Canada is currently the most vulnerable country in the industrial world to short-term oil supply crises, and we need to establish strategic petroleum reserves to remedy the problem. This is the key finding of a report released today by Alberta’s Parkland Institute in conjunction with the Polaris Institute.

Alberta has been experiencing a boom, and yet many Albertans feel they are being passed by.

Greening the Fleet. It’s a new phrase that is quickly becoming a household term in municipalities across Canada, as they seek ways to reduce fuel consumption and emissions produced by their fleet of vehicles.

Alberta has been experiencing a boom, and yet many Albertans feel they are being passed by. Though unemployment levels are at all-time lows, inflation rates are also running at national highs, leaving many Albertans literally out in the cold.

With over $169 billion in large scale construction projects on the horizon, Alberta’s already overheated economy is only going to get worse.

The world of oil and gas is split between industrialized consumer countries and their oil corporations, and less developed producer countries, many of which are former colonies. Canada is somewhat unique, as a relatively wealthy country in a close relationship of dependency with the United States, which consumes the majority of our production, and whose oil companies dominate our industry.

The Alberta government's formal budgeting process leaves a great deal to be desired in terms of accountability and democracy.

The Athabasca tar sands of northern Alberta contain an estimated 175 to 200 billion barrels of recoverable oil — the largest known hydrocarbon deposit ever discovered. This estimate is based on using existing technologies. Using newer technologies, as much as 2.5 trillion barrels of oil might be recovered — but the costs would be enormous.

The Bottom Line summarizes a huge body of evidence to get to the truth: private health insurance is more expensive and actually reduces access to health care. Evidence reveals that a manufactured cost crisis is driving the push for more private health insurance. This book examines the implications of the recent Supreme Court Chaoulli decision in Quebec, and offers vignettes of life before medicare. The Bottom Line concludes that the Alberta Conservative government is needlessly pursuing a US-style health system.

This paper is aimed at promoting discussion on the development of an energy security strategy. It is a made-in-Alberta initiative, in partnership with Canadians from energy producing and energy consuming regions.