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1. Cheer up, western prosperity will return

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald As everyone from the Manitoba-Ontario border to Tofino knows, the local and provincial economies, which depend on resource extraction, have slowed. So this is a critical time to get some perspective on the past. If ...

2. “Anti-tax” accusation based on silly and simplistic arguments

   Appeared in the Vancouver Sun In a recent column about the upcoming Metro Vancouver transit plebiscite, Vancouver Sun columnist Daphne Bramham complained about business leaders who talked “way more about cutting taxes for poor beleaguered taxpayers for ...

3. Alberta’s missed Heritage Fund opportunity

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald Over the past decade, the province of Alberta treated boom-time resource revenues like a permanent state of affairs. That set the province up for fiscal failure, for multiple lost opportunities. One high-profile example is ...

4. Albertans closest to the land are often best suited to manage it properly

     The issue of property rights has slipped off the public radar in Alberta, as the province grapples with red ink. But once budget matters fade from the news, population growth, oil and gas exploration, agricultural demands, recreational ...

5. Spending cuts, not tax hikes, key to balancing the books in Alberta

   In Alberta, to cushion the blow from falling revenues, some claim higher taxes will balance the books. How soon we forget. Alberta tried that in the late 1980s. It didn’t work. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when Alberta got serious about ...

6. Property rights on the Prairie

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald Amid the current focus on provincial red ink, one issue has slipped off the public radar screen in Alberta: Property rights. The lack of attention is understandable given the nearness of the provincial budget and the ...

7. Alberta’s government program spending reaches new heights

   According to a Fraser Institute study released in February, between 2004/05 and 2013/14, the Alberta government’s program spending jumped to $43.9 billion from $29 billion. This spending, beyond the rate of inflation and population ...

8. Alberta tried tax hikes in the 1980s—they didn’t work

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald In the debate over whether the Alberta government should reduce and reform spending to cushion the blow from falling revenues, some claim higher taxes will balance the books. How soon we forget. Alberta tried that in the ...

9. Western weakness won’t help Ontario’s budget woes

   Appeared in the National Post With the plunge in oil prices over the last six months (and already soft natural gas prices), it’s not headline news to note that provinces heavily dependent on energy-related revenues are suffering. The decline in the ...

10. Alberta’s 10-year, $49 billion boom in program spending

    Appeared in the Calgary Herald Over the last decade, higher energy prices and entrepreneur-friendly policies drove Alberta’s booming economy, generating a significant windfall in government revenue. Looking back, however, Albertans might ask themselves: ...