In 2016, the Alberta Electric System Operator, or AESO, filed a report recommending that Alberta’s electricity market transition from an “Energy Only” to “Energy and Capacity” markets. The previous NDP government accepted this recommendation, but on July 24 the UCP government scrapped the idea. Electricity markets are complex. They require a constant balance between supply […]

A Calgary economist says the current Alberta government likely made the right decision to cancel big changes to the province’s electricity system. The former NDP government had proposed an overhaul of the power market to help avoid big price swings for consumers, while ensuring there’s enough power to meet the province’s needs. The Alberta government […]

Last week, the Department of Finance issued a paper trumpeting Canada’s tax competitiveness for large corporate investment. We are not only more competitive than the United States but all other G7 countries and the OECD on average. The assessment is based on the so-called Marginal Effective Tax Rate (METR) that has been estimated by the […]

For the better part of five years, Calgary and the Flames danced around plans to build a new arena with help from the public purse. Now, after plans for a $290-million public contribution were released late on Monday, city councillors have only days to decide. There are difficult questions we should be asking, and complex […]

Canada is a trading country, or so we tell ourselves. We embrace international trade, no doubt, and are expanding opportunities abroad with comprehensive deals such as CETA and TPP. But we have real difficulty trading with ourselves. We always have. At Confederation, well over 90 per cent of provincial trade was with other countries rather […]

Many Albertans have long complained that Canada’s equalization system isn’t there for them when their province goes through an economic bust. But a University of Calgary economist says calls for reform should be focused, instead, on a lesser known federal program of wealth distribution. “What Albertans should really complain about is the fiscal stabilization program, […]

As if Premier Jason Kenney does not already face enough budget challenges, we now learn that the Alberta government — and by extension, Alberta taxpayers — are on the hook for paying millions of dollars a month for a refinery that is not even operating. North West Sturgeon refinery’s recent website update stated there continue […]

OTTAWA — The notion of a pan-Canadian corridor dedicated to rail, power lines and pipelines has been around for at least half a century but it looks like it’s about to get a big publicity boost. Last week, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer used a major pre-election policy speech to dust off a similar idea. Scheer […]

An economics professor at the University of Calgary says the combination of high gas prices and government rebate are set to trigger an explosion in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on B.C. roads. “It’s the perfect storm in British Columbia right now,” said Blake Shaffer. “You’ve got very high fuel prices — $1.70 at […]