A new report released this morning by the U of A’s Parkland Institute says that Alberta’s contracting out of infrastructure maintenance to private firms has resulted in decreased transparency and accountability, and has put Alberta taxpayer dollars at risk.

Analysis by the Parkland Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives of new data on Canada’s richest 1% shows that Alberta has become the country’s most unequal province and Calgary its most unequal city.  The new data shows that incomes (adjusted for inflation) for the top 1% of Albertan doubled between 1982 and 2010, posting a shocking increase of $320,000.  By comparison, the bottom 90% of Albertans saw their incomes increase by a total of only $3,900 over the same time period.

A new report released this morning by the U of A’s Parkland Institute and the Alberta College of Social Workers says that despite Alberta’s obvious wealth, inequality and disparity in the province are growing faster than almost anywhere else in the country.

Saskatchewan’s public liquor system is superior to both Alberta and British Columbia’s private liquor delivery system in terms of price, revenue generation and the mitigation of social harm. That is the conclusion of a new collaborative report by the Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute.

The Alberta election has just hit the halfway point, and health care has again become a lightning rod. The rival parties are facing off on reform, promising changes running the gamut from more privatization to more public care.

A new fact sheet from the Parkland Institute says that contracting out infrastructure maintenance to the private sector in Alberta has resulted in reduced accountability and transparency, misleading figures on the condition of infrastructure, and increased risk to tax dollars.

A new report from the Parkland Institute says that supporting private health facilities with public health dollars costs more, damages the public system, and puts tax dollars and patient care at risk.

A new report from the U of A’s Parkland Institute says that despite a provincial deficit, the Alberta government will forego some $55 billion in potential revenue over the next three years as a result of overly generous royalty cuts and the government’s failure to meet even the modest targets set by previous administrations.

A new fact sheet released this morning, on the eve of International Women’s Day, by the U of A’s Parkland Institute in conjunction with the Alberta College of Social Workers shows that Alberta continues to lag behind the rest of the country in terms of women’s equality, wages, and family-related benefits and services.

A new fact sheet released this morning by the U of A’s Parkland Institute points to a direct link between the ownership of residential long-term care facilities and the quality of service delivery.