A new report says changes to Alberta’s royalty regime will help make the province more competitive than its neighbours for conventional oil investment. The paper out Monday from the University of Calgary School of Public Policy found that changes to the royalty system will bring the marginal effective tax and royalty rate for conventional oil projects […]

On behalf of The School of Public Policy, I offer sincerest condolences to the family of former Premier Jim Prentice. The School counts Jim as one of our early and ardent supporters. Mr. Prentice was a principled and honourable man in business and politics who was held in high regard by allies and opponents alike. […]

There are 151 community associations currently operating in Calgary, but they risk sliding into irrelevance if their roles don’t get updated and more clearly defined, according to a research paper. As the city prepares to undertake a major review of the role played by community associations (CAs) in community representation, scholars at the University of […]

Calgary’s housing climate for low-income earners is a “disaster,” says the author of a new report looking at housing affordability across Canada. The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy released the report Wednesday that examined data from Canada’s nine largest cities over 24 years (1990 to 2014), and found Calgary is the worst place […]

The School of Public policy started the school year off right, with a welcome reception for the Master of Public Policy class of 2017, on Aug 30th. We would like to formally thank all who attended, with special acknowledgment to the Honorable Rona Ambrose, MP and interim leader of the PC Party, Geoffrey A. Cumming, […]

Canada is one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon producers and, per capita, one of the world’s most energy- and carbon-intensive economies. Astoundingly, however, not only do we still lack a coherent, viable climate policy, we still lack the ability – even an appropriate forum – to engage in meaningful debate. The National Energy Board on […]

By now, any Albertans who follow the news are probably aware of something called a Power Purchase Arrangement (PPA).

Canada’s international-trade aspirations are facing serious problems, none of which are Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s fault, but all of which are likely to cause his government significant headaches in the short term. It appears that both major free-trade agreements Canada had been poised to join – the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Europe and […]

As of August 2nd, B.C.’s new 15 per cent transfer tax on residential property purchases takes effect for non-Canadians and non-residents buying houses in Metro Vancouver. By curtailing foreign demand, the government hopes to take the wind out of soaring housing prices. Instead, the government may be blundering big time, distorting labour and housing markets […]