While the inflation crisis continues to impact Canadians’ finances, many are looking to the government to lower the cost of living – namely tax breaks. Provinces like Manitoba and Saskatchewan have provided tax relief for their residents, but what’s the plan in Alberta?
This week on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel, Rachel is joined by the Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Kris Sims, to discuss taxes in Alberta, the state of the province’s economy, and what Albertans can expect in 2024.
Unfortunately, Sims is predicting another difficult year for Albertans.
New data from SecondStreet.org shows waitlist numbers have increased by nearly 5% since November 2022, with over 140,000 more Canadians waiting for surgery, diagnostic scans, or specialist appointments. SecondStreet.org president Colin Craig joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the urgent need for health care reform, and how increased options could help address the growing backlog in Canada’s health care system.
A House of Commons committee is demanding the federal government cease investing pension funds into companies known to be associated with human rights abuses, or those which pose a threat to national security.
In a recent report, a special committee specifically addressed the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s investments in technology firms like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd., companies which are known for questionable practices in China.
Sam Goodman, director of policy and advocacy at Hong Kong Watch and co-founder and co-chair of New Diplomacy UK was also cited in the report for his work on the issue.
While Goodman acknowledged that the investment board has removed its direct investments from companies linked to the forced labour camps of Uyghur people, it continues to invest in companies currently associated with them.
“So many people’s pensions, retirement funds and savings are invested passively because, as average consumers, we don’t have time to investigate each and every investment,” Prof. Laura Murphy, who testified before the parliamentary committee, said in a statement.
“Investing in companies operating in the Uyghur Region is a serious ethical risk, but it’s also a financial risk since these companies have been targeted by government sanctions and international advocacy campaigns. No one should be passively invested in the oppression of the Uyghurs.”
These companies include index-tracking firms like the Morgan Stanley Capital International’s Index, the China Index and Emerging Markets Index, according to Benefits Canada.
The report said these investments range anywhere from 2%-10% of assets, however the institutional investors’ exposure in Chinese investments is only partially known, with much more left in these full portfolios remaining behind closed doors.
Additionally, there are no legislative or regulatory requirements to ensure that the total investments of all portfolios are made transparent and accountable. Portfolio investments are currently not required to consider the environmental or social effects of their investment decisions.
Goodman, along with other investors believe that a blacklist of certain companies could be used as “a road map of the companies to avoid” if they were active or even passive in their dubious behaviour.
The special committee made a number of recommendations, including the compiling of an official list of companies deemed to be unsuitable for investment that the federal government could study and use as a reference when making future investments.
Ostensibly the list could lead to the establishment of companies in China that would prohibit Canadian public pension plans, in cooperation with the provinces, from investing in due to national security risks and human rights violations.
The report also recommended that Canada work in tandem with the U.S. and other allies to create common approaches to pension plan investments being aligned with companies that don’t violate human rights.
Finally, the report proposed legislative changes to enhance crackdowns on forced labour and the removal of their goods from Canadian supply chains.
Edmonton’s emergency medical services are grappling with a surge in opioid-related events, with a 44% increase in responses recorded in 2023.
Last year, EMS attended a total of 5,048 opioid-related events, higher than the 3,503 incidents in 2022.
Edmonton is now the Alberta city most affected by the toxic drug crisis, outpacing Calgary’s 2,965 incidents in 2023. This increase is particularly concerning given the broader context of rising drug poisonings across the province.
EMS responses to opioid-related events across the province have risen from 7,078 in 2022 to 10,078 in 2023, a nearly 42% increase.
Hunter Baril, press secretary to Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams, said that responding to the addiction crisis is a “top priority” for all of Alberta. He emphasized the need for immediate action, citing the strain on the healthcare system, according to the Edmonton Sun.
“Same-day treatment is available at no cost through the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program anywhere across the province. Since 2019, we have also added more than 10,000 publicly-funded treatment spaces and have thousands more on the way through the opening of 11 long-term recovery communities,” said Baril.
The province removed all fees for publicly funded treatment, including the $1,240/month user fee that was in place under the NDP.
Overdose calls in Edmonton have nearly doubled over the past two years. As of December 18, there were 9,299 overdose calls, a significant jump from 6,552 in 2022 and even more so from 5,186 in all of 2021.
Edmonton Fire Chief Joe Zatylny, in a year-end interview, noted the top three locations for overdose calls were around the downtown and central Edmonton area and that overdose calls have risen by 30% year-over-year.
“It’s not sustainable, and these are difficult calls, as you can imagine,” he said. “This crisis has been extremely difficult for our firefighters. I’d like to acknowledge the toll that it takes on first responders, and the continued compassionate and dedicated service.”
He added that the type of calls responded to by first responders were often at encampments. Many of these areas, he said, had difficulty in egress and access, along with fire and explosion hazards.
“It is an extremely unsafe situation and many challenges for our first responders.”
In light of these challenges, Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services has increased mental health support for its staff. They are also collaborating with the Edmonton Police Service to create more holistic and robust programs.
True North previously reported that 1,411 Albertans died from opioid poisonings between January and September 30, 2023. During the same period last year, 1,124 Albertans died from opioid poisoning, a nearly 26% increase.
Baril highlighted the province’s commitment to recovery.
“Every person suffering from the deadly disease of addiction deserves an opportunity to pursue recovery, and our government is making that possible rather than facilitating the addiction that is tearing apart families, taking lives, breaking down communities,” he said.
Albertans suffering from opioid addiction can seek immediate help through the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. This service offers same-day access to medication treatment at no cost, with no waitlist. For assistance, individuals can visit VODP.ca or call 1-844-383-7688.
Alberta has had enough of the federal environment minister.
Premier Danielle Smith said in an interview that her government simply can’t work with Minister Steven Guilbeault, whom she accused of continued “defiance and disrespect” of the provinces.
Smith’s comments on CTV’s Your Morning reflect a growing tension between provincial and federal approaches to environmental policy and energy strategy.
Smith explained that she has a good relationship with some federal ministers, like Chrystia Freeland—who worked with Alberta on carbon capture, utilization, and storage—and François-Philippe Champagne—who she said has been helpful with getting major energy projects to the finish line.
“So I would say that there are some ministers that we can work with, but we can’t work with Steven Guilbeault,” Smith said.
Despite Smith’s best efforts, she explained that the real problem is Guilbeault acting outside the constitution.
“He has defiance and disrespect for the provinces, and he’s creating an unaffordable life for everyday Albertans and Canadians,” said Smith.
Smith expressed her frustration with the federal government’s ambitious target of achieving a net-zero power grid by 2035, labelling it as “unachievable” and potentially detrimental to Alberta’s economic growth. Alberta is advocating for a more measured approach, suggesting a 2050 timeline for carbon neutrality, aligning with global standards.
“We think we can get to carbon neutrality by 2050,” Smith said, emphasizing the province’s commitment to environmental responsibility while maintaining economic stability.
However, in a conversation last month with CTV’s Vassy Kapelos, Guilbeault expressed confidence in the federal government’s environmental strategy, stating they have “a shot” at achieving their goals by maintaining their current course.
“We feel that we’re on very solid, legal and constitutional grounds,” Guilbeault said. He added that the provinces and not the federal government are the problem.
“Alberta and Saskatchewan challenge just about everything we’ve done when it comes to fighting climate change in the courts. We can anticipate that this will be no exception,” he said.
The Supreme Court had previously deemed Guilbeault’s Impact Assessment Act—which outlines the process for evaluating major projects’ environmental, social, and economic impacts—unconstitutional.
Smith further discussed Alberta’s leadership in renewable energy, emphasizing the province’s significant investments in this sector. However, she stressed the importance of maintaining a balanced energy mix, including natural gas, to ensure grid stability and economic growth.
Addressing a recent poll suggesting a desire for an earlier federal election, as reported by True North, Smith did not explicitly state her preference for the election’s timing. Instead, she reiterated the need for a change in the environmental ministry as a primary concern.
“They can start there, and then we’ll see when we go to an election,” Smith said, indicating that the issue with the environment minister takes precedence over electoral considerations.
In a statement to the Senate in November, Guilbeault said he has no plans to resign, regardless of any potential future modifications to the federal government’s carbon pricing plan.
It’s only one week into the new year and already Quebec emergency rooms are being pushed to the brink, as overcrowding throughout hospitals has forced the province to issue a plea for residents to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary.
The Quebec government asked people with minor illnesses to access healthcare by other means, as they do not require the level of care of an emergency room.
Healthcare policy experts are saying this is a problem of the government’s own creation, however.
“It’s no secret, wait times have long been a feature of our government-run healthcare monopoly, and it is everyday Quebecers that are paying for it through increased stress and prolonged suffering,” said Renaud Brossard, vice-president of communications at the Montreal Economic Institute, a Montreal-based think tank.
“It’s high time the government realizes that access to a waiting list isn’t the same as access to health care, and lets independent clinics and hospitals open up so they can lend a hand to our ailing government-run health system.”
The situation is most crucial in Montreal, where three hospitals were faced with double the capacity that their emergency rooms can handle.
The occupancy rate averaged 158% for the city, while three of Montreal’s busiest ERs; The Jewish General, Lakeshore and LaSalle hospitals, all peaked at over 200%.
Colin Craig of SecondStreet.org, a policy think tank that does a lot of work on healthcare wait times, said at a bare minimum, government need to make sure Canadians are informed about the options that are out there for care.
“This has been a known problem for years, but I don’t think governments have done enough to educate Canadians about this problem,” Craig said.
“Part of the problem seems to be that many patients in Canada go to the emergency room for everything, but it’s really meant for serious problems like heart attacks, strokes, etc. If you have something minor like a bad sore throat, you should instead visit an urgent care facility or walk-in clinic. That would take pressure off of emergency rooms.”
Prior to the Christmas holidays, the average occupancy rates were below 100% for the first time since Nov. 12, 2023, according to Global News.
As of Monday, Saskatchewan’s natural gas utility has stopped collecting the carbon tax from residential customers, in response to the federal government’s carbon tax carve-out for Atlantic Canadians. Saskatchewan Crown Corporations Minister Dustin Duncan joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the province’s decision to halt the collection of the carbon tax, and the legality of this move.
Hamilton Citizenship Ceremony / Copyright: JOEY COLEMAN / THEPUBLICRECORD.CA
The Conservatives are accusing the Liberal government of “neglect and incompetence” in the immigration system for a failure to track fraudulent age misrepresentation by refugee and asylum claimants.
As exclusively reported by True North, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has said it does not keep track of such matters despite there being past cases where adults applying for asylum lied about their age.
Conservative immigration critic Tom Kmiec told True North in an emailed statement that the failure to keep track raises doubts about Canada’s ailing immigration system.
“This is yet another example of neglect and incompetence by the Liberal-NDP government. Over the last eight years under Justin Trudeau, we’ve seen chaos in our immigration system, with a backlog consistently over two million applications,” said Kmiec.
“Every case of fraud and misrepresentation that goes unaddressed raises serious and credible doubts for Canadians about the integrity of our immigration system. This is caused directly by Liberal government incompetence and failures.”
Kmiec went on to say immigration clearly isn’t a “priority department” for the Liberals given they’ve gone through five ministers in eight years.
Kmiec also pointed to the board’s backlog of 85,000 applications awaiting processing, vowing that a Conservative government would do better.
“Our immigration decisions will be tied to the capacity of our healthcare, education, and social welfare systems as well as housing as to ensure newcomers have the necessary supports to become successful taxpaying Canadians who are self-sufficient and can re-establish themselves in Canada as contributing members of society,” Kmiec said.
True North reached out to Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s office but did not receive a response.
Although Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said that he will tie immigration targets to available housing and other factors using a special formula, Poilievre has yet to offer any specific targets as an alternative to the record-level ones set by the Liberals.
Last year, Canada let in over 500,000 new permanent residents, additionally, the Liberal government expected to allow 900,000 international students and 135,000 more temporary foreign workers than the year prior.
Canadians with Rogers and Bell wireless phone plans are gifted this new year with a rate hike.
Rogers confirmed the impending price hikes to CBC News Wednesday, with a similar move anticipated from Bell in February.
“We are committed to delivering mobile and residential services with the highest standard of quality and reliability to bring our customers the best network experience,” a Rogers spokesperson said.
This commitment includes “increased capacity to ensure reliable and consistent service for our customers, expanding into more communities from coast to coast, and making improvements to our customer service tools.”
The price adjustments by Rogers will affect certain wireless phone and internet plans, including those under its subsidiary, Fido. Customers who don’t have fixed price contracts are the primary targets for these increases. While many will see a price hike under $7, it could go as high as $9 per month depending on individual plans or bundles. These changes are set to be reflected in bills issued after Jan. 17.
The CRTC, which regulates telecom companies, told True North it is aware of the announcement and is prioritizing work to help Canadians have more choices in affordable wireless plans. The organization said it recently established rules to encourage wireless providers to expand services across Canada, aiming to create more choice and price competition for Canadians.
“This work allows Canadians to go online today and find offers from various providers that weren’t there a year ago,” said the CRTC.
Bell, another major player in the Canadian telecom industry, is reportedly following suit with price increases in February, according to a report by MobileSyrup. Several Bell customers have reported notifications of upcoming bill increases, confirming the trend of rising costs.
True North reached out to Bell to confirm but received no response by publication.
One notification received by a Bell customer, dated December 8 and posted to X, detailed a $6/month price increase that will be applied to billing by February 2024. The email justifies the price increase because Bell is “continuously investing to provide world-class services, reliable connections, and to support the rapidly increasing network demand.”
Cable.co.uk analyzed the average cost of 1GB of mobile data for 237 countries. Canada was among the lowest countries, ranked 216 at $5.37 USD per 1GB of data. Israel, at the top of the leaderboards, pays only $0.02 per 1GB of data. Data was most expensive in Zimbabwe, at $43.75/GB.
The price hikes come in the wake of Rogers’ merger with Shaw Communications, a deal completed in April 2023 after overcoming numerous regulatory hurdles. Initially announced in March 2021, the merger sparked widespread concern over reduced competition in the telecom sector.
At the time of the merger’s finalization, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri assured customers of a brighter future.
“What we want to make sure we get right is all the things for our customers, and in particular, affordability,” Staffieri said in an interview following the merger. “One of the key pluses of this is that competition is going up, especially in the west, and prices are going to come down.”
Ryan Williams, Conservative MP for Bay of Quinte, posted to X that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in 2019 to lower cell phone bills by 25%.
“He also promised the Rogers Shaw merger would lower cell phone bills. None of that is true,” said Williams.
The Rogers spokesperson said that the telecommunications company has taken steps to improve the affordability of its 5G offerings. This initiative features the introduction of a $25 5G plan tailored for low-income consumers, along with complimentary 5G network access to existing Rogers 4G wireless customers without additional charges.
Alberta’s population has been increasing at rates not seen since the 1980s. Still, the province wants to launch the next phase of the Alberta is Calling campaign in 2024, aiming to attract an influx of skilled workers.
“We’ve got our groove back. People want to be here for the jobs, for the economy,” Premier Danielle Smith said in a year-end interview.
The province witnessed its largest population increase in over four decades last year, with an almost 4.3% growth rate, the fastest in over 50 years. The increase in population of nearly 200,000 brought Alberta’s total population to over 4.75 million, according to Statistics Canada.
Between July and September alone, the population grew by just over 61,000, including 39,000 international newcomers and 17,000 people from other Canadian regions, mainly British Columbia and Ontario.
In 2022/23, Alberta had a net influx of just over 63,000 non-permanent residents and over 56,000 from other provinces.
“I don’t know if you can ever be truly ready. I mean, (former premiers) Lougheed experienced this in the ‘70s, Klein experienced it after the ‘90s recession. Stelmach experienced it in the mid-2000s. And we’re experiencing it again now,” said Smith, according to the Calgary Herald.
However, Smith had been ambitious with her previous projections for the province, expecting the population to more than double to 10 million by 2050. The province’s official projections expect this number to be only about 7.1 million people.
The unprecedented immigration to Alberta has caused rental prices to increase. According to rentals.ca, rents increased 10.6% between December 2023 and the previous year. Rents increased even more in Edmonton, 12.3%; however, Edmonton remains the 31st lowest average cost to rent of 35 cities listed on the national rankings.
“I think we’re beginning to see some pressure on the housing market, but I’m also seeing that everybody is working together to address it,” said Smith.
Housing starts have increased by 29% when comparing November 2023 to the year prior. Despite this, the average home prices in the province have increased 6.3%. One of the largest increases in the province is in Medicine Hat, 22%, while prices in Fort McMurray decreased by 6%. Home prices in Calgary have increased by 10%, while prices in Edmonton have barely increased.
The Alberta NDP has called for a rent cap to address the rising rental prices. True North previously reported that experts warned this policy could cause more harm than good.
In response to the housing pressures, Smith highlighted the province’s efforts to create an efficient environment for housing and rental unit approvals. She also pointed to significant investments, such as Dow’s $9-billion petrochemical megaproject, the world’s first net-zero integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives complex, and several agri-food investments in southern Alberta, which are drawing more people and investment to the region.
Smith explained that families immigrating to the province are accompanied by the need to build new schools, maintain the roads, and add pressure to the hospital system.
“Schools, hospitals, roads, housing — those are going to be the main things that we have to make sure that we stay ahead of,” she said.
The province is also set to launch another phase of the Alberta is Calling campaign in 2024, aiming to attract more skilled workers, particularly in high-demand jobs like healthcare, skilled trades, food service and hospitality, accounting, engineering, and technology. Alberta had previously reported 100,000 job vacancies in these sectors.
“We need skilled workers. We know that being able to manage that growth means that we’ve got to get more boilermakers and millwrights and electricians and welders — and this is going to be our opportunity to tell the rest of the country that we love the professions and the trades, and we want you here,” said Smith.
While the province’s expected annual growth rate is 1.5%, it is expected to grow 2.5% per year between 2022 and 2025.
