ALBERTA’S ECONOMIC AND FISCAL FUTURE

Edited by Kenneth J. McKenzie and Robert L. Mansell. To make matters worse, in early 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic struck a major blow to the lives and health of segments of the population and to the economy. [...] The basic idea was to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the twin crises precipitated by fundamental changes affecting the province’s oil and gas sector and by the COVID-19 pandemic. [...] Given the direction of environmental policies it now seems unlikely that the oil and gas sector can continue to be the key driver of the province’s growth and provide the large resource revenues that for many decades have underpinned the Alberta tax advantage. [...] The province’s fiscal health will depend to a large degree on the performance of the economy and the latter will be influenced by the province’s finances, particularly as they play an important role in defining the investment climate and as they provide the funding for policies to assist the recovery, transitions and long-term growth. [...] He concludes that the keys to the optimal future path include adaptation, innovation, collaboration and the ability of regions and governments in Canada to work together for the best interests of all stakeholders.