Alberta Budget 2026: Stability under Strain
Alberta Budget 2026: Stability under Strain Growth and the Politics of Fiscal Balance Finance Minister Nate Horner tabled Alberta’s 2026 Budget today against a backdrop of moderating oil prices, global trade uncertainty, and sustained population growth pressures. The government projects a $9.4 billion deficit in 2026–27, with revenues of $74.6 billion and expenses of $83.9 […]
Inside Alberta’s Fall Sitting: Metrics that Mattered
The Alberta Legislature wrapped its fall sitting this week, concluding a session defined by significant policy moves, heightened political tension, and the continued rollout of Premier Danielle Smith’s agenda. Energy policy, affordability, healthcare restructuring, and jurisdictional autonomy dominated the floor, while the Opposition pressed the government on cost-of-living pressures, classroom capacity, and Alberta’s relationship with […]
Mid-Mandate Reset: Alberta’s 2025 Throne Speech
Mid-Mandate Reset: Alberta Throne Speech focuses on health care, shoring up finances, and asserting sovereignty The Alberta legislature reconvened on October 23, 2025, following a prorogation that concluded the first session of the 31st Legislature. This allows the government to reset its legislative agenda and present a renewed vision to Albertans. Anticipation surrounds the government’s […]
Impact of Civic Parties on Alberta’s Municipal Election
Alberta’s 2025 Municipal Elections: What the Results Mean for Calgary and Edmonton As the dust settles on Alberta’s municipal elections, voters in Calgary and Edmonton have ushered in new leadership and tested a first-of-its-kind experiment: the introduction of municipal political parties. The provincial government’s intent was to make local politics more transparent by allowing voters […]
Alberta Budget 2025: $5.2 billion deficit under weight of Trump’s Tariffs
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS: Finance Minister Nate Horner tabled a $5.2 billion deficit budget. Budget includes a personal income tax cut (previously promised). A $4 billion-dollar contingency fund is included to protect against tariffs from the US and natural disasters, such as wildfires. With the impact of tariffs weighing heavily on Albertans and the province’s […]
Alberta’s Heritage Fund Plan: A Preview of a Tight Budget?
Premier Danielle Smith’s government has announced a vision to shore up the province’s finances long-term by growing the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund to $250 billion by 2050. This follows a campaign commitment and signals a shift toward a long-term economic strategy, to ensure Alberta can weather economic downturns and emerge as a stronger, more self-sufficient player in Canada. Setting the Stage for a Belt Tightening Budget? As Alberta moves toward the […]
Rachel Notley Resigns: Reflecting on Her Transformative Legacy in Alberta Politics
Rachel Notley may soon be gone but her legacy will live on for years Few people have shaped Alberta politics more than former Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley. Notley, who announced today she is resigning her Edmonton-Strathcona seat, spent a decade bringing about seismic change among progressive voters in Alberta. Dating back to when the […]
A Primer on the Alberta NDP Leadership Candidates
The highly competitive Alberta NDP leadership race is heating up! Six people – four women, two men – are vying to succeed Rachel Notley. Four are current caucus members, two of whom are former cabinet ministers. One is a former mayor; the other is a veteran labour activist. Here are some thoughts on the candidate […]
Danielle Smith Delivers Fiscal Restraint in the first post-election Alberta Budget
Nate Horner’s first fiscal blueprint sticks to Premier’s message: balanced budgets take precedence over tax cuts Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner delivered his first-ever budget today. It is also the first fiscal blueprint released since Danielle Smith was elected premier in spring 2023. The budget was released one week after Smith set the stage for fiscal restraint in her address to the province saying that […]
The New Players in the Alberta Government
Premier Jason Kenney’s top priorities of jobs, pipelines and the economy drove the composition of his new 23-member cabinet, sworn in yesterday. The Premier’s front bench includes new portfolios such as Red Tape Reduction and Natural Gas that both increase the number of ministers, and signal his top priorities. A wide range of experience is […]