Despite the rhetoric around diversification and prudent fiscal planning, Alberta remains firmly on the resource revenue roller-coaster (wheee!) with no clear plan (or even a sketch of one) to get off, writes economist Trevor Tombe.

High oil prices means more than a smaller deficit, says economist Trevor Tombe. Higher oil prices may generate higher rates of economic growth which means higher incomes and more jobs for Albertans.

Oil and gas is a key reason for Alberta's lagging recovery, according to economist Trevor Tombe. Total compensation in the mining and oil and gas extraction sector is over $85 million lower in March 2021 than it was that same month a year earlier.

Whether you like the carbon tax or not, the revenues could provide Alberta with the fiscal room to cut other taxes, save resource revenues and help rebuild provincial finances after COVID-19, says economist Trevor Tombe.

Instead of starting the long process of building a more resilient budget, the government opted to gamble on oil as Albertas governments typically do, says economist Trevor Tombe.