Friday Focus: Another 500 Million in Investment Lost

Alberta lost $500 million in power investment this week when TransAlta cancelled one project and suspended three others. Thousands of jobs that a company eagerly wanted to provide will not exist. And our electricity market, already short on power to the point that we experienced rolling blackouts a month ago, will get no new supply from renewable energy sources. 

The UCP fancies themselves to be the party friendly to business, jobs, and investment. The reality is starkly different. Billions of dollars of energy investment have been driven from the province by their legal maneuvers  This has contributed heavily to unemployment rising steadily over the past two years, to the highest in Canada, and to Albertans experiencing the greatest inflation-adjusted drop in income over the past year of any Canadians. This week the UCP’s excuse for the moratorium on renewables was proven false. 

Instead of bolstering Alberta's energy future, the UCP's policies have led to business uncertainty, undermining both job creation and power supply. This “closed for business” message was predicted by the CEO of the Alberta Energy System Operator. Alberta Liberals knew we could never afford to have the UCP running the province, and the Premier and her government have proven us right.

We need to get Alberta Liberals into the legislature to push for reasonable policies that are reliable and provide businesses with certainty. It is how businesses will be comfortable investing in our province, creating jobs that will reduce our unemployment rate and lead to a more prosperous future for Albertans.