Alberta
Nominations open for Alberta’s most prestigious (and lucrative) arts award(s)

Alberta has amazing artists! If you know someone deserving, then don’t let this chance get away on you. Nominations are now open for the 2019 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Awards. These are Alberta’s most prestigious artistic award, and 3 recipients will each receive a ,000 cash prize.
Alberta artists (from all disciplines) and those now working elsewhere, but maintaining a strong connection to Alberta, are eligible and anyone may nominate through a simple online process, see link below.
Here is a list of Distinguished Artists already awarded: John Estacio (music – composer); Alice Major (literary arts); Alex Janvier (visual arts); Frances Ginzer (music); Ronnie Burkett (theatre arts); Peter von Tiesenhausen (visual arts); Old Trout Puppet Workshop (theatre arts); Aritha van Herk (literary arts); Robert Kroetsch (literary arts); Jane Ash Poitras (visual arts); Joan Stebbins (visual arts – curator); Rudy Wiebe (literary arts); Greg Hollingshead (literary arts); One Yellow Rabbit (theatre arts); Isobel and Tom Rolston (music); Douglas Cardinal (architecture); John Murrell (theatre arts – playwright).
The 2019 recipients will receive their $30,000 awards from the award’s patron, the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Alberta, at a celebration in Maskwacis, Alberta on Saturday, September 21, 2019.
The nomination process closes midnight, March 31, 2019. Click here to nominate someone.
To prepare for the nomination:
* Ensure the nominee is a Canadian citizen, lives in Alberta, or has had a significant connection to Alberta over time.
* Speak to your nominee, let them know you will be nominating them, ask for a current CV and their complete contact information.
* Write a document of no more than three pages, single spaced, explaining why this nominee merits Alberta’s top recognition for artistic achievement. Include highlights of the nominee’s artistic achievements and/or their contribution to advancing their artistic discipline. If the nominee does not currently reside in Alberta, clearly outline their connection to Alberta and their contribution to growing our province’s arts and culture.
Fill out the contact information online and upload the nomination and CV documents.
About the Awards: The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation was established in 2003 to celebrate excellence in the arts and to underline the importance of the arts in Alberta. The Foundation administers two programs of awards to Alberta artists.
The Distinguished Artist Awards program gives up to three awards of $30,000 each in recognition of outstanding achievement in the arts by Albertans or significant contribution to the arts in Alberta.
The Emerging Artist Awards program gives up to ten awards of $10,000 each to support and encourage promising artists early in their careers, who have created a modest body of work, and are recognized by established artists in the same field of artistic endeavour as having potential to achieve excellence in their discipline.
The Awards Programs of the Foundation were established under the founding patronage of The Late Honourable Dr. Lois E. Hole, C.M., A.O.E., Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 2000 – 2005, and continue under the patronage of Her Honour, the Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, CM, AOE, LLD, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
Alberta
Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

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

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.
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Poilievre, Conservatives receive election endorsement from large Canadian trade union
-
2025 Federal Election1 day ago
Mark Carney refuses to clarify 2022 remarks accusing the Freedom Convoy of ‘sedition’
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Liberal MP Paul Chiang Resigns Without Naming the Real Threat—The CCP
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
PM Carney’s Candidate Paul Chiang Steps Down After RCMP Confirms Probe Into “Bounty” Comments
-
Business1 day ago
Saskatchewan becomes first Canadian province to fully eliminate carbon tax
-
Business2 days ago
Biden’s Greenhouse Gas ‘Greendoggle’ Slush Fund Is Unraveling
-
Automotive1 day ago
Electric cars just another poor climate policy
-
Daily Caller2 days ago
Biden Administration Was Secretly More Involved In Ukraine Than It Let On, Investigation Reveals