News
The latest news, editorials, and conversations shaping Alberta’s business environment.
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Canadian Sustainability Standards Board Fails Canadians
Canadian Sustainability Standards Board Fails Canadians
Calgary - Catherine Brownlee, President of the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG), made the following statement in response to the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) newly released sustainability and climate disclosure standards:
"We are disappointed that the CSSB seems to have conducted consultations with no regard for those that took the time to submit as part of the consultation process. This is a sham. The only changes made were to extend the relief of compliance by an additional year from what was proposed in the standards. It would seem there was never an intent to consider substantially modifing the standards for the Canadian context aside from extending the dates of compliance. It is shocking that none of the recommendations from the majority of stakeholder responses were included in the published standards.”
Canadian Sustainability Standards Board Fails Canadians
Calgary - Catherine Brownlee, President of the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG), made the following statement in response to the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) newly released sustainability and climate disclosure standards:
"We are disappointed that the CSSB seems to have conducted consultations with no regard for those that took the time to submit as part of the consultation process. This is a sham. The only changes made were to extend the relief of compliance by an additional year from what was proposed in the standards. It would seem there was never an intent to consider substantially modifing the standards for the Canadian context aside from extending the dates of compliance. It is shocking that none of the recommendations from the majority of stakeholder responses were included in the published standards.”
Alberta’s Pre-Election Budget Biggest Surprise? Fiscal Prudence!
Pre-election budgets are rarely admirable. Money is spread around like pixie dust to curry the support of voters and to knee-cap opposition parties by borrowing their ideas. To a certain extent, the pre-election good news budget that Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews delivered Tuesday follows this time-honoured political path, helped by $27.5 billion in oil and gas revenues in the 2022/23 fiscal year. And so, it is easy to chide the budget for populist policies like freezing insurance rates and capping post-secondary tuition fee increases at 2 per cent and for industrial policy measures for politically favoured industries (such as agricultural processing and film and television production). And there is the usual scattering of minor tax credits instead of a general cut in personal taxes – with no mention of a tax review geared to major reform, which the United Conservative Party proposed when it took office.
Pre-election budgets are rarely admirable. Money is spread around like pixie dust to curry the support of voters and to knee-cap opposition parties by borrowing their ideas. To a certain extent, the pre-election good news budget that Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews delivered Tuesday follows this time-honoured political path, helped by $27.5 billion in oil and gas revenues in the 2022/23 fiscal year. And so, it is easy to chide the budget for populist policies like freezing insurance rates and capping post-secondary tuition fee increases at 2 per cent and for industrial policy measures for politically favoured industries (such as agricultural processing and film and television production). And there is the usual scattering of minor tax credits instead of a general cut in personal taxes – with no mention of a tax review geared to major reform, which the United Conservative Party proposed when it took office.
The AEG podcast, Episode 4: Scaling Up Innovation in Alberta: Navigating Barriers and Sharing Lessons with the World
This podcast discusses the work of ERA, an organization in Alberta that invests in technology and innovation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow the economy. Justin mentions the benefits of their investments and highlights some of their funded projects, such as the hydrogen train and hydrogen semi-trucks. He also mentions the challenges of scaling up technology, including the lack of risk-taking capital and the importance of having a good business model and company management acumen. Justin emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge and experiences, both successes and failures, and mentions the efforts in environmental sustainability being made in Alberta. He also mentions the difficulty of finding help for innovators but encourages them to persevere and seek help from various sources.
This podcast discusses the work of ERA, an organization in Alberta that invests in technology and innovation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow the economy. Justin mentions the benefits of their investments and highlights some of their funded projects, such as the hydrogen train and hydrogen semi-trucks. He also mentions the challenges of scaling up technology, including the lack of risk-taking capital and the importance of having a good business model and company management acumen. Justin emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge and experiences, both successes and failures, and mentions the efforts in environmental sustainability being made in Alberta. He also mentions the difficulty of finding help for innovators but encourages them to persevere and seek help from various sources.