Alberta
WATCH: Alberta remains fertile ground for country music
The west has been a hotbed for country music for a very long time and so it continues. Exciting this morning to receive the list of nominees for the 2019 Alberta Country Music Association Award Nominees and see my friend Ryan Langlois on the list for Male Artist of the Year. So many terrific musicians, writers, performers on this list.
Male Artist of the Year
Ben Chase
Dan Davidson
Drew Gregory
Sean Gristwood
Ryan Langlois
Female Artist of the Year
Hailey Benedict
Krissy Feniak
Lauren Mayell
Andrea Nixon
Mariya Stokes
Group/Duo of the Year
The Dungarees
Ghost Boy
Nice Horse
The Prairie States
Renegade Station
Fans Choice
Ben Chase
The Dungarees
Drew Gregory
Nice Horse
The Prairie States
Renegade Station
Industry Person of the Year
Johnny Gasparic / MCC Recording
Carla Hackman / Sakamoto Agency
Larry Mayell / LJVM Projects
Chard Morrison / Shattered Glass
Sarah Scott / Sun Country 99.7
Musician of the Year
Lisa Dodd (Bass)
Johnny Gasparic (Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin)
Cody Mack (Drums, Bass)
Josh Ruzycki (Guitar)
Brandi Sidoryk (Bass)
Album of the Year
“Juliet” / Dan Davidson
“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees
“Running on the Edge” / Tim Isberg
“It Was A Song” / Ryan Langlois
“Wild” / Ryan Lindsay
Song of the Year
“All Over It” / Written by: Ben Chase, Matty McKay, Aaron Pollock, Adam Dowling
(Performed by: Ben Chase)
“Better in a Bar” / Written by: Drew Gregory, Aaron Goodvin
(Performed by: Drew Gregory)
“Hands on My Body” / Written by: Mariya Stokes, Aaron Pollock, Michael Braun (Performed by: Mariya Stokes)
“It Was A Song” / Written by: Ryan Langlois
(Performed by: Ryan Langlois)
“Just Drive” / Written by: Justin Hogg, James Murdoch
(Performed by: Justin Hogg)
Single of the Year
“All Over It” / Ben Chase
“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees
“Better In a Bar” / Drew Gregory
“Just Maybe” / The Prairie States
“Along for the Ride” / Renegade Station
Horizon Youth
Hailey Benedict
Martina Dawn
Hannah Gazso
Anna Johnson
Jordan Leaf
Entertainer of the Year
Gord Bamford
Paul Brandt
Aaron Goodvin
High Valley
Brett Kissel
Tenille Townes
Video of the Year
“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees
“Suntans & Beer Cans” / Justin Hogg
“Lightbulb” / Troy Kokol
“Just Maybe” / Prairie States
“Along for the Ride” / Renegade Station
“Hands on My Body” / Mariya Stokes
Community Spirit Award
Hailey Benedict
Bob Donaldson
The Dungarees
Donny Lee
Kym Simon
The Prairie States
Renegade Station
Country Venue of the Year
Boot Scootin Boogie – Edmonton
Cook County Saloon – Edmonton
Ranchmans Cookhouse and Dancehall – Calgary
Talent Buyer of the Year
Carla Hackman / Sakamoto Agency
Natasha Mandrusiak – Calgary Stampede
Pat McGannon / PM Gigs
Chris Melnychuk – Trixstar
Angie Morris – Sirroma Entertainment
Adam Oppenheim / Stampede Entertainment
Rising Star
Ben Chase
Karac Hendriks
Ryan Lindsay
Trevor Panczak
Brad Saunders
Radio Station of the Year
840 CFCW – Edmonton
REAL COUNTRY 95.5 – Red Deer
SUN COUNTRY 99.7 – High River
THE ONE 88.1 – Parkland
WILD 95.3 – Calgary
Ticket link, hotel info, and further information about the ACMA™ Awards Weekend will be announced soon. Information on ACMA available at www.acmamusic.com.
ACMA Awards weekend will be held January 25-26, 2020 at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre in Red Deer.
2019 ACMA Award Nominees!
November 19th, 2019 (Edmonton, AB) – The Association of Country Music in Alberta (ACMA)™ is pleased to present our Nominees for the upcoming 2019 Alberta Country Music Awards™.
Winners will be announced during the ACMA Awards weekend on
January 25 & 26, 2020.
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:
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