Alberta
Merry-Go-Round is “Merry-Go-Gone” as City of Calgary closes playground equipment
From City of Calgary:
As a result of community members not respecting the requirement for social distancing, The City of Calgary is closing City-operated playgrounds (equipment only) effective immediately.
City Parks crews will require a few days to cordon off all 1,100 City-operated playgrounds in Calgary. During this time, The City asks all Calgarians to respect this decision.
Unfortunately, not all City park users respect the need for social distancing during our state of local emergency. With playgrounds being a community-gathering place, social distancing is critical as all citizens, regardless of their age, are at risk to transmit the COVID-19.
The decision also recognizes a collective effort to control the spread of COVID-19 locally and elsewhere in Canada through playground closures.
“We’ve made the very difficult decision to close down playgrounds as it’s just not healthy for anyone at this time to keep them open,” said Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Tom Sampson. “We understand the impact this move has on kids and families. It’s hard to remove a trusted space for kids to play right now in the face of schools and daycares closing. But we need to make these sacrifices in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the coming weeks.”
The City encourages its partners at the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) to take similar measures with their play equipment.
City parks remain open
While City-operated playgrounds are closing, Calgary’s parks are and will remain open. Calgary has 8,000 hectares of parks spaces, including a variety of natural areas and nearly 1,000 km of pathways.
To minimize the spread of germs, park users are asked to stay at least six feet apart and avoid touching equipment with hard surfaces as they are not disinfected regularly. Use of City park amenities is done at one’s own risk.
In addition to providing opportunity to get some exercise outdoors, City parks provide citizens with ample room to practice social distancing while still feeling connected with the natural environment.
Studies have shown that time in parks can increase immune function which helps to fight off infections and diseases. Being outside increases vitamin D and even a short walk through a park has been found to lower stress, anxiety and provide a boost of happiness.
Visit Calgary.ca/parks for more information.
Dr. Jack M. Mintz heads up Alberta Economic Recovery Council
Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:
“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.
“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.
“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.
“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.
“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.
“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”
From the Fraser Institute
By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.
Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.
In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.
Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.
The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.
Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.
Jock Finlayson
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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