Energy, Environment, Employment, Immigration and Taxation –Alberta Answers All with Free Markets

Alberta has billions of barrels trapped in oil sands and thanks to high prices, new technology and good policies they stand to make a bundle.

Alberta has more oil trapped in the Oil Sands Region than Saudi Arabia. With oil rising above $90/barrel and new extraction technologies, Alberta is poised to enjoy a long windfall of energy profits. And they’ve developed policies to maximize the benefit.

With a stagnating economy in the 1980’s Canada passed laws allowing some oil companies to pay NO corporate taxes. Alberta is investing CDN$600 million over five years to demonstrate new energy technologies; addressing climate change by focusing on technology to improve energy recovery of conventional oil and gas.

This tax incentive and investment program, along with the rising oil price means Alberta’s economy is booming. They are experiencing a labor shortage and need immigration. For this they started the Provincial Nominee Program. This program speeds up the permanent residency process for a foreign worker who has a guaranteed offer for a permanent, full time job.

The program allows the province to nominate a person to the federal government for faster processing. With a provincial nomination, the process can take between 6 and 12 months compared to three to five years without a nomination.

Click to read Foster’s ideas about how communities can improve U.S. immigration policies.

Click to read more about Alberta’s Energy.