Alberta Premier Jim Prentice is in the midst of formulating his first budget and the fiscal path of the province while watching oil prices continue to decline.
alberta economy
November 21, 2014
9:00AM
When Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced a budget update and a revised, lower forecast for provincial economic growth, it was yet another piece of evidence that Ontario’s economy is sluggish. But Ontario’s problems run deeper than just one fiscal update from one finance minister.
November 20, 2014
9:00AM
Question: If you’re young, or have very little education, where’s the best place in the country to find a job, make a decent income and prosper? Answer: Alberta, followed by Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
November 18, 2014
6:00AM
August 14, 2014
6:00AM
Governments, like families, have choices. And governments, as with families, sometimes make picks that close off other options. If Albertans had $41 billion to spend via the provincial government, how would you allocate it?
July 24, 2014
10:00AM
Alberta’s decades long economic success is a result of resource wealth, relatively sound public policies and a growing skilled labour force. Compared to other energy-producing jurisdictions such as Alaska, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, Texas, and Wyoming, Alberta does well economically but there are areas of concern, which if ignored, may affect the province’s long-term prosperity.
July 24, 2014
9:00AM
June 14, 2014
6:00AM
There has been much handwringing over the claimed disappearance of the middle class. From a bestselling international tome to domestic tax-and-spend types who think higher taxes will create more middle-income earners, there is no shortage of those who over-focus on redistribution and underestimate the benefits of opportunity.
November 25, 2012
2:00AM
When governments enter an election year, the political temptation to play fast and loose with budget numbers is strong. The most famous example of this was probably the 1996 budget in British Columbia. That year, then-B.C. Premier Glen Clarks office injected sunshine into revenue forecasts, this in order to trumpet a balanced budget on the campaign trail. His office did so over the objections of Finance Ministry officials. Post-election, once that became known, the fudge-it budget scandal permanently tarred the NDP government.