Alberta
Province will balance the economy and the environment – Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan
Balancing the economy and the environment
Alberta’s new Emissions Reduction and Energy Development (ERED) Plan charts Alberta’s course for cutting emissions, attracting investment and growing the economy.
Albertans have been stewards of one of Canada’s largest economic engines, the oil and gas sector. For decades, Albertans have stepped up to deliver responsible, ethically produced energy, helping mitigate global energy crises and leading in technology innovation to reduce emissions.
The ERED Plan is Alberta’s path forward to net-zero aspirations by 2050 while maintaining affordable, reliable and secure energy for Albertans. The plan affirms that responsibly produced oil and gas will continue to be a fundamental part of the global energy mix in the coming decades while sending a clear signal to the world that Alberta is the place to invest.
“Our made-in-Alberta plan to reduce emissions while growing the economy is a plan that works for Albertans. This could never be a one-size-fits-all model passed on by the federal government. I’m so proud of the work that has been done to bring this forward. Alberta can, and will, be a part of the solution to safeguard North American and global energy security. We can make real progress on environmental protection without sacrificing Alberta’s and Canada’s economic engine.”
Cutting emissions should not make life harder and more expensive. Actions in the ERED Plan like modernizing the electricity system, integrating new technology and supporting natural gas-fired generation will help keep energy reliable, safe and affordable for Albertans.
In February, Premier Danielle Smith sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, informing the federal government that a made-in-Alberta plan was on the way. Alberta’s government is calling on the federal government to stop setting unrealistic, unachievable targets, to stay in their lane and work with the provinces without interfering in provincial jurisdiction. Families need to keep the lights on, buy groceries and have enough gas in their car to get their kids to soccer practice without carrying the burden of expensive government climate policies.
Former premier Ralph Klein took the first step by putting out the first such plan in 1998. Since then, decades of hard work from the men and women who make their living in Alberta’s industries have led to today. The plan Alberta’s government is unveiling salutes the work done by Albertans over decades, culminating in a significant focus over the last four years, and charts the province’s next steps. More work is yet to be done.
“Alberta’s plan forward to reduce emissions while growing economic activity sets a course of success for our province. The conversation about emissions reduction must include energy security, affordability and reliability. This plan does exactly that.”
Alberta’s ERED Plan outlines investment and partnership opportunities, including ways to better support Alberta’s skilled workforce, strengthen relationships with Indigenous organizations and communities, and collaborate with industry. By driving emissions reductions in all sectors through clean technology and innovative solutions, Alberta’s plan protects and diversifies jobs and keeps money in the pockets of hard-working Albertans.
“Alberta will make an outsized contribution to Canada and the rest of the world by developing low-cost technologies towards successful decarbonization. Given Alberta’s ingenuity and energy expertise, it is in the best position to support Canada’s aim to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050.”
“Alberta has demonstrated tremendous leadership in economic reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples by creating opportunities for Indigenous communities to participate in projects that will drive tangible economic benefits and prosperity for generations to come.”
The ERED Plan outlines actions and opportunities across Alberta’s environment and economy, from oil and gas to agriculture and waste management. A summary of actions is available on the ERED Plan website.
As part of Alberta’s work to address the rising cost of living due to inflation, the ERED Plan includes a commitment to explore building codes, labelling and building benchmarking, balancing informed consumer choice with property right considerations, and exploring and growing innovation and technology for homes like new building materials and heat pumps.
“The Pathways Alliance is encouraged by the Government of Alberta’s plan to reduce emissions and achieve net zero while ensuring industry can compete globally, attract investment and continue to provide economic growth and prosperity for Albertans and Canadians.”
“Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan presents evidence that Alberta does not require overlapping federal regulation to do what is necessary to meet net zero by 2050 goals. The plan’s net zero by 2050 aspiration is the statement that investors and analysts have been looking for as the overarching signal of commitment to emissions reductions action.”
Quick facts
- Alberta was the first jurisdiction in Canada to establish a climate plan in 1998.
- Alberta was the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce an industrial carbon price and emissions trading system in 2007.
- Alberta was the first government in Canada to set a methane emissions reduction target for the oil and gas sector and is on track to meet and exceed its 2025 methane emissions reduction goal.
- Alberta is expected to transition from coal-fired electricity in 2023, seven years ahead of provincial and federal targets.
- The Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Regulation, Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing system, is at the core of emissions management in Alberta.
- From 2009 to 2021, $2.5 billion from industrial carbon pricing funds were invested in programs that support emissions reductions and climate resiliency.
- Alberta is recognized as a leader in developing carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology, committing more than $1.8 billion to support CCUS projects to date.
Canada’s wealth is based on its success as a trading nation. Canada is blessed with immense resources spread across a vast country. It has succeeded as a small, open economy with an enviable standard of living that has been able to provide what the world needs.
Canada has been stuck in a situation where it cannot complete nation‑building projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway that was completed in 1885, or the Trans Canada Highway that was completed in the 1960s. With the uncertainty of U.S. tariffs looming over our country and province, Canada needs to take bold action to revitalize the productivity and competitiveness of its economy – going east to west and not always relying on north-south trade. There’s no better time than right now to politically de-risk these projects.
A lack of leadership from the federal government has led to the following:
- Inadequate federal funding for trade infrastructure.
- A lack of investment is stifling the infrastructure capacity we need to diversify our exports. This is despite federally commissioned reports like the 2022 report by the National Supply Chain Task Force indicating the investment need will be trillions over the next 50 years.
- Federal red tape, like the Impact Assessment Act.
- Burdensome regulation has added major costs and significant delays to projects, like the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, a proposed container facility at Vancouver, which spent more than a decade under federal review.
- Opaque funding programs, like the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF).
- Which offers a pattern of unclear criteria for decisions and lack of response. This program has not funded any provincial highway projects in Alberta, despite the many applications put forward by the Government of Alberta. In fact, we’ve gone nearly 3 years without decisions on some project applications.
- Ineffective policies that limit economic activity.
- Measures that pit environmental and economic objectives in stark opposition to one another instead of seeking innovative win-win solutions hinder Canada’s overall productivity and investment climate. One example is the moratorium on shipping crude through northern B.C. waters, which effectively ended Enbridge’s Northern Gateway proposal and has limited Alberta’s ability to ship its oil to Asian markets.
In a federal leadership vacuum, Alberta has worked to advance economic corridors across Canada. In April 2023, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba signed an agreement to collaborate on joint infrastructure networks meant to boost trade and economic growth across the Prairies. Alberta also signed a similar economic corridor agreement with the Northwest Territories in July 2024. Additionally, Alberta would like to see an agreement among all 7 western provinces and territories, and eventually the entire country, to collaborate on economic corridors.
Through our collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions, we will spur the development of economic corridors by reducing regulatory delays and attracting investment. We recognize the importance of working with Indigenous communities on the development of major infrastructure projects, which will be key to our success in these endeavours.
However, provinces and territories cannot do this alone. The federal government must play its part to advance our country’s economic corridors that we need from coast to coast to coast to support our economic future. It is time for immediate action.
Alberta recommends the federal government take the following steps to strengthen Canada’s economic corridors and supply chains by:
- Creating an Economic Corridor Agency to identify and maintain economic corridors across provincial boundaries, with meaningful consultation with both Indigenous groups and industry.
- Increasing federal funding for trade-enabling infrastructure, such as roads, rail, ports, in-land ports, airports and more.
- Streamlining regulations regarding trade-related infrastructure and interprovincial trade, especially within economic corridors. This would include repealing or amending the Impact Assessment Act and other legislation to remove the uncertainty and ensure regulatory provisions are proportionate to the specific risk of the project.
- Adjusting the policy levers that that support productivity and competitiveness. This would include revisiting how the federal government supports airports, especially in the less-populated regions of Canada.
To move forward expeditiously on the items above, I propose the establishment of a federal/provincial/territorial working group. This working group would be tasked with creating a common position on addressing the economic threats facing Canada, and the need for mitigating trade and trade-enabling infrastructure. The group should identify appropriate governance to ensure these items are presented in a timely fashion by relative priority and urgency.
Alberta will continue to be proactive and tackle trade issues within its own jurisdiction. From collaborative memorandums of understanding with the Prairies and the North, to reducing interprovincial trade barriers, to fostering innovative partnerships with Indigenous groups, Alberta is working within its jurisdiction, much like its provincial and territorial colleagues.
We ask the federal government to join us in a new approach to infrastructure development that ensures Canada is productive and competitive for generations to come and generates the wealth that ensures our quality of life is second to none.
-
Devin Dreeshen
Devin Dreeshen was sworn in as Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors on October 24, 2022.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange respond to allegations of political interference in the issuing of health-care contracts.
DOGE discovers $4.7T in untraceable U.S. Treasury payments
U.S. tariffs or not, Canada needs to build new oil and gas pipeline space fast
Bipartisan US Coalition Finally Tells Europe, and the FBI, to Shove It
Explosive New RCMP Transcript Renews Spotlight on Trudeau, Butts, Telford—Powers Behind Mark Carney’s Leadership Bid
-
Energy22 hours agoFederal Government Suddenly Reverses on Critical Minerals – Over Three Years Too Late – MP Greg McLean
-
Health17 hours agoRFK Jr: There’s no medical justification for vaccinating one-day-old babies for Hepatitis B
-
Business2 days agoArgentina’s Javier Milei gives Elon Musk chainsaw
-
Alberta2 days ago
Open letter to Ottawa from Alberta strongly urging National Economic Corridor
-
International2 days agoJihadis behead 70 Christians in DR Congo church
-
Addictions2 days agoBC overhauls safer supply program in response to widespread pharmacy scam
-
Business23 hours agoWorst kept secret—red tape strangling Canada’s economy
-
Daily Caller22 hours agoKash Patel First Statement As FBI Director, Tells Media ‘Bring It On’