reports
Advantaged No More
How Low Taxes Flattened Alberta's Future
The paper argues recent government fiscal policies have created an artificial revenue crisis, the result of which has been a second stage crisis involving renewed cuts to valued public services, intensified labour strife, higher costs to average Albertans, and general economic instability. The paper argues that government explanations for the crisis (e.g., that expenditures are out of control) are not substantiated by any existing data and serve only to mislead the public.
The British Columbia Advantage
Lessons from Alberta on the Deregulation of the Electricity Industry
In 1995 the Alberta government followed the example of Margaret Thatcher in Britain, and began to deregulate Alberta's electricity industry. Defying critics, the government promised Albertans lowered electricity prices and more stable supplies once electricity was subjected to the competitive pressures of the marketplace.
Public Bodies, Private Parts
Surgical Contracts and Conflict of Interest at the Calgary Regional Health Authority
In September 2000 The Health Care Protection Act (formerly Bill 11) was proclaimed and established as law in Alberta. Since the Act permits private, for-profit surgical facilities to keep patients for more than a 12-hour stay, it is only a matter of time before for-profit hospitals are approved and operating in Alberta. The first ones are likely to appear in Calgary.
We are paying a high price for free trade. The 49th Parallel is vanishing, creating a new integrated continental oil and gas market in which Canadian energy industries are used to feed an ever-growing American demand.
Advantage for Whom?
Declining Family Incomes in a Growing Alberta Economy
This report is an analysis of Albertans’ family incomes during the 1990s. It compares the incomes of Alberta families at all income levels, examines the income gap between the richest and poorest of families, and discusses the escalating stress that Alberta families face as they attempt to maintain their standard of living in an increasingly competitive market place.
Change and Opportunity
EPCOR in a Deregulated Electricity Industry
This study extends examines EPCOR’s standing in the throes of the deregulation of Alberta’s electricity industry. It finds that EPCOR provides remarkable value to the City of Edmonton, and despite unexpected shifts in regulatory positions by the Alberta government, this value is likely to hold in the medium and long term.
Giving Away the Alberta Advantage
Are Albertans Receiving Maximum Revenues From Their Oil and Gas?
Alberta's oil and gas resources are free gifts of nature and contribute significantly to Alberta's advantage. But are Albertans receiving maximum value from the sale of our oil and gas resources?
Aftershock
The Open and Shut Case Against Privatizing EPCOR
The study presented here is a business analysis of the issue of whether or not Edmonton City Council should proceed with the sale of EPCOR.
Light Among the Shadows
The Re-regulation of the Electrical Industry and the Future of EPCOR
This study is intended to assist the citizens of Edmonton and their City Council with their deliberations over the future of Epcor and Edmonton Power.