Business
New programs to promote diversification in Alberta’s energy sector

Moving towards a more diversified energy sector
June 11, 2018 Media inquiries
New jobs and more private investment will be just some of the benefits of a more diversified energy sector, thanks to three new incentive programs created through the Energy Diversification Act.
The legislation, passed June 6, includes three new programs that provide a combination of royalty credits, grants and loan guarantees designed to encourage energy diversification, like petrochemicals and partial upgrading.
“Supporting energy diversification means supporting good jobs for working families and Albertans. We’re acting to ensure Alberta is competitive for major private investments and to build an economy to last. This is an exciting moment to push Alberta’s energy sector forward.”
Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, Minister of Energy
In total the $2-billion investment is available for private industry to apply for under:
Round 2 of the Petrochemicals Diversification Program
The Petrochemicals Feedstock Infrastructure Program
The Partial Upgrading Program
Industry can submit applications for the Partial Upgrading Program until Sept. 4, and can submit applications to the Petrochemicals Diversification Program and Petrochemicals Feedstock Infrastructure Program until Oct. 1. Evaluation will begin once the application seasons close. A decision on successful applicants is scheduled for late 2018.
The three programs are estimated to attract more than $10 billion in private investment, support roughly 8,000 construction jobs and create hundreds more operational jobs.
Petrochemicals
Petrochemicals are Alberta’s largest manufacturing industry, supporting roughly 7,600 skilled jobs and $8.2 billion in exports every year.
Round 2 of the Petrochemicals Diversification Program will build on the success of the first round and expand its scope. Applications will now be accepted that involve the use of ethane (used to manufacture products like plastic), as well as methane (used primarily as fuel, and to manufacture chemicals like ammonia) and propane (for heat and fuel). These are petrochemical feedstocks derived from natural gas. Applications to increase production at existing facilities will now also be allowed, after being excluded in the first round of the program.
The first round of this program in 2016 led directly to Inter Pipeline’s final investment decision on its $3.5-billion propane-to-polypropylene complex which is under construction in the Industrial Heartland near Fort Saskatchewan. At the peak of construction, an estimated 2,300 direct full-time jobs will be created and, once complete, the facilities will employ 180 people. A second proposed project from Canada Kuwait Petrochemical Corporation is undergoing front-end engineering design work for its project. A final investment decision is expected by early 2019.
Feedstock development
In order to ensure Alberta continues to have a strong supply of the building blocks needed for petrochemicals manufacturing, the Petrochemical Feedstock Infrastructure Program was created.
It will encourage industry to move forward on the facilities and infrastructure needed to capture more natural gas liquids required for value-added development.
These developments could include new natural gas processing facilities, smaller projects built closer to wellheads or straddle plants, facilities that are built along major natural gas pipelines that can extract certain components during transportation.
Partial Upgrading
Partial upgrading is a process that reduces the thickness of oil sands bitumen so it can flow through pipelines more easily, without having to be blended with diluent (a thinning agent such as naphtha). This process increases the volume of the bitumen product as well increasing its value.
Partial upgrading would enhance oil sands industry competitiveness by reducing industry costs, increasing pipeline capacity and enabling more refineries to process Alberta bitumen products. It would not limit future opportunities for full refining within Alberta.
The Partial Upgrading Program will support projects to develop this emerging technology in Alberta.
In May, industry was given an opportunity to review the draft application guidelines to ensure they were compatible with industry needs. More than 30 responses were received from companies across the three programs, foreshadowing a strong level of interest among investors.
Automotive
Auto giant shuts down foreign plants as Trump moves to protect U.S. industry

MxM News
Quick Hit:
Stellantis is pausing vehicle production at two North American facilities—one in Canada and another in Mexico—following President Donald Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on foreign-made cars. The move marks one of the first corporate responses to the administration’s push to bring back American manufacturing.
Key Details:
-
In an email to workers Thursday, Stellantis North America chief Antonio Filosa directly tied the production pause to the new tariffs, writing that the company is “continuing to assess the medium- and long-term effects” but is “temporarily pausing production” at select assembly plants outside the U.S.
-
Production at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario will be paused for two weeks, while the Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico will be offline for the entire month of April.
-
These plants produce the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the new Dodge Charger Daytona EV, the Jeep Compass SUV, and the Jeep Wagoneer S EV.
Diving Deeper:
On Wednesday afternoon in the White House Rose Garden, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs aimed at revitalizing America’s auto manufacturing industry. The 25% tariffs on all imported cars are part of a broader “reciprocal tariffs” strategy, which Trump described as ending decades of globalist trade policies that hollowed out U.S. industry.
Just a day later, Stellantis became the first major automaker to act on the new policy, halting production at two of its international plants. According to an internal email obtained by CNBC, Stellantis North American COO Antonio Filosa said the company is “taking immediate actions” to respond to the tariff policy while continuing to evaluate the broader impact.
“These actions will impact some employees at several of our U.S. powertrain and stamping facilities that support those operations,” Filosa wrote.
The Windsor, Ontario plant, which builds the Chrysler Pacifica and the newly introduced Dodge Charger Daytona EV, will shut down for two weeks. The Toluca facility in Mexico, responsible for the Jeep Compass and Jeep Wagoneer S EV, will suspend operations for the entire month of April.
The move comes as Stellantis continues to face scrutiny for its reliance on low-wage labor in foreign markets. As reported by Breitbart News, the company has spent years shifting production and engineering jobs to countries like Brazil, India, Morocco, and Mexico—often at the expense of American workers. Last year alone, Stellantis cut around 400 U.S.-based engineering positions while ramping up operations overseas.
Meanwhile, General Motors appears to be responding differently. According to Reuters, GM told employees in a webcast Thursday that it will increase production of light-duty trucks at its Fort Wayne, Indiana plant—where it builds the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. These models are also assembled in Mexico and Canada, but GM’s decision suggests a shift in production to the U.S. could be underway in light of the tariffs.
As Trump’s trade reset takes effect, more automakers are expected to recalibrate their production strategies—potentially signaling a long-awaited shift away from offshoring and toward rebuilding American industry.
Business
‘Time To Make The Patient Better’: JD Vance Says ‘Big Transition’ Coming To American Economic Policy

JD Vance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight” discussing tariff results
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Hailey Gomez
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday on Newsmax that he believes Americans will “reap the benefits” of the economy as the Trump administration makes a “big transition” on tariffs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,679.39 points on Thursday, just a day after President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs against nations charging imports from the U.S. On “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Schmitt asked Vance about the stock market hit, asking how the White House felt about the “Liberation Day” move.
“We’re feeling good. Look, I frankly thought in some ways it could be worse in the markets, because this is a big transition. You saw what the President said earlier today. It’s like a patient who was very sick,” Vance said. “We did the operation, and now it’s time to make the patient better. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We have to remember that for 40 years, we’ve been doing this for 40 years.”
“American economic policy has rewarded people who ship jobs overseas. It’s taxed our workers. It’s made our supply chains more brittle, and it’s made our country less prosperous, less free and less secure,” Vance added.
Vance recalled that one of his children had been sick and needed antibiotics that were not made in the United States. The Vice President called it a “ridiculous thing” that some medicines invented in the country are no longer manufactured domestically.
“That’s fundamentally what this is about. The national security of manufacturing and making the things that we need, from steel to pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and so forth, but also the good jobs that come along when you have economic policies that reward investing in America, rather than investing in foreign countries,” Vance said.
WATCH:
With a baseline 10% tariff placed on an estimated 60 countries, higher tariffs were applied to nations like China and Israel. For example, China, which has a 67% tariff on U.S. goods, will now face a 34% tariff from the U.S., while Israel, which has a 33% tariff, will face a 17% U.S. tariff.
“One bad day in the stock market, compared to what President Trump said earlier today, and I think he’s right about this. We’re going to have a booming stock market for a long time because we’re reinvesting in the United States of America. More importantly than that, of course, the people in Wall Street have done well,” Vance said.
“We want them to do well. But we care the most about American workers and about American small businesses, and they’re the ones who are really going to benefit from these policies,” Vance said.
The number of factories in the U.S., Vance said, has declined, adding that “millions of workers” have lost their jobs.
“My town [Middletown, Ohio], where you had 10,000 great American steel workers, and my town was one of the lucky ones, now probably has 1,500 steel workers in that factory because you had economic policies that rewarded shipping our jobs to China instead of investing in American workers,” Vance said. “President Trump ran on changing it. He promised he would change it, and now he has. I think Americans are going to reap the benefits.”
-
Catherine Herridge2 days ago
FBI imposed Hunter Biden laptop ‘gag order’ after employee accidentally confirmed authenticity: report
-
Business2 days ago
B.C. Credit Downgrade Signals Deepening Fiscal Trouble
-
COVID-191 day ago
Trump’s new NIH head fires top Fauci allies and COVID shot promoters, including Fauci’s wife
-
Business2 days ago
Trump orders 10% baseline tariff on imports, closes de minimis loophole
-
Canadian Energy Centre2 days ago
Saskatchewan Indigenous leaders urging need for access to natural gas
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Highly touted policies the Liberal government didn’t actually implement
-
Freedom Convoy1 day ago
Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich, Chris Barber found guilty of mischief
-
2025 Federal Election1 day ago
Will Four More Years Of Liberals Prove The West’s Tipping Point?