Alberta
Finance Minister Nate Horner says Alberta on track to $2.4 billion surplus
Q1 update: Continued fiscal growth
Alberta’s strong fiscal management continues to secure Alberta’s future.
Alberta is on course to record a $2.4-billion surplus at the end of 2023-24, despite an unprecedented wildfire season and ongoing economic volatility. This is $94 million higher than forecast in Budget 2023.
Strong and prudent fiscal management will help Alberta remain the economic engine of Canada. The government’s new fiscal framework requires the government to use at least half of available surplus cash to pay down debt, freeing up money that can support the needs of Alberta families now and for decades to come. Based on the first quarter update, Alberta plans to eliminate $2.6 billion in taxpayer-supported debt this fiscal year.
“Alberta’s finances remain strong, and thanks to our new fiscal framework, Alberta’s fiscal position is poised to become even stronger. Our continued priorities of paying down debt and saving for the future will ensure we have the capacity to meet Albertans’ needs both today and well into the future.”
After the required 50 per cent of projected available surplus cash is used to pay off maturing debt, remaining surplus cash will be allocated to the Alberta Fund, where it can be used for additional debt repayment, contributions to the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and one-time initiatives that do not lead to a permanent increase in government spending. A projected $2.6 billion will be set aside in the Alberta Fund in 2023-24.
Revenue
Revenue for 2023-24 is forecast at $71.1 billion, a $491-million increase from Budget 2023.
Alberta’s robust business environment is attracting investment and people from around the country, driving a projected $1.5-billion increase in corporate and personal income tax revenue.
The corporate income tax revenue forecast has increased by $889 million, following a record-high year in 2022-23. At eight per cent, Alberta’s general corporate income tax rate is the lowest in the country. Alberta’s low taxes remain one reason investors choose Alberta.
Keeping life affordable is a key priority for Alberta’s government, which is why it paused the provincial fuel tax on gasoline and diesel in January. Extending the pause to the end of 2023 will save Albertans and Alberta businesses 13 cents per litre on gasoline and diesel for the rest of the calendar year. As a result, fuel tax revenue is forecast to be reduced by $532 million – money that is going directly back into the pockets of Albertans every time they fill up their vehicle.
Between April 1 and June 30, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil averaged US$74 per barrel. It is now forecast to average $US75 per barrel over the course of the fiscal year, $4 lower than the Budget 2023 forecast. The resulting impact on Alberta’s revenue is being offset by a narrower light-heavy oil price differential, which is now forecast to average US$15 per barrel, $5 narrower than at budget.
Bitumen royalties are projected to increase by $515 million in 2023-24; however, overall resource revenue is projected to decrease by $694 million from the budget forecast. Lower natural gas royalties account for most of the projected decrease due to weaker prices, robust North American production and the impact of wildfires on production in Alberta.
Expense
Expense for 2023-24 is forecast at $68.7 billion, a $397-million increase from Budget 2023. The expense increase before the forecast contingency allocation is $1.6 billion. Of this, $397 million is funded by dedicated revenue and $1.2 billion is set aside as a preliminary allocation from the contingency, leaving $323 million unallocated.
The unprecedented wildfire season in the province prompted Alberta’s government to act swiftly and responsibly to ensure the safety of Albertans in affected areas. To date, the government has allocated $750 million for fighting wildfires in the province this year, along with $175 million for uninsurable losses, $75 million of which is expected to be covered by the federal government, and $55 million, mainly for emergency evacuation payments. Alberta’s government will continue to support Albertans during difficult situations like natural disasters.
The operating expense forecast has increased by $179 million, mainly due to a $214-million increase in Health funding that is being fully offset by federal bilateral agreement revenue. Capital grant increases of $170 million are mainly for re-profiling projects from the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Debt servicing costs are forecast to increase $245 million from budget, mainly due to higher interest rates – reiterating the importance of government’s commitment to paying down debt.
Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund
The Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund is Alberta’s long-term savings account, and the government remains committed to growing it. The fund performed well during the 2023-24 first quarter, earning a two per cent return with a net investment income of $739 million. Its fair value of net assets on June 30 was $21.6 billion, an increase from the $21.2 billion recorded at the end of the previous fiscal year.
Over five years, the fund returned 6.4 per cent, which is 0.6 per cent above the return of its passive benchmark.
Economic outlook
By continuing to grow and diversify Alberta’s economy, Alberta’s government is continuing to exceed expectations. Alberta’s real gross domestic product is now expected to rise three per cent in 2023, up 0.2 percentage points from Budget 2023. Projections by private forecasters show the province is expected to lead the country in economic growth this year.
Robust population growth is supporting Alberta’s labour market and generating demand and activity in Alberta’s economy, ultimately boosting the province’s economic outlook. Although risks and uncertainty persist due to rising interest rates, high consumer prices and other factors, Alberta’s economy remains well-positioned to withstand any challenges that arise.
Quick facts
- The amount of surplus cash available for debt repayment and the Alberta Fund is calculated after several necessary cash adjustments are made.
- In 2023-24, the total amount available for allocation is forecast at $5.2 billion, which includes $5.1 billion carried over from the 2022-23 final results.
Alberta
Alberta court upholds conviction of Pastor Artur Pawlowski for preaching at Freedom Convoy protest
From LifeSiteNews
Lawyers argued that Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s sermon was intended to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, but the statement was characterized as a call for mischief.
An Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that Calgary Pastor Artur Pawlowski is guilty of mischief for his sermon at the Freedom Convoy-related border protest blockade in February 2022 in Coutts, Alberta.
On October 29, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Gordon Krinke sentenced the pro-freedom pastor to 60 days in jail for “counselling mischief” by encouraging protesters to continue blocking Highway 4 to protest COVID mandates.
“A reasonable person would understand the appellant’s speech to be an active inducement of the illegal activity that was ongoing and that the appellant intended for his speech to be so understood,” the decision reads.
Pawlowski addressed a group of truckers and protesters blocking entrance into the U.S. state of Montana on February 3, the fifth day of the Freedom Convoy-styled protest. He encouraged the protesters to “hold the line” after they had reportedly made a deal with Royal Canadian Mounted Police to leave the border crossing and travel to Edmonton.
“The eyes of the world are fixed right here on you guys. You are the heroes,” Pawlowski said. “Don’t you dare go breaking the line.”
After Pawlowski’s sermon, the protesters remained at the border crossing for two additional weeks. While his lawyers argued that his speech was made to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, the statement is being characterized as a call for mischief.
Days later, on February 8, Pawlowski was arrested – for the fifth time – by an undercover SWAT team just before he was slated to speak again to the Coutts protesters.
He was subsequently jailed for nearly three months for what he said was for speaking out against COVID mandates, the subject of all the Freedom Convoy-related protests.
In Krinke’s decision, he argued that Pawlowski’s sermon incited the continuation of the protest, saying, “The Charter does not provide justification to anybody who incites a third party to commit such crimes.”
However, defence lawyer Sarah Miller pointed out that that Pawlowski’s sermon was protected under freedom of speech, an argument that Krinke quickly dismissed.
“While the appellant is correct that peaceful, lawful and nonviolent communication is entitled to protection, blockading a highway is an inherently aggressive and potentially violent form of conduct, designed to intimidate and impede the movement of third parties,” he wrote.
Pawlowski was released after the verdict. He has already spent 78 days in jail before the trial.
Pawlowski is the first Albertan to be charged for violating the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (CIDA), which was put in place in 2020 under then-Premier Jason Kenney.
The CIDA, however, was not put in place due to COVID mandates but rather after anti-pipeline protesters blockaded key infrastructure points such as railway lines in Alberta a few years ago.
Alberta
Heavy-duty truckers welcome new ‘natural gas highway’ in Alberta
Clean Energy Fuels CEO Andrew Littlefair, Tourmaline CEO Mike Rose, and Mullen Group chairman Murray Mullen attend the opening of a new Clean Energy/Tourmaline compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling station in Calgary on Oct. 22, 2024. Photo courtesy Tourmaline
From the Canadian Energy Centre
New compressed natural gas fueling stations in Grande Prairie and Calgary join new stop in Edmonton
Heavy-duty truckers hauling everything from restaurant supplies to specialized oilfield services along one of Western Canada’s busiest corridors now have more access to a fuel that can help reduce emissions and save costs.
Two new fuelling stations serving compressed natural gas (CNG) rather than diesel in Grande Prairie and Calgary, along with a stop that opened in Edmonton last year, create the first phase of what proponents call a “natural gas highway”.
“Compressed natural gas is viable, it’s competitive and it’s good for the environment,” said Murray Mullen, chair of Mullen Group, which operates more than 4,300 trucks and thousands of pieces of equipment supporting Western Canada’s energy industry.
Right now, the company is running 19 CNG units and plans to deploy another 15 as they become available.
“They’re running the highways right now and they’re performing exceptionally well,” Mullen said on Oct. 22 during the ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the new station on the northern edge of Calgary along Highway 2.
“Our people love them, our customers love them and I think it’s going to be the way for the future to be honest,” he said.
Heavy-duty trucks at Tourmaline and Clean Energy’s new Calgary compressed natural gas fuelling station. Photo courtesy Tourmaline
According to Natural Resources Canada, natural gas burns more cleanly than gasoline or diesel fuel, producing fewer toxic pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
The two new CNG stops are part of a $70 million partnership announced last year between major Canadian natural gas producer Tourmaline and California-based Clean Energy Fuels.
Their deal would see up to 20 new CNG stations built in Western Canada over the next five years, daily filling up to 3,000 natural gas-fueled trucks.
One of North America’s biggest trucking suppliers to businesses including McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway and Popeye’s says the new stations will help as it expands its fleet of CNG-powered vehicles across Canada.
Amy Senter, global vice-president of sustainability with Illinois-based Martin Brower, said in a statement that using more CNG is critical to the company achieving its emissions reduction targets.
For Tourmaline, delivering CNG to heavy-duty truckers builds on its multi-year program to displace diesel in its operations, primarily by switching drilling equipment to run on natural gas.
Between 2018 and 2022, the company displaced the equivalent of 36 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of diesel that didn’t get used, or the equivalent emissions of about 58,000 passenger vehicles.
Tourmaline CEO Mike Rose speaks to reporters during the opening of a new Tourmaline/Clean Energy compressed natural gas fuelling station in Calgary on Oct. 22, 2024. Photo courtesy Tourmaline
Tourmaline CEO Mike Rose noted that the trucking sector switching fuel from diesel to natural gas is gaining momentum, notably in Asia.
A “small but growing” share of China’s trucking fleet moving to natural gas helped drive an 11 percent reduction in overall diesel consumption this June compared to the previous year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
“China’s talking about 30 percent of the trucks sold going forward are to be CNG trucks, and it’s all about reducing emissions,” Rose said.
“It’s one global atmosphere. We’re going to reduce them here; they’re going to reduce them there and everybody’s a net winner.”
Switching from diesel to CNG is “extremely cost competitive” for trucking fleets, said Clean Energy CEO Andrew Littlefair.
“It will really move the big rigs that we need in Western Canada for the long distance and heavy loads,” he said.
Tourmaline and Clean Energy aim to have seven CNG fuelling stations operating by the end of 2025. Construction is set to begin in Kamloops, B.C., followed by Fort McMurray and Fort St. John.
“You’ll have that Western Canadian corridor, and then we’ll grow it from there,” Littlefair said.
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