Under the new federal-Alberta memorandum of understanding carbon pricing agreement, net carbon pricing across oil sands barrels for 2026 (actual) and the projected distributions for 2030 and 2050 all remain largely under $5 per barrel, with 2030 costs largely under $2 (in 2026 dollars). This is much less than the federal output-based pricing system and […]
by G. Kent Fellows This Commentary estimates how Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) system, the province’s industrial carbon pricing system for large emitters, affects the marginal costs of oil sands production. Using project-level production and emissions data, it estimates carbon pricing costs in 2023 and projects how those costs evolve under the recently […]
August 13, 2026 – The recently updated federal-Alberta carbon pricing agreement is projected to cost an average oil sands facility less than $2 per barrel, and to keep industrial carbon pricing costs below $5 per barrel (bbl) for every oil sands facility analyzed through 2050, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Buckets […]
13 août 2026 – L’entente récente entre le gouvernement fédéral et celui de l’Alberta sur la tarification du carbone devrait contenir les coûts d’une installation moyenne de sables bitumineux à moins de 2 $ le baril et maintenir les coûts de la tarification industrielle du carbone en dessous de 5 $ le baril pour chacune […]
From: Cole Diepold Date: August 4, 2026 Re: Canada Needs a Bigger Grid. Customers Need an Honest Conversation Electricity got cheaper in most of Canada between 2018 and 2023. After adjusting for inflation, real electricity costs fell in many provinces. For households and businesses already stressed by a pandemic, higher inflation and global energy price shocks, price stability seemed welcome news. The stability […]
To: Saskatchewan electricity planners From: Brett Dolter Date: July 23, 2026 Re: The High Cost of Coal-Fired Power as a Bridge to Nuclear The province of Saskatchewan is proposing to extend the life of its coal-fired power plants beyond their regulated retirement dates until its small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) come on line. This would mean missing Canada’s […]
Published in the Financial Post. Electricity got cheaper in most of Canada between 2018 and 2023. After adjusting for inflation, real electricity costs fell in many provinces. For households and businesses already stressed by a pandemic, higher inflation and global energy price shocks, price stability seemed welcome news. The stability was largely borrowed, however. Electricity demand was essentially flat — growing at […]
From: Dmitriy Frolovskiy To: Pipeline observers Date: July 3, 2026 Re: Assessing West Coast Pipeline Commercial Viability Alberta’s West Coast pipeline proposal was unveiled yesterday with federally owned Trans Mountain as the lead proponent, with Pembina Pipeline Corp. as a junior – 10 percent – partner. The difficulty in attracting more private capital to the scheme has many sources. […]
To: ‘Nation Building’ observers From: George Vegh and Kate Koplovich Date: June 12, 2026 Re: Proposed Major Project Regulatory Changes a Good Step, but Work Remains It seems the federal government is intent on sidestepping its own major project processes set up just a year ago. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, received royal assent just last year, to “urgently advance projects throughout Canada… through an accelerated process that enhances regulatory certainty and investor confidence.” A discussion paper released early last […]
To: ‘Nation Building’ observers From: George Vegh and Kate Koplovich Date: June 11, 2026 Re: The Building Canada Act Won’t Actually Build Anything in Canada The number of oil and gas projects in Ottawa’s major project inventory has fallen by 76 percent from its 2017 peak. This demonstrates a sustained erosion of investment confidence in Canada’s energy sector over the better part of a decade. To spur investment in natural resources, mining and electricity, […]
by Charles De Land and Cole Diepold This Commentary compares electricity prices across Canadian provinces between 2018 and 2023, examining overall system costs and the prices paid by residential, commercial, and industrial consumers. Provinces with large hydroelectric systems generally recorded the lowest costs, while Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario had the highest […]
4 juin 2026 – Alors que les réseaux d’électricité du Canada font face à une demande croissante, à l’évolution du bouquet énergétique, au vieillissement des infrastructures et à d’importants besoins d’investissement, les tendances historiques des coûts offrent une perspective précieuse pour évaluer les performances passées et éclairer les choix nécessaires afin de répondre aux pressions […]
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Under the new federal-Alberta memorandum of understanding carbon pricing agreement, net carbon pricing across oil sands barrels for 2026 (actual) and the projected distributions for 2030 and 2050 all remain largely under $5 per barrel, with 2030 costs largely under $2 (in 2026 dollars). This is much less than the federal output-based pricing system and […] 
by G. Kent Fellows This Commentary estimates how Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) system, the province’s industrial carbon pricing system for large emitters, affects the marginal costs of oil sands production. Using project-level production and emissions data, it estimates carbon pricing costs in 2023 and projects how those costs evolve under the recently […] 
From: Cole Diepold Date: August 4, 2026 Re: Canada Needs a Bigger Grid. Customers Need an Honest Conversation Electricity got cheaper in most of Canada between 2018 and 2023. After adjusting for inflation, real electricity costs fell in many provinces. For households and businesses already stressed by a pandemic, higher inflation and global energy price shocks, price stability seemed welcome news. The stability […] 
To: Saskatchewan electricity planners From: Brett Dolter Date: July 23, 2026 Re: The High Cost of Coal-Fired Power as a Bridge to Nuclear The province of Saskatchewan is proposing to extend the life of its coal-fired power plants beyond their regulated retirement dates until its small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) come on line. This would mean missing Canada’s […] 
Published in the Financial Post. Electricity got cheaper in most of Canada between 2018 and 2023. After adjusting for inflation, real electricity costs fell in many provinces. For households and businesses already stressed by a pandemic, higher inflation and global energy price shocks, price stability seemed welcome news. The stability was largely borrowed, however. Electricity demand was essentially flat — growing at […] 
From: Dmitriy Frolovskiy To: Pipeline observers Date: July 3, 2026 Re: Assessing West Coast Pipeline Commercial Viability Alberta’s West Coast pipeline proposal was unveiled yesterday with federally owned Trans Mountain as the lead proponent, with Pembina Pipeline Corp. as a junior – 10 percent – partner. The difficulty in attracting more private capital to the scheme has many sources. […] 
To: ‘Nation Building’ observers From: George Vegh and Kate Koplovich Date: June 12, 2026 Re: Proposed Major Project Regulatory Changes a Good Step, but Work Remains It seems the federal government is intent on sidestepping its own major project processes set up just a year ago. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, received royal assent just last year, to “urgently advance projects throughout Canada… through an accelerated process that enhances regulatory certainty and investor confidence.” A discussion paper released early last […] 
To: ‘Nation Building’ observers From: George Vegh and Kate Koplovich Date: June 11, 2026 Re: The Building Canada Act Won’t Actually Build Anything in Canada The number of oil and gas projects in Ottawa’s major project inventory has fallen by 76 percent from its 2017 peak. This demonstrates a sustained erosion of investment confidence in Canada’s energy sector over the better part of a decade. To spur investment in natural resources, mining and electricity, […]