Alberta
Premier Smith urges Canadians to contact their MP’s to demand reliable & affordable power
“What would happen if your power went out and it’s minus 30 outside”? This question is posed to Albertans and all Canadians by Premier Danielle Smith. Premier Smith has been chastised by the opposition NDP and supporters of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to make Canada’s electricity grid completely carbon neutral by 2035.
Smith says Trudeau’s net zero strategy is a terrible mistake that will lead to brutal power outages while potentially quadrupling the cost of energy. Further, since wind and solar generation depends on sunlight and a good breeze, renewable energy can’t always be relied on. To make that clear Smith pointed to eight different occasions in the past year when Alberta’s electricity system nearly collapsed.
While repeating her pledge to make Alberta’s power grid carbon neutral by 2050, Smith is urging Canadians to join her in support of a more reasonable plan for energy transition.
No one in Canada should be without access to electricity, but if the feds don’t smarten up they will put all of us at risk.
Take 30 seconds and send a message to our Liberal-NDP government in Ottawa 👉https://t.co/GmBSkeaXs6 pic.twitter.com/ZwDpQ2o2nQ
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) October 16, 2023
From TellTheFeds.ca
No one wants blackouts.
What Canadians want is reliable & affordable power.
Ottawa’s proposed electricity regulations will make electricity unreliable & unaffordable.
THE THINGS CANADIANS COUNT ON WON’T WORK WHEN NEEDED.
Affordable electricity matters.
In addition to blackouts, current electricity rates will be double, triple or even quadruple depending on the province. And drastic changes could dismantle thriving industries that are vital parts of our provincial economies, resulting in a power grid that depends on unreliable energy.
Canada can’t afford a hasty transition.
Reliable electricity matters.
With cited cost estimates as high as $1.7 trillion*, the cost of achieving a net zero grid by 2035 will leave our power grid dependent on intermittent and unreliable sources like solar and wind.
Imagine no heat at -30°, and no power for the Internet or to charge your phone.
The federal government wants electricity demand to at least double by 2050. Tell the Feds reliable and affordable electricity matters. And ask them why they are rushing to do something by 2035 when the experts agree that it can’t feasibly be done.
* Source: Public Policy Forum, Project of the Century, July 2023
Tell the Feds what you want.
Contact your MP.
There is a better path forward. Alberta is leading the way. Together, let’s make a better plan.
Not a mandate.
Ottawa’s carbon-neutral goals can be achieved by 2050 with a lower tax and utility burden on Canadians. Changing over our electricity system in 27 years is much more practical and affordable than rushing to do it in just 12 years. Rather than being told to dismantle industries critical to Canada’s economy, Tell the Feds to work with the provinces on a plan that benefits all Canadians.
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
According to the recent mid-year update tabled Thursday, the Smith government projects a $4.6 billion surplus in 2024/25, up from the $2.9 billion surplus projected just a few months ago. Despite the good news, Premier Smith must reduce spending to avoid budget deficits.
The fiscal update projects resource revenue of $20.3 billion in 2024/25. Today’s relatively high—but very volatile—resource revenue (including oil and gas royalties) is helping finance today’s spending and maintain a balanced budget. But it will not last forever.
For perspective, in just the last decade the Alberta government’s annual resource revenue has been as low as $2.8 billion (2015/16) and as high as $25.2 billion (2022/23).
And while the resource revenue rollercoaster is currently in Alberta’s favor, Finance Minister Nate Horner acknowledges that “risks are on the rise” as oil prices have dropped considerably and forecasters are projecting downward pressure on prices—all of which impacts resource revenue.
In fact, the government’s own estimates show a $1 change in oil prices results in an estimated $630 million revenue swing. So while the Smith government plans to maintain a surplus in 2024/25, a small change in oil prices could quickly plunge Alberta back into deficit. Premier Smith has warned that her government may fall into a budget deficit this fiscal year.
This should come as no surprise. Alberta’s been on the resource revenue rollercoaster for decades. Successive governments have increased spending during the good times of high resource revenue, but failed to rein in spending when resource revenues fell.
Previous research has shown that, in Alberta, a $1 increase in resource revenue is associated with an estimated 56-cent increase in program spending the following fiscal year (on a per-person, inflation-adjusted basis). However, a decline in resource revenue is not similarly associated with a reduction in program spending. This pattern has led to historically high levels of government spending—and budget deficits—even in more recent years.
Consider this: If this fiscal year the Smith government received an average level of resource revenue (based on levels over the last 10 years), it would receive approximately $13,000 per Albertan. Yet the government plans to spend nearly $15,000 per Albertan this fiscal year (after adjusting for inflation). That’s a huge gap of roughly $2,000—and it means the government is continuing to take big risks with the provincial budget.
Of course, if the government falls back into deficit there are implications for everyday Albertans.
When the government runs a deficit, it accumulates debt, which Albertans must pay to service. In 2024/25, the government’s debt interest payments will cost each Albertan nearly $650. That’s largely because, despite running surpluses over the last few years, Albertans are still paying for debt accumulated during the most recent string of deficits from 2008/09 to 2020/21 (excluding 2014/15), which only ended when the government enjoyed an unexpected windfall in resource revenue in 2021/22.
According to Thursday’s mid-year fiscal update, Alberta’s finances continue to be at risk. To avoid deficits, the Smith government should meaningfully reduce spending so that it’s aligned with more reliable, stable levels of revenue.
Author:
Better, faster, more affordable auto insurance
Alberta’s government is introducing a new auto insurance system that will provide better and faster services to Albertans while reducing auto insurance premiums.
After hearing from more than 16,000 Albertans through an online survey about their priorities for auto insurance policies, Alberta’s government is introducing a new privately delivered, care-focused auto insurance system.
Right now, insurance in the province is not affordable or care focused. Despite high premiums, Albertans injured in collisions do not get the timely medical care and income support they need in a system that is complex to navigate. When fully implemented, Alberta’s new auto insurance system will deliver better and faster care for those involved in collisions, and Albertans will see cost savings up to $400 per year.
“Albertans have been clear they need an auto insurance system that provides better, faster care and is more affordable. When it’s implemented, our new privately delivered, care-centred insurance system will put the focus on Albertans’ recovery, providing more effective support and will deliver lower rates.”
“High auto insurance rates put strain on Albertans. By shifting to a system that offers improved benefits and support, we are providing better and faster care to Albertans, with lower costs.”
Albertans who suffer injuries due to a collision currently wait months for a simple claim to be resolved and can wait years for claims related to more serious and life-changing injuries to addressed. Additionally, the medical and financial benefits they receive often expire before they’re fully recovered.
Under the new system, Albertans who suffer catastrophic injuries will receive treatment and care for the rest of their lives. Those who sustain serious injuries will receive treatment until they are fully recovered. These changes mirror and build upon the Saskatchewan insurance model, where at-fault drivers can be sued for pain and suffering damages if they are convicted of a criminal offence, such as impaired driving or dangerous driving, or conviction of certain offenses under the Traffic Safety Act.
Work on this new auto insurance system will require legislation in the spring of 2025. In order to reconfigure auto insurance policies for 3.4 million Albertans, auto insurance companies need time to create and implement the new system. Alberta’s government expects the new system to be fully implemented by January 2027.
In the interim, starting in January 2025, the good driver rate cap will be adjusted to a 7.5% increase due to high legal costs, increasing vehicle damage repair costs and natural disaster costs. This protects good drivers from significant rate increases while ensuring that auto insurance providers remain financially viable in Alberta.
Albertans have been clear that they still want premiums to be based on risk. Bad drivers will continue to pay higher premiums than good drivers.
By providing significantly enhanced medical, rehabilitation and income support benefits, this system supports Albertans injured in collisions while reducing the impact of litigation costs on the amount that Albertans pay for their insurance.
“Keeping more money in Albertans’ pockets is one of the best ways to address the rising cost of living. This shift to a care-first automobile insurance system will do just that by helping lower premiums for people across the province.”
Quick facts
- Alberta’s government commissioned two auto insurance reports, which showed that legal fees and litigation costs tied to the province’s current system significantly increase premiums.
- A 2023 report by MNP shows
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