Alberta’s Next Frontier: Space Resources

The United States is aiming to return people to the Moon with the Artemis program. In addition to the rockets, astronauts, space stations, and robotic arms, the mission will also place a permanent base on the lunar surface.

For this program to work, there will have to be industrial equipment on the Moon. It will contribute to the sourcing of raw materials for the operation of the facility and rocket flights between the Moon and Earth. Water is an extremely valuable resource in space. Right now it costs about $2,700 USD to get a litre of water into orbit. That’s $430k a barrel for water in space if you want to compare to oil prices on Earth. It’s much cheaper to get the water in space than to bring it up from Earth.

This is where Alberta comes in.

We have extensive knowledge in the extraction, processing, and storage of liquids. We also have the best engineers, technicians, and trades in the world when it comes to modular construction and process equipment. Alberta is perfectly positioned to supply equipment to the space resource industry that’s about to take off in the US.

On April 6th, the White House signed an executive order allowing US corporations to mine the Moon. This announcement is in line with the 2015 law that the US Congress passed that allowed American companies to use resources from the Moon and asteroids. President Trump is very clear in his intentions, as the order states “Americans should have the right to engage in commercial exploration, recovery, and use of resources in outer space.”

In short, the US is preparing to open up space for business and they are looking for international partners.

This is an opportunity for Alberta manufacturing to do what we do best: build. US aerospace firms are starting to look at how they are going to design, build, install, and operate industrial equipment on the Moon. The first commodity they are going to be looking to harvest from the lunar surface is water.

There is plenty of water on the moon that can be harvested for rocket fuel. It is frozen in ice and buried in the Lunar regolith. To convert it to usable fuel, it needs to be collected, transported to a central processing facility, treated, and stored. Then it will be sold to companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin where they will split it into oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel.

If you work in the Alberta oil sands, this is all a familiar song and dance. Fueling the new space race requires much of the same technology that was developed to extract bitumen from sand in Western Canada. And with oil prices at historic lows, there are thousands of idle engineers and millions of dollars of equipment with nothing to build.

This is an astronomical opportunity for Western Canada.

We have been building module processing equipment for remote facilities for decades. The same skills that built our economic engine in fossil fuels can be re-tooled to supply machinery and process equipment to build fueling stations on the Moon.

Canada is world-famous for the Canadarm. It’s a symbol of national pride and is printed on our $5 bill. Our astronauts are recognized everywhere they go. Western Canada now has an opportunity to show the world what we are capable of.

It’s Alberta’s time to shine.

More to come…

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Zac Trolley

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Alberta

CPP another example of Albertans’ outsized contribution to Canada

Published on April 19, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Amid the economic uncertainty fuelled by Trump’s trade war, its perhaps more important than ever to understand Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and its outsized contribution to programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

From 1981 to 2022, Albertan’s net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP was $3.0 billion.

During that same period (1981 to 2022), British Columbia was the only other province where residents paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more back in benefits than they contribute to the program.

Albertans pay an outsized contribution to federal and national programs, including the CPP because of the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population (i.e. more workers pay into the CPP and less retirees take from it).

Put simply, Albertan workers have been helping fund the retirement of Canadians from coast to coast for decades, and without Alberta, the CPP would look much different.

How different?

If Alberta withdrew from the CPP and established its own standalone provincial pension plan, Alberta workers would receive the same retirement benefits but at a lower cost (i.e. lower CPP contribution rate deducted from our paycheques) than other Canadians, while the contribution rate—essentially the CPP tax rate—to fund the program would likely need to increase for the rest of the country to maintain the same benefits.

And given current demographic projections, immigration patterns and Alberta’s long history of leading the provinces in economic growth, Albertan workers will likely continue to pay more into the CPP than Albertan retirees get back from it.

Therefore, considering Alberta’s crucial role in national programs, the next federal government—whoever that may be—should undo and prevent policies that negatively impact the province and Albertans ability to contribute to Canada. Think of Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous other “net-zero” targets, and so on.

Canada faces serious economic challenges, including a trade war with the United States. In times like this, it’s important to remember Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and the outsized contributions of Alberta workers to the wellbeing of Canadians across the country.

Alberta

Made in Alberta! Province makes it easier to support local products with Buy Local program

Published on April 14, 2025

Government of Alberta

Show your Alberta side. Buy Local.

When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.

Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.

The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.

“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.

Quick facts

This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
Made in Alberta product catalogue website