Saturday, June 7

Politics

22Nov By Bob AscahNo Comments
Energy, Environment, Intergovernmental, Politics

Where is Brian Jean? Alberta Energy and Mines Minister Missing in Action

Updated 2 December 2023 I receive about two to three dozen emails from the Government of Alberta news service (Alberta.ca/News) each week. These emails keep me up to speed with what is going on with the Government of Alberta. Perhaps half of these releases are not  significant recognizing special holidays or special days or weeks that government ministers or departments wish to acknowledge.  Some are for junkets of MLAs travelling to various conferences.  Perhaps 10 per cent are substantive and feature the premier and the relevant minister issuing statements which are picked up by the media.  Many coincide with major news conferences such as the recent one on health care reforms. Most unusual these past six months has been the virtual non-presence of the Minister of Energy and Mi...
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16Nov By Bob AscahNo Comments
Economic Data, Energy, Environment, Intergovernmental, Opinion/Research, Politics

Alberta 5, Ottawa 2- Re. Impact Assessment Act (Part 2)

Before turning to the dissenting opinion, it may be instructive to note some of the key points made by the Alberta Court of Appeal (ABCA) in their 10 May 2022 reference decision. The reference opinion may be found at CanLit. ABCA Majority In the majority ABCA opinion, considerable space was devoted to the history, purpose and scope, of the section 92A resource amendment (paras 74-83).  The majority contended Provincial governments should not be faulted for focussing their attention on matters important to their citizens. That includes not only the environment but also the economy. It is a false dichotomy to suggest that the two are mutually exclusive. Without a strong economy, a province’s ability to respond to the needs of its citizens, including meeting the challenges of climate chang...
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Alberta Pension Plan- conversation with retired professors at UofA
6Nov By Bob AscahNo Comments
Demographics, Economic Data, Employment, Financial Institutions, Intergovernmental, Opinion/Research, Politics

Alberta Pension Plan- conversation with retired professors at UofA

I was excited to present to retired professors from the University of Alberta last Thursday my views on the marketing campaign by the Alberta government to "engage" the public on the supposed benefits of an Alberta pension plan. My focus was on the political messaging. The Youtube video can be viewed here. The political messaging created by the Government of Alberta is an expensive communications effort (close to $10-million of Albertans’ tax dollars). The friendly website "Alberta Pension Plan" begins with “What’s in it for you.”  The web page design is classically an appeal to Albertans’ sense of place and community with pictures of the Rockies and foothills and wistful pictures of a handsome seniors’ couple. The pitch focuses mainly on the benefits that would be supposed...
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An Alberta Pension Plan- Thoughts, Ideas, Experiments -Episode 6 with Trevor Tombe, Virendra Gupta and Ellen Nygaard
26Oct By Bob AscahNo Comments
Demographics, Economic Data, Financial Institutions, Government Finances, Investment, Politics

An Alberta Pension Plan- Thoughts, Ideas, Experiments -Episode 6 with Trevor Tombe, Virendra Gupta and Ellen Nygaard

Background On September 21st Premier Danielle Smith, Finance Minister Nate Horner and former provincial treasurer Jim Dinning gave a press conference about an Alberta Pension Plan. There were two features of the conference- first the public release of a long-anticipated report from actuarial and consulting firm Lifeworks.  The second aspect of the release was the announcement of what is being called an engagement panel led by former Treasurer Jim Dinning.  Dinning served under Ralph Klein and then contested unsuccessfully the PC leadership in 2006. Jim Dinning was Alberta Treasurer when CPP reforms were undertaken Source: Calgary Herald At the news conference Dinning said this about the idea of an Alberta Pension Plan (APP)- ”it could be a game changer for the financial ...
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A devil’s bargain- Opinion
1Oct By Bob AscahNo Comments
Fiscal History, Government Finances, Opinion/Research, Politics

A devil’s bargain- Opinion

You may be an ambassador to England or France You may like to gamble, you might like to dance You may be the heavyweight champion of the world You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls [Chorus] But you’re going to have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re going to have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re going to have to serve somebody Bob Dylan-1979 Slow Train Coming We are a province of free riders- free riders on the periodic gusher of oil, bitumen, and natural gas revenues. As such, this bargain has made us, inured us, to low taxes and good public services. And public buildings too,  testaments to Alberta's engineering prowess. When I say "we," that includes me.  I was lured to Alberta by money a decent research assistant-ship stipen...
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An Alberta Pension Plan  (APP): Your Plan, Their Choice
24Sep By Bob Ascah1 Comment
Agencies, Demographics, Financial Institutions, Opinion/Research, Politics

An Alberta Pension Plan  (APP): Your Plan, Their Choice

Updated 25 September 2023 Updated 30 September 2023  “This report shows a made-in-Alberta pension plan could put more money in the pockets of hard-working families and business owners and improve retirement security for seniors. We want to hear from you because it’s your pension, your choice. I’m so excited to hear what Albertans think about a provincial pension plan that could benefit Albertans now as well as our future generations.”     Danielle Smith, Premier In this post I critically examine the upcoming battle between the UCP state, business organizations, and Alberta sovereigntists versus a labour -NDP coalition led opposition of concerned seniors and worried CPP contributors. First, I begin referencing the debate over the past two days and then investigate the central politi...
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2023-24 First Quarter Fiscal Update
18Sep By Bob AscahNo Comments
Agencies, Budget, Credit Ratings, Investment, Politics

2023-24 First Quarter Fiscal Update

The First Quarter Fiscal Update released on 31 August 2023 by Treasury Board President and Finance Minister Nate Horner showed marginal change in the budgetary surplus estimated last February. This analysis looks through these numbers to underlying trends.  With oil prices now over $90, there is some cause for optimism. So far this year WTI oil prices have averaged about $76.50 U.S./barrel which is about $2.50 U.S. lower than the budget estimate.  Much will depend on whether western economies achieve a “soft landing” avoiding a deep recession with falling oil demand.  On 14 September DBRS Morningstar raised Alberta’s credit rating a notch to AA (see discussion below). Is spending out of control?  No On page 4 in the Fiscal Plan Summary table,  total expenditure was $64.5 billion in 2022-23...
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The Premier’s Renewables Moratorium Fails Her Constituents in Medicine Hat
3Sep By Bob AscahNo Comments
Employment, Energy, Environment, Intergovernmental, Politics

The Premier’s Renewables Moratorium Fails Her Constituents in Medicine Hat

Updated with related information 4 September 2023. This post is contributed by Dr. Ian Urquhart who is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta. He is the author of Costly Fix: Power, Politics, and Nature in the Tar Sands published by University of Toronto Press in 2019.   Representing a local constituency – this duty distinguishes the responsibilities of a Canadian premier from their closest American counterparts, state governors. Premier Smith showed little concern for those responsibilities when she slapped an industry-wide seven month moratorium on approving new renewable energy projects. The billions of investment dollars put at risk by the moratorium includes hundreds of millions of dollars in solar for her constituency of Brooks-Medicine Hat.  DP Energy ...
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Ideas, Thoughts, Experiments- Alberta 2023 Conversation with thought leaders Episode 5- Ruben Nelson
21Aug By Bob AscahNo Comments
Energy, Environment, Government Finances, Politics, Society

Ideas, Thoughts, Experiments- Alberta 2023 Conversation with thought leaders Episode 5- Ruben Nelson

In the fifth of the Ideas, Thoughts, Experiments Alberta 2023 series, I talked with Alberta futurist Ruben Nelson the day after the 29 May provincial election results. In this wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Nelson speaks eloquently about the problems faced by our modern industrial-technological society and the notion of societies being “future takers.” And being a future taker means that you need to seriously understand the situation you're in and with a good deal of humility come to terms with the forces that are shaping your future whether you like it or not. And it seems to me that Alberta, in those term, Alberta is not a humble place (emphasis added). Role of Culture According to Nelson, Alberta is culturally very different than other provinces because Europeans did not arrive in any l...
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