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Over the past 8 years I have created over 300 blog posts on Albertarecessionwatch.com and Abpolecon.ca beginning with  "Redwater court decisions sides with lenders,” on 21 May 2016. The decision in favour of Grant Thornton LLP, a receiver tasked by ATB Financial to settle Redwater’s bankruptcy to ensure repayment to ATB, was to figure in eight further posts.  Eventually, the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Orphan Well Association went to the Supreme Court of Canada where in January 2019 the Court found the polluter pay obligations of the oil company trumped claims under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Following the case reinforced for me the importance of an impartial judiciary and its role in adjudicating claims brought by governments, citizens and corporations. What follows i...

One of the great pleasures of writing is the feedback you receive from your readers. Although my Bob@Abpolecon.ca is rarely full with comments, I am continually gratified by the loyalty of my readership.  Though small in number, I get mostly positive comments from former colleagues, friends, and around Edmonton social circles. The infrequency of mail makes reading your comments so delightful. You know who you are and without revealing names, you all are eminent individuals who have contributed a great deal to public policy development in Alberta and elsewhere and building community. Thank you for your continuing support over the past six years as I have "graduated" from Albertarecessionwatch.com to Abpolecon.ca. Alberta' political economy remains a mystery worth exploring.  Thank you for ...

  To watch the conversation go to Youtube In the first of a series of conversations with well respected and informed Albertans, Todd Hirsch, best known as for his role as the Chief Economist with ATB Financial, discussed three challenges faced by Alberta. These challenges are fiscal, economic, and political.  This series, begun during the hotly contested 2023 provincial general election, is designed to engage readers on subjects which, regrettably, are not being discussed on the election campaign trail.  These issues will form the real challenges that a new government will need to confront over the next four years. In the conversation which took place on May 8th, Hirsch reveals some of the background to his report for the NDP "A Better Future." He had two conditions stipulated in doing t...

The below article was published in The Conversation on Thursday 4 May 2023. Reproduced with permission from The Conversation. Reprinted in The Tyee 4 May 2023 as "Who’s Going to Pay to Clean Up the Oil and Gas Mess in Alberta?"   Alberta’s claim that it’s a responsible energy producer are increasingly ringing hollow. Efforts by oil and gas companies to restore old mines and wells so that the land around them is returned to its original form — known as reclamation — have been sorely lacking, and they’re failing to pay municipal property taxes. Premier Danielle Smith lobbied for oil and gas companies to have their royalty payments forgiven to compensate them for cleaning up dirty wells — something they were already legally obligated to do. Industry regulations are ineffective. We can help yo...