Alberta
Hospitality Association grateful, but desperate for clarity on provincial health restrictions
News release from the AHA (Alberta Hospitality Association)
ALBERTA HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THE ALBERTA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
While the announcements made by the Alberta Government today were a move in the right direction it still leaves the hospitality industry in a precarious position with many within the industry feeling unclear and frustrated.
We have already received a high volume of inquiries to our association from operators voicing feedback from customers because of the lack of clear communication in today’s press conference. It is evident that the general public and the media do not fully understand how businesses in the hospitality industry have been, and will continue to be, impacted until all restrictions are lifted.
The hospitality industry wants an understanding as to why REP would be lifted before other restrictions such as table capacity, curfew and approved socializing and events throughout our operations. Removal of REP without loosening additional restrictions will continue to see operators enduring huge losses daily.
There is no data to support, or deny, that the curfew had any influence on the spread of covid with this current variant as there was no testing or contact tracing in the province. Moving forward with no testing or tracing AHA wants assurance that the hospitality industry will not continue to be targeted.
For several months AHA along with key stakeholders in the hospitality industry have requested meetings with the Alberta Government to discuss the dire status of our sector, insight of a plan moving forward and support to help ensure businesses can stop hemorrhaging money and retain the hard working staff that have now been put through five targeted closures.
To move forward confidently with the second level of restrictions lifting and avoid another closure or reinforced restrictions we ask for:
● A clear understanding of what the actual metrics and benchmarks the government requires to move into phase 2.
● Clarity about which additional restrictions will be lifted in phase 2 specific to the hospitality industry as the government website currently does not provide any information.
● A clear plan of provincial support for the hospitality industry which was unfairly targeted with closures during the fifth wave of restrictions.
The AHA is once again requesting a hospitality specific round table with decision makers within government which include Premier Kenney, Doug Schweitzer (Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Innovation), and Jason Copping (Minister of Health), along with our key stakeholders to discuss the current reopening plan, the effects the industry has faced over the last two years, and how we can legitimately move forward successfully.
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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