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1. Alberta government unions and the Easter Bunny

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald Now that the province has reaffirmed its intent to lightly modify government employee pension plans, government unions will again try to divert the public from the facts. For example, after my recent column on the ever ...

2. Alberta's opaque budget represents a failure to learn from the past

     If you listen to Alberta Finance Minister Doug Horner, the province's public finances are under control.  The government's budget imposes no new taxes, spending growth has been moderated, and Alberta is running an operational budget surplus ...

3. Not your mother's budget surplus

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald When apologists for the provincial government's new borrowing binge defend it on the grounds that private sector companies borrow money for capital expenses so why not have the Alberta government do the same? their ...

4. Kicking Alberta's unfunded pension liabilities down the road

   Appeared in the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald One theory about politics is that because politicians must get votes to stay in power that's their currency they are unlikely to act against their own self-interest. So politicians cater to the ...

5. Don't let mythical thinking on taxes mess up Alberta

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald As Albertans approach another provincial budget, the usual fables about Alberta's finances often crop up. To inoculate ourselves in advance, let's ponder two myths. Myth Number One: Alberta's wealth is a ...

6. Ontario's beer cartel paints Alberta liquor privatization as the bogeyman

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald It’s been two decades since the Alberta government exited the business of selling beer, wine and spirits to consumers. The privatization of all government liquor stores (completed in 1994) led to a dramatic expansion in the ...

7. Post-Stimulus Spending Trends in Canada

   Canadian governments enacted Keynesian-inspired fiscal stimulus plans in 2009. These plans were to be a temporary response to the global economic recession. The stimulus spending was to be withdrawn after two years and program spending was then to be ...

8. Government unions and pension fantasies

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald In Alberta, almost twice as many workers in the government sector possessed defined benefit pension plans in 2011 when compared with private sector employees. That might explain why so many government employees’ unions, from ...

9. Ontario, the Diffident Enabler, Needs to Change

   Appeared in the Toronto Star and Winnipeg Free Press For many years, Ontario has been the quiet enabler for the vast system of subsidies the federal government provides to Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Manitoba. With rare exceptions, it has stood by as ...

10. Troubling precedent: Can Alberta demand a fair share of BC's eastern exports?

    Appeared in the Financial Post Alberta Premier Alison Redford and B.C. Premier Christy Clark recently announced a "framework agreement" on the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline, removing what was seen as a serious barrier to development. ...