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Alberta

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba “Taking the lead on new nation-building projects”

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Taking the lead on new nation-building projects

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have signed an agreement to collaborate on joint economic corridor projects to boost trade and economic growth.

The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will foster the development of new economic corridors across the three provinces. This groundbreaking partnership aims to bolster economic growth and collaboration while strengthening the region’s position as a key player in the global market.

“Alberta is proud to partner with Saskatchewan and Manitoba, taking a leadership role in building new trade corridors that will help our provinces and our country. New nation-building projects need government cooperation and political will. We need to cut red tape. We need to get building things like we used to. We need to make good jobs and an affordable life a priority. We can start to show people that, yes, Canada is a place you can do business again.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors

“The world needs what Saskatchewan has to offer. We rely on dependable, robust road, rail, air and port networks to ship our food, fuel and fertilizer across North America and around the globe.”

Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan Minister of Highways

“Manitoba’s unique gateway and hub initiatives cannot develop in isolation, that is why external cooperative partnerships will leverage our initiatives for success. With similar trade and transport access such as distance to markets, reliance on international ports and railway services, and similar commodity basis, Saskatchewan and Alberta are natural key partners to work with on improving trade enablement through transportation.”

Doyle Piwniuk, Manitoba Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

In its earliest days, Canada was united by nation-building economic projects such as the transcontinental railway, which tied the country together through improved travel and trade.

Over the last decade, regulatory uncertainty, anti-development policies and a lack of national leadership have cost provinces an opportunity to pursue projects that would have created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in growth and investment.

The three provincial governments will work together to eliminate regulatory inefficiency and uncertainty to attract and develop nation-building projects. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will coordinate to identify and prioritize strategic infrastructure that will enhance trade and transportation between the provinces and around the world. Through this, new economic corridors will be built to support the movement of critical resources, energy and utility projects, and secure national supply chains.

Quick facts

  • The agreement will focus on enhancing critical infrastructure, improving the efficiency of interprovincial transportation networks and reducing regulatory hurdles. It will also identify opportunities to attract private sector investment and partner with Indigenous communities on economic corridor development.
  • Economic corridors link markets in and out of Alberta, supporting the province’s economic, social and environmental activity.
  • Economic corridors can involve a broad range of infrastructure, including transportation, energy, power, telecommunications and other utilities.
    • In addition to physical infrastructure, corridors include service markets and the coordination of regulations and policies across multiple jurisdictions and sectors.
  • According to Statistics Canada, Alberta exported more than $138 billion in goods in 2021.
    • This includes goods shipped by pipeline and other modes, such as road, rail, air and marine.
    • Non-pipeline exports of goods totalled more than $48 billion.
  • Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors will work and proactively partner with Indigenous communities to plan economic corridors for mutual economic benefit.

Alberta

Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

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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.”

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Alberta

Energy sector will fuel Alberta economy and Canada’s exports for many years to come

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From the Fraser Institute

By Jock Finlayson

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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