, Alberta must ditch it’s big-spending ways

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun, October 16, 2019 Next week, the Kenney government in Alberta will table its first budget. The government has signalled it’s serious about tackling the province’s budget deficit. The big question remains—exactly how will it do ...

6. Alberta budget should target personal income taxes

   The Kenney government, which tables its first budget next week, inherited a fiscal mess in Alberta largely caused by spending increases by successive governments of varying party stripes. As a result, the government’s prospective plans to ...

7. Spending cuts—not tax hikes—to balance Alberta’s budget

   Appeared in the Edmonton Journal, October 8, 2019 As the Kenney government’s first budget approaches, some pundits and analysts are calling for higher taxes to help shrink the Alberta’s deficit. These calls are ill-advised. Instead of hiking taxes, the ...

8. Alberta’s government finances require swift reform, reduction in spending

   Soon the “Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances,” tasked with developing a plan to eliminate Alberta’s sizeable budget deficit and restore the province to fiscal sustainability, will deliver its long-awaited report. When considering ...

9. Spending Beyond Our Means: Addressing the Root Cause of Alberta’s Deficit

   In May of 2019, Alberta’s newly elected United Conservative Party created the Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances. The panel’s mandate was to develop recommendations to achieve a balanced operating budget without tax increases by 2022/23. This ...

10. Alberta throne speech disconnected from reality

    The Alberta government Monday delivered its throne speech for 2019. Unfortunately, the speech seemed utterly disconnected from the fiscal and economic challenges facing Alberta and the corresponding need for an ambitious policy response. ...