Alberta
Province enters into a unique agreement with Piikani Nation in the Castle provincial parks
From the Province of Alberta
Respecting Indigenous rights in Castle parks
The Government of Alberta has signed a historic agreement with the Piikani Nation to ensure that treaty rights, traditional practices and Indigenous knowledge are better protected and fostered in the Castle region.
To support Indigenous knowledge and culture in the Castle provincial parks, Alberta Parks and the Piikani Nation have signed Cooperative Management Terms of Reference. This is a historical first, as the province places greater emphasis on traditional activities and treaty rights in parks planning.
The Alberta Parks and Piikani Nation Management Board will provide input on
- Piikani hunting and harvesting practices such as berry-picking, personal wood-harvesting, tipi poles and willows.
- Cultural practices such as sweat lodges or other ceremonies that require privacy or seclusion.
- Access management and protection of specific cultural areas of importance.
- Interpretation and education of Piikani history and culture, including appropriate use of Blackfoot language in Alberta Parks signage and naming.
- Economic development opportunities such as retail, guiding and interpretation services.
- Training of Alberta Parks staff to ensure awareness of Indigenous rights, culture and practices.
The board will be co-chaired by two representatives, one appointed by Alberta Parks and one appointed by Piikani Chief and council. Up to six other members will be named to the board, including at least one Elder. The board will meet four times per year.
“We heard from First Nations that they often did not feel comfortable in our parks. This is a clear message that we need to do better, and do more, to foster a new and better relationship. This agreement marks a tremendous opportunity for government, Indigenous peoples, local communities and visitors to celebrate and appreciate First Nations’ rich culture in Alberta’s parks.”
The Castle Management Plan was the first time Alberta Parks included a primary objective respecting Indigenous rights and a chapter devoted to First Nations. The terms of reference create a management board that will increase cultural practices on the landscape and protect access to areas of cultural significance.
“This agreement allows Piikani to work collectively with the Government of Alberta in managing this area. It allows our people to be more interactive and to express our history and our usage of the Castle region while also ensuring our Elders and our current generation can continue to exercise cultural practices and treaty rights important to who we are as a people. It’s a historic day.”
“This agreement truly speaks to the growing relationship between our government and the Blackfoot people. It will enrich and strengthen the planning, management and operation of the Castle parks, while continuing our commitment to reconciliation and our respect for Indigenous heritage and traditional knowledge.”
The 103,000-hectare Castle Provincial Park and Castle Wildland Provincial Park were established in January 2017. More than $20 million over four years has been designated in general parks planning for access routes, inclusion projects, camping, signage, picnic areas and hiking trails in the Castle parks.
(L to R) Minister Feehan, Chief Grier and Minister Phillips sign a historic agreement for Piikani Nation cooperative management in Castle parks.
From the Fraser Institute
By Spencer Gudewill and Tegan Hill
Last November, Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government will give up to $1.8 billion in subsidies to Dow Chemicals, which plans to expand a petrochemical project northeast of Edmonton. In other words, $1.8 billion in corporate welfare.
And this is just one example of corporate welfare paid for by Albertans.
According to a recent study published by the Fraser Institute, from 2007 to 2021, the latest year of available data, the Alberta government spent $31.0 billion (inflation-adjusted) on subsidies (a.k.a. corporate welfare) to select firms and businesses, purportedly to help Albertans. And this number excludes other forms of government handouts such as loan guarantees, direct investment and regulatory or tax privileges for particular firms and industries. So the total cost of corporate welfare in Alberta is likely much higher.
Why should Albertans care?
First off, there’s little evidence that corporate welfare generates widespread economic growth or jobs. In fact, evidence suggests the contrary—that subsidies result in a net loss to the economy by shifting resources to less productive sectors or locations (what economists call the “substitution effect”) and/or by keeping businesses alive that are otherwise economically unviable (i.e. “zombie companies”). This misallocation of resources leads to a less efficient, less productive and less prosperous Alberta.
And there are other costs to corporate welfare.
For example, between 2007 and 2019 (the latest year of pre-COVID data), every year on average the Alberta government spent 35 cents (out of every dollar of business income tax revenue it collected) on corporate welfare. Given that workers bear the burden of more than half of any business income tax indirectly through lower wages, if the government reduced business income taxes rather than spend money on corporate welfare, workers could benefit.
Moreover, Premier Smith failed in last month’s provincial budget to provide promised personal income tax relief and create a lower tax bracket for incomes below $60,000 to provide $760 in annual savings for Albertans (on average). But in 2019, after adjusting for inflation, the Alberta government spent $2.4 billion on corporate welfare—equivalent to $1,034 per tax filer. Clearly, instead of subsidizing select businesses, the Smith government could have kept its promise to lower personal income taxes.
Finally, there’s the Heritage Fund, which the Alberta government created almost 50 years ago to save a share of the province’s resource wealth for the future.
In her 2024 budget, Premier Smith earmarked $2.0 billion for the Heritage Fund this fiscal year—almost the exact amount spent on corporate welfare each year (on average) between 2007 and 2019. Put another way, the Alberta government could save twice as much in the Heritage Fund in 2024/25 if it ended corporate welfare, which would help Premier Smith keep her promise to build up the Heritage Fund to between $250 billion and $400 billion by 2050.
By eliminating corporate welfare, the Smith government can create fiscal room to reduce personal and business income taxes, or save more in the Heritage Fund. Any of these options will benefit Albertans far more than wasteful billion-dollar subsidies to favoured firms.
Authors:
Alberta
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