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Finance in the Fields

Investors, Lenders, Farmers, and the Future of Farmland in Alberta

Alberta has over 50 million acres of farmland. What happens on this land? Who owns it? Who can access it? Most of all, why are land relations structured the way they are? And what are the current impacts of these land tenure dynamics and their implications for our future?

The answers to these questions are political, and we urgently need to face them together. This report draws on publicly-funded qualitative research conducted from 2019 to 2020. It seeks to contribute to a vibrant path forward for rural Alberta.

Higher Education - Corporate or Public?

How the UCP is Restructuring Post-Secondary Education in Alberta

The United Conservative Party (UCP) government has, from 2018 to 2022, cut the operating support budget for Alberta’s PSEIs by 18.8%, resulting in a trail of destruction across the province’s universities, colleges, and technical institutes. This report addresses two questions. First, we ask what the agenda and actions of the United Conservative Party government of Alberta mean for higher education and research. Second, we ask how institutional factors explain the sector’s lack of autonomy and ability to resist the corporatization agendas of governments.

Misdiagnosis

Privatization and Disruption in Alberta’s Medical Laboratory Services

Drawing from financial data, lab professionals’ experiences, and hundreds of pages of files obtained through a freedom of information (FOIP) request, this report examines the serious implications of the UCP government’s plan to contract out the majority of Alberta’s medical lab services to a single for-profit corporation — DynaLIFE.

This report analyzes the history and performance of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), and offers recommendations to repair the damaged trust relationship of the past two years.

This study looks into how the campaign finance legislation implemented by the UCP government allows wealthy individuals to significantly influence upcoming municipal elections.

This report argues "Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs" is ill-advised and the planned changes and significant cuts, if implemented, will have a radical and perhaps even dangerous impact on Alberta’s post-secondary system.

An Unfair Deal?

The Impact of Provincial Cuts on Alberta Municipalities

It’s important voters are aware of the impacts of the Alberta government's decision to cut funding to municipalities so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box. This report examines the extensive impacts of the province’s policy decisions and budget cuts on municipal infrastructure and service provision.

Tipping the Balance

Bill 32, The Charter and the Americanization of Alberta’s Labour Relations System

A new report shows that Bill 32: Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act (2020) moves Alberta’s labour relations environment closer to the U.S. model to the detriment of workers in the province. Many of the bill’s provisions touch upon rights enjoyed by all working people and all Albertans generally, and the bill has the potential to profoundly impact the direction of Alberta’s economy.

Not Well Spent

A Review of $1-Billion Federal Funding to Clean Up Alberta’s Inactive Oil and Gas Wells

A new report exposes how $1 billion in federal COVID-19 emergency funding transferred to the Alberta government is failing to achieve its intended social and environmental objectives.

More Than "Just a Health-Care Aide"

Immigrant Women Speak About the COVID-19 Crisis in Long-Term Care

A first-of-its-kind report highlights the experiences of 25 immigrant women health-care aides working in long-term care (LTC) during the pandemic and shows how this essential work is socially and economically devalued. To-date, the voices of the vulnerable immigrant, racialized women doing low-wage, on-the-ground caring work in LTC have largely been ignored.

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