It's not the first time Canada has been down this road, but a new set of hikers has emerged, eager to blaze a trail toward a pan-Canadian energy strategy. The idea conjures up memories (nightmares …
Read MoreMaybe it's the lingering national glow of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Or perhaps the fact that it was a blazing hot summer in 2011. Whatever the reason, has anyone noticed how nicely our provincial …
Read MoreFor years now, the death knell has been ringing for western Canada's farmers. We've been told the dismal news for years. Commodity prices are on an unstoppable downward trend. The family farm is dying. Rural …
Read MoreBack in the 1980s, a phenomenon known as “western alienation” was all the rage. Many westerners — and particularly Albertans — were feeling shut out of the federal political machine. Even when the Mulroney Progressive …
Read MoreThis year got off to a bang-up start for the energy sector when the benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude hit US$100 a barrel ”” a record in nomi- nal dollar terms. At this level, …
Read MoreCanada's regions have a long history of ”œlove-hate” rela- tionships with their industrial drivers. A lot of them resemble David Addison and Maddie Hayes, the lov- able private investigators played by Bruce Willis and Cybill …
Read MoreProfessional sport is a big busi- ness in Alberta. In the hockey rink and the football stadium, the province has deeply rooted and passionate rivalries in sports. An old sport has ignited new pas- sions in …
Read MoreThere's a fresh wind blowing across Alberta politics this fall, but the most surprising things about Premier Alison Redford have nothing to do with her gender. While a female leader in Tory Blue Alberta may surprise …
Read MoreAn iconic piece of Alberta's history is about to change. Last year the provincial govern- ment finally decided that, after a quar- ter of a century, it was time to update the province's automobile licence …
Read MoreIt doesn't form a nice acronym the way the “TILMA” did. But then again, it's bigger, better and up to date with the changing economic landscape of western Canada in 2010. The “it” in this case …
Read MoreYou have to go all the way back to 1968 to find a federal Liberal who could get elected in Calgary. And while a handful of Liberals have held seats in Edmonton over the decades …
Read MoreEntering its second century as a province of Confederation, Alberta has been enjoying a special place in the national spotlight. The government has paid off its debt ”” the only province that has done so. …
Read MoreSomething is intuitively appealing about the notion of supporting local businesses. Some municipalities have procurement policies that require them to buy from local vendors, or at least give local businesses preferential treatment. It seems only …
Read MoreIt's hard to believe that it's already over. Canada's third time at hosting the Olympic Games has come and gone, and it may be decades until the Olympics ever return. After Montreal's epic 1976 Summer …
Read MoreEveryone's heard the story. A lucky couple wins the lottery! Their meagre, low-income lives are over and they promptly quit their jobs. Champagne-fuelled vacations follow, and suddenly they have a lot more friends than before. …
Read MoreIn certain fields of study — anthropology and philosophy, for example — scholars speak of a place of ambiguity and disorientation that occurs when a person or a culture is between one place and another. …
Read MoreJust prior to the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards being held in Toronto last summer, Indo-Canadian journalist and reporter Faiz Jamil prepared a piece for CBC online. The essay focuses on the awareness that …
Read MoreAs a resource-producing region, Canada has become extraordinarily wealthy on the back of international trade. Just prior to the Great Recession of 2008-09, Canada sold a record $483.6 billion worth of goods to international buyers. …
Read MoreA new year is supposed to be a time for change. New attitudes and goals are chased in the spirit of starting anew. Personal resolutions seek to put behind us the bad habits and ruts of …
Read MoreIt's the first lesson parents try to teach their children on the playground: play nicely with others! Last month in Montreal, at the Economic Forum of the Americas, the heavy hitters of the global financial …
Read MoreThe post-election dust has finally settled in Alberta. With a land- slide win in early March, Premier Ed Stelmach and his Progressive Conservative Party have more or less clinched their celebration in 2011 of 40 …
Read MorePoor ol' America. Our BFF (best friend forever) and largest trading partner just can't seem to catch a break lately, particularly an economic one. With the unemployment rate stuck near 10 percent, millions of mortgages …
Read MoreWestern Canada seems to be hogging all of the economic headlines lately. Highest job growth in the country. Soaring wages. Construction activity leading all provinces. It goes on and on. No matter what economic indica- …
Read MoreBack in the ‘90s, Canadian songstresses Jane Siberry and k.d. lang sang a hauntingly beautiful duet about the beauty and pain of life, and all its unanswerable questions. “Calling all angels, walk me through this …
Read MoreThere's been a lot of attention paid to Canada's cities over the last few years. In 2007, Canada's cities are the engines of eco- nomic growth; politicians have come to understand that well-managed, functional and …
Read MoreA year ago, immediately following the crash of Wall Street, nationalization of European banks, and TARP bailouts in the US, governments around the world were struck with a zealous enthusiasm to regulate — or more …
Read MoreAh, farming. There are few better Canadian examples of an ancient industry that has been able to reinvent itself and stay relevant in the 21st century. But some interesting changes may be on the horizon …
Read More”œI'm actually surprised that it took this long” was my ini- tial response to the journalist who called me back in September. New population estimates had been released by Statistics Canada, revealing a fast-growing population in …
Read MorePity the poor arts communities in Alberta. They just can't seem to get the respect they deserve. While the corporate community has for the most part been a great support- er of the arts, many small …
Read MoreSeven years ago, when I wrote my first column for Policy Options magazine, the topic was Alberta's white-hot labour market and how the poaching of workers was growing into a serious problem for the construction and …
Read MoreLife in resource-rich western Canada has its share of ups and downs. Tucked away in the farflung northwestern corner of the country, a far-too-common economic drama is playing out. It's up, then down, back up, …
Read MoreEconomists are often asked to comment on government budgets and provide analysis on the financial implications. Most of the time, though, there's not really too much an economist can say. Rarely these days do governments …
Read MoreHe came to work Monday morning as usual, but instead of starting work, he made an announcement. ”œI quit,” he said, shocking his colleagues. Right there on the spot, the experienced welder hand- ed in …
Read MoreOne of the enduring memories of the Liberal Party of Canada — still — is the legacy of the National Energy Program (NEP) in 1980. Even though it is more than three decades in the past, westerners …
Read MorePierre Berton wrote about Canada's “Last Good Year” being 1967, marked by our centennial, a world Expo, a booming economy and growing international confidence. But in 1967, Alberta was still a bit of a backwater, …
Read MoreThere has been a distinct difference in the rate of economic growth between Canada's regions over the past several years. Momentum has clearly favoured western Canada, where rising prices for energy, agricultural and resources have …
Read MorePoliticians, pundits, and thinktank wonks have been lining up lately to proclaim the Great Recession of 2008-09 is over. Earlier in the summer, it was the Bank of Canada reading the eulogy of the recession; …
Read MoreCanada's economy is still reeling from the Great Recession of 2008-09, particularly goods producers like the resource industries. To be frank, we need all the help we can get. And help is arriving. Crude oil — …
Read MorePity us or envy us, Alberta is usually known for pretty dull politics. Other provinces suffer crazy bingo scandals, cabinet ministers going to jail for fraud and premiers making a show of removing the Canadian …
Read MoreAs a child growing up in Alberta, I have distinct memories of a film shown in school about the varied regions and cities that make up this great country. One scene that stands out is …
Read MoreI admit it. For an economist, I'm an optimist in an industry known for its dismal scientists. I see the glass as half full. But in one area of Canada's eco- nomic landscape, I have …
Read MoreNow that the dust has settled on another federal election in Canada, the political parties of every stripe can set aside their overly optimistic platforms about what they would (or would not) do if they …
Read MoreThe company you keep says a lot about you. Take Saskatchewan, for example. In the run-up to the latest federal budget, Saskatchewan joined forces with Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. The three supposed ”œhave-not” provinces …
Read MoreIt happens every year about this time. Stores stock up on the new clothes of the season, a quarterly ritual in which retailers convince shoppers (mostly women) of the new pieces that they absolutely must …
Read MoreOver the past several years, dozens of economists and politicians have jumped on the bandwagon linking innovation to economic growth. Management gurus and business schools go on about the imperatives of being creative and coming …
Read MoreOh, the oil sands! The biggest economic project and generator of employment in Canada in the past decade just can't seem to catch a break. National Geographic, the New York Times and documentaries on France's …
Read MoreFor years, the joke was that Alberta's greatest asset was Saskatchewan's public education system. The siren call of higher wages, plentiful jobs and a great lifestyle in Alberta has lured thousands of migrants from Saskatchewan …
Read MoreThe setting couldn't have been lovelier — or more awkward. As over a thousand members of the business elite from the world's heavy-oil producing countries gathered during the first week of November in Porlamar, Venezuela, …
Read MoreIt's been quite a year for Canada. Western Canada had a particularly active year, with a series of events that shaped national — and even international — news for economic, cultural and political stories. The top …
Read MoreHe may have been out of politics in Alberta for more than two decades, but when Peter Lougheed speaks, he still commands enormous attention. And recently, he's been speaking out on a problem that has …
Read MoreOn March 4, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty brought down Budget 2010, in which Ottawa announced the largest deficit on record ($53.8 billion) for this fiscal year and five more years of deficit spending — and …
Read MoreBudget season in Ottawa has come and gone, and this year the federal government's outline for its spending and taxing priorities didn't generate much excitement. Maybe that's understandable, since minutes after the budget was released …
Read MoreAs usual, there's been much on the plates of western Canada's politicians and economists in 2011. Here's a summary of the Top 10 most important political and economic stories that have dotted western Canada, in …
Read MoreNo province, city, or municipal district in Canada is without some office dedicated to the elusive activity of economic develop- ment. More jobs, faster growth, higher tax bases, better living standards ”” all part of …
Read MoreThe 1980s were meaningful years in Canada's eco- nomic development. It was a decade full of booms, busts, change and adapting to new realities. After the euphoria of Expo 67 and the nation's centennial was …
Read MoreIn the world of public policy, econ- omists tend to debate the merits or drawbacks of a policy in terms of what it might do to the gross domestic product ”” the GDP. And while …
Read More“But you promised!” screeches the four-year-old. “You promised we'd get ice cream today.” A parent's nightmare: a pledge, made with the best intentions, derailed by an unexpected turn that makes a trip to the ice cream shop …
Read MoreMost of us are familiar with a little blue and yellow can of spray in our garages or under the kitchen sink called WD-40. That is the trademarked name of a lubricating spray developed in …
Read MoreHow the mighty have fallen! The one-time engine of the national economy, western Canada sputtered dramatically in 2009. According to data from Statistics Canada, the provincial economies of the three westernmost provinces were in much …
Read MoreEverything's coming up roses, it seems. In early September, the Bank of Canada increased its economic forecast for the second half of the year. Not only has the recession technically ended, according to the central …
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