Donald Trump’s latest pronouncement that the U.S. is initiating a Section 232 investigation into whether the import of foreign autos undermines U.S. national security should be taken for exactly what it is: a bluff. This latest move is added to a long litany of U.S. pressure tactics and threats of protectionism, using “creative” interpretations of […]

It almost seems overly redundant to have to say that there is an international need to bend the curve on the rapidly rising cost of health care. Many jurisdictions, organizations, institutions and professional organizations have worked, written and commented extensively on the issue in the past 25 years. Uncountable working hours and careers have been […]

The Alberta electrical grid will undergo significant changes in the next few years.  Here is some information to help Albertans understand those changes. First, many will ask what is an electrical grid? People looking at a plug on the wall may wonder, where does the electricity to supply that plug come from?  Just as there […]

  Last week, Alberta’s auditor General released a report with a simple, but bold and much needed message.  That the Government of Alberta needs to inform Albertans about the province’s fiscal situation over a longer time horizon than the three years that are normally projected in the Provincial Budget.  The previous and current governments’ fiscal […]

On March 8, 2018 Alberta’s premier opened the current session of the legislature with a Speech from the Throne.  One of the promises made was to diversify the electricity sector creating new jobs and protecting people from “wild electricity price swings”.  The current session of the legislature also looks likely to introduce the groundwork for […]

On February 8, 2018, the Government of Canada announced major changes to the assessment of energy projects subject to federal oversight. This blog post provides the highlights of the most important changes, and what they mean for the regulatory process overall. Before getting into the details, it is useful to review the broad features of […]

Each year, in mid-December, the federal government releases its calculation for what each province is entitled to receive as equalization. This time, the numbers are especially important. They show how much Alberta’s recession lowered its ability to raise revenues. They show Ontario has graduated to “have” status, but (interestingly) will still receive equalization payments. They […]

Back in May 2017 I wrote a blog post providing estimates of potential carbon tax costs to households for different levels of the carbon tax (this was based on a briefing note I produced at the request of the Senate). These numbers have been used and quoted by others, most recently in a National Post […]

The first ‘to do’ item in the ministerial mandate letter—the ‘job jar’ for Canada’s Energy Minister, James Carr, is,   Work closely with provinces and territories to:  develop a Canadian Energy Strategy to protect Canada’s energy security; encourage energy conservation; and bring cleaner, renewable energy onto a smarter electricity grid.[1]   Based on the evidence […]