Plenty of other countries ready to take over Canada’s market share if Canada exits the oil business
By Mark Milke and Ven Venkatachalam Canadian Energy Centre The killing of the cross-border Keystone XL pipeline due to anti-oil activism and politics will change nothing about worldwide oil demand. All it does is hand an advantage to Canada’s competitors. Worldwide oil consumption has been on an upward trajectory, and with the COVID-19 pandemic subsiding…
It’s unfair to make Albertans struggling through the pandemic to pay for bigger salaries for post-secondary employees
Many bureaucrats and professors have been collecting bigger paycheques during the pandemic, which means bigger bills for struggling families and students at the worst possible time. More than 11,500 university and college employees received a pay raise in 2020, which cost taxpayers and students $29 million, according to freedom of information requests obtained by the…
Alternative energy and calls for the world to overcome its reliance on fossil fuels gaining currency
The short-term prognosis for crude oil looks exciting. But that may be a mirage. The approaching summer driving season in the Northern Hemisphere and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions have stimulated demand. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies in the expanded OPEC+ appear confident that with the accelerating vaccination programs and…
The masks needed to be reusable and seal around the nose so the user’s glasses don’t fog up
James McCrimmon is the inventor of an accessory to keep your beer cool. His Alberta-based business relies on major events like Canadian Football League games and rodeo for sales. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, McCrimmon found his proverbial keg empty. But instead of crying into his frosty mug, he decided to reimagine his product into…
Innovative technology extracts the increasingly valuable metal from wastewater
Alberta’s oil and gas fields could be in store for another natural resource boom thanks to a University of Alberta-based lithium extraction technology with the ability to unlock the increasingly valuable metal. Faculty of Science geochemist Dan Alessi, professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and former post-doctoral fellow Salman Safari have spun off their technology…
The current turmoil could weaken budgetary discipline, leading governments into long-term spending and increased debt
At the end of 2020, Alberta’s debt was estimated at $98 billion, Manitoba’s was $28.6 billion and Saskatchewan’s stood at $15 billion. These debts are lower than Quebec’s ($220 billion) and Ontario’s ($448.9 billion), but there are concerns about their sustainability. Indeed, they’re a long-term burden for the governments, the taxpayers and the economy. Debt growth…
Sitting on an enormous economic opportunity that could address current financial and environmental issues and help diversify the economy
With Alberta’s economy still sputtering and not expected to rebound until 2023, the knowledge that we are sitting on an enormous economic opportunity is music to the ears of most Albertans. The fact that this opportunity not only addresses current financial and environmental issues but also helps diversify the energy sector is a veritable symphony.…
But any plan for fiscal austerity can’t ignore the elephant in the room – extraordinary health-care spending
Alberta’s debt has grown exponentially over the last decade, surging from under $10 billion in 2010 to $98 billion in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has set off a trap that earlier provincial administrations laid by their excessive reliance on fossil-fuel revenues. On Feb. 25, Finance Minister Travis Toews announced the province would start 2022 with…
We have to beware tyrannies and autocracies that use oil and natural gas as weapons
By Mark Milke and Lennie Kaplan Canadian Energy Centre History shows tyrannies and autocracies use oil and natural gas as weapons when interacting with democracies. This is obvious during wars – tanks and jets don’t run on vegetable oil – as well as peacetime. For example, in 2009, Russia cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine in…
Ominous clouds continue to hang over the global oil horizon
Where will world oil markets be in a year? With so many variables impacting the markets, no one has the crystal ball to see the crude oil price trajectory a year ahead. On April 20, 2020, panic had gripped the energy market as a frightening realization dawned on oil traders: The world was rapidly running…
By Mark Milke and Ven Venkatachalam Canadian Energy Centre The killing of the cross-border Keystone XL pipeline due to anti-oil activism and politics will change nothing about worldwide oil demand. All it does is hand an advantage to Canada’s competitors. Worldwide oil consumption has been on an upward trajectory, and with the COVID-19 pandemic subsiding…
