The economic benefits and pitfalls of Alberta's reliance on energy development

In this episode of The Line: Alberta Podcast, Rob Breakenridge is joined by Dr. Kent Fellows, assistant professor of economics at the University of Calgary and fellow-in-residence at the C.D. Howe Institute. Sagging oil prices have once again highlighted the perils of Alberta’s over-reliance on energy revenues, even if the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has helped to provide a revenue boost. This fiscal uncertainty comes at a time when Alberta is hoping Ottawa can deliver on some major new energy infrastructure - including, of course, a new pipeline - and potentially help pave the way for economic and energy corridors that could allow such projects to be fast-tracked in the future. We’ll get some insight from Prof. Fellows on the economics underlying all of this: the implications of fluctuating oil prices on Alberta’s budget, the challenges of pipeline capacity and infrastructure development, as well as the political factors in the energy debate that often cloud what economic considerations.