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1. One Energy Boom, Two Approaches: Fiscal Restraint Has Left Texas in Better Shape than Alberta

   Prior to the recent fall in energy prices, the economies of Alberta and Texas enjoyed prolonged economic booms. The booms began in earnest in 2004, when real economic growth in the two jurisdictions reached approximately 5 percent. Although there have ...

2. Don’t count on oil rebound to solve Alberta’s fiscal problems

   Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, October 19, 2016 It’s no secret Alberta’s public finances are deteriorating rapidly. The province is hemorrhaging $10 billion per year and poised to rack up debt at record speed. The provincial government urgently needs to ...

3. Notley misdiagnoses Alberta’s fiscal problems and offers no workable solutions

   A clear takeaway from Alberta Premier Rachel Notley’s recent state of the province address is that virtually all of Alberta’s fiscal woes can be blamed on depressed oil prices. The reality is different. While there’s no doubt that the ...

4. Don’t blame the oil crash or wildfires for Alberta’s deficit

   The Alberta government dramatically increased personal and corporate income taxes. ...

5. Dear Alberta, please don’t make the same mistakes we did in Ontario

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, August 30, 2016 Alberta recently released its first quarter fiscal update, which showed that the province’s budget deficit this year will be even bigger than expected, weighing in at $10.9 billion. The grim headlines and eye ...

6. Fiscal update shows Alberta’s financial position deteriorating more rapidly than expected

   Alberta’s first-quarter fiscal update now expects that the provincial government’s operating deficit this year will be $10.9 billion, up from the previous $10.4 billion estimate from the budget in April. This will negatively affect the ...

7. Alberta poised to outdo Ontario on budget deficits

   Appeared in the Financial Post, August 24, 2016 A recent analysis from the federal government compared the economic damage done to Ontario’s auto sector during the financial crisis to the damage done to Alberta’s energy sector during the recent stretch of ...

8. Alberta’s first-quarter fiscal update reveals worsening fiscal picture

   Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci (pictured above) unveiled the province’s first-quarter fiscal update today. Unfortunately, the province’s budgetary situation looks even worse than it did when the government released its budget in April ...

9. It’s official—Alberta’s 2015/16 deficit larger than initially thought

   Appeared in the National Newswatch, July 14, 2016 There’s no doubt that 2015/16 was a bad year for Alberta’s public finances. And with the recent release of the provincial government’s 2015/16 annual report, we now know just how bad it was. According to ...

10. Book targets policies and policymakers amid Alberta’s malaise

    In recent years, Albertan politicos have graced constituents with claims that the province was debt free. They actually meant the provincial government had sufficient financial assets on hand to offset the debts, but with the fiscal ...