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1. The oil investment exodus out of Canada

   A recent report by ARC Financial Corporation notes that investment spending in the oil and gas sector has been reduced to “legacy spending,” with nominal capital expenditures for conventional oil producers as low as it was in the mid ...

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. Despite improving economy, Alberta government still projects $9.1 billion deficit

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun, March 9, 2018 The Notley government recently released its third quarter fiscal update. While the update contains some good news about the Alberta economy, the outlook for provincial finances remains dire as the province ...

4. Alternative Paths for Alberta's Budget: Balance by 2023/24 Is Not Enough

   Alberta faces significant fiscal and economic challenges. The government has run nearly uninterrupted deficits since 2008/09 and has seen an approximately $57 billion decline in its net financial assets between 2008/09 and 2017/18. The government has ...

5. Costly regulatory delays loom over Canada’s energy industry

   Last week Kinder Morgan projected that the Trans Mountain pipeline project could be a year behind schedule as it continues to face permitting delays. The company initially expected the $7.4 billion project to be in service by late 2019, ...

6. Another day, another Alberta credit downgrade

   On Wednesday, ratings agency DBRS downgraded the Government of Alberta’s credit rating from AA (high) to AA, maintaining a negative outlook for the provincial government’s finances. It seems that the Notley government’s slightly revised ...

7. New report highlights Alberta’s long-term budget challenges

   The PBO has given the Notley government another warning that spending is badly out of line with revenue. ...

8. 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 ...

9. 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 ...

10. 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 ...