Latest from Trevor Tombe
Opinion
Alberta's bumpy ride only gets bumpier with Danielle Smith's budget
The big surge in Alberta budget spending is paid for with an incredibly unreliable source: non-renewable resource revenues. This is neither disciplined nor particularly responsible.
Opinion
Inflation's bite is big. Alberta's capacity to help is bigger
If the government shared some of that windfall, high inflation would not only be more manageable, but also more equitable.
Opinion
Why you should care about the Alberta budget, even if you don't live there
The rapid turnaround in Alberta’s fiscal fortunes — easily the largest in the province's history — obviously matters for Albertans, but Canadians everywhere should also care, writes economist Trevor Tombe.
Opinion
What's behind Alberta's startling reversal of fortune? Hint: It's oil prices
Despite the rhetoric around diversification and prudent fiscal planning, Alberta remains firmly on the resource revenue roller-coaster (wheee!) with no clear plan (or even a sketch of one) to get off, writes economist Trevor Tombe.
Opinion
High oil prices a potential boon for beleaguered Alberta
High oil prices means more than a smaller deficit, says economist Trevor Tombe. Higher oil prices may generate higher rates of economic growth — which means higher incomes and more jobs for Albertans.
Opinion
Alberta's economic recovery lags behind the rest of Canada, but there is room for optimism
Oil and gas is a key reason for Alberta's lagging recovery, according to economist Trevor Tombe. Total compensation in the mining and oil and gas extraction sector is over $85 million lower in March 2021 than it was that same month a year earlier.
Opinion
How Alberta can benefit from a provincial carbon tax
Whether you like the carbon tax or not, the revenues could provide Alberta with the fiscal room to cut other taxes, save resource revenues and help rebuild provincial finances after COVID-19, says economist Trevor Tombe.
Opinion
Budget 2021: A missed opportunity (again)
Instead of starting the long process of building a more resilient budget, the government opted to gamble on oil — as Alberta’s governments typically do, says economist Trevor Tombe.
OPINION | Alberta, get ready for higher taxes
Albertans are about to pay higher taxes, says economist Trevor Tombe. And yes, that could include a PST and a provincial carbon tax.
OPINION | In 2020, Alberta joins the 'have nots'
A long-time staple of Alberta political culture is no more. At least for now. For the first time in 55 years, Alberta will receive more money from Ottawa than its taxpayers pay out. And COVID is to blame.