Alberta
Noah is back on top and no one can knock Olivia from her perch
From the Province of Alberta
Noah and Olivia most popular baby names in 2019
Noah was the most popular name for baby boys in Alberta in 2019, while Olivia continued to claim the top spot for baby girls.
Alberta families welcomed 51,598 babies in 2019 – 26,328 boys and 25,270 girls. Noah returned as the most popular boy’s name for the second time in three years, previously topping the list in 2017. For the sixth year in a row, Olivia was the most popular girl’s name.
Other popular names for boys were Liam, Oliver, Ethan and Jack, while Charlotte, Sophia, Emma and Ava rounded out the top five names for girls.
“One of the most memorable moments for me as a new father was when my wife and I chose the name for our son last fall. Choosing a name for your child is fun and exciting. I want to congratulate all new parents in Alberta and reassure them, as well as Albertans expecting a child in the near future, that we are working every day to make sure your children have a great future in a strong Alberta.”
Of the 13,718 different names recorded in 2019, some Alberta parents seem to have been inspired by popular culture, such as Game of Thrones (Khaleesi, Sansa, Brienne), Lord of the Rings (Arwen, Eowyn, Theoden), and Marvel comics (Loki, Rogue, Xavier-Charles).
Some Alberta parents also selected names referencing Greek (Artemis, Apollo, Persephone, Zeus) and Roman (Juno, Mars, Venus, Neptune) mythology, while others chose names referring to geographic locations (Arizona, Memphis, Salem, Jerusalem).
Quick facts
- Notable changes to the 2019 lists:
- Hannah reappeared on the Top 10 girls’ names list for the first time since 2014.
- Logan dropped to 12th place on the boys’ names list after appearing in the top five in 2017 and 2018.
- Harper dropped to 16th place on the girls’ names list after placing seventh in 2018.
- The highest annual birth count in Alberta remains 56,744, which was recorded in 2015.
- Parents have up to one year to register their child’s birth. As a result, the 2019 list of baby names and birth statistics may change slightly.
Alberta’s top baby boy names
(In brackets is the number of children with each name)
Place | Boy Names (2019) | Boy Names (2018) | Boy Names (2017) | Boy Names (2016) |
1 | Noah (275) | Liam (225) | Noah (250) | Liam (277) |
2 | Liam (234) | Oliver (212) | Liam (244) | Benjamin (252) |
3 | Oliver (225) | Noah (199) | Benjamin (229) | Lucas (247) |
4 | Ethan (213) | Ethan (188) | Logan (226) | Oliver (230) |
5 | Jack (198) | Logan (182)
Lucas (182) |
Lucas (216) | Noah (228) |
6 | William (185) | Jacob (181) | William (213) | William (213) |
7 | Lucas (174) | William (178) | Ethan (192) | Ethan (205) |
8 | Owen (167) | Benjamin (176) | Oliver (190) | Jack (197) |
9 | Benjamin (163) | Jack (167) | Jack (189) | Lincoln (192) |
10 | Jacob (162) | Alexander (158)
James (158) |
Jacob (178) | Owen (189) |
Alberta’s top baby girl names
(In brackets is the number of children with each name)
Place | Girl Names (2019) | Girl Names (2018) | Girl Names (2017) | Girl Names (2016) |
1 | Olivia (229) | Olivia (235) | Olivia (236) | Olivia (292) |
2 | Charlotte (188) | Emma (230) | Emma (215) | Emma (249) |
3 | Sophia (181) | Charlotte (175) | Charlotte (187) | Sophia (215) |
4 | Emma (178) | Emily (164) | Ava (184)
Sophia (184) |
Ava (207) |
5 | Ava (161) | Ava (161) | Emily (159) | Emily (187) |
6 | Amelia (159) | Abigail (153) | Abigail (154) | Charlotte (180) |
7 | Emily (150) | Harper (150) | Amelia (149) | Amelia (172) |
8 | Abigail (141) | Sophia (146) | Isabella (141) | Abigail (171) |
9 | Hannah (137) | Amelia (145) | Aria (129)
Chloe (129) |
Chloe (166) |
10 | Elizabeth (124) | Elizabeth (130) | Lily (127) | Aria (137) |
Alberta
Alberta government should create flat 8% personal and business income tax rate in Alberta
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America
Over the past decade, Alberta has gone from one of the most competitive tax jurisdictions in North America to one of the least competitive. And while the Smith government has promised to create a new 8 per cent tax bracket on personal income below $60,000, it simply isn’t enough to restore Alberta’s tax competitiveness. Instead, the government should institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Back in 2014, Alberta had a single 10 per cent personal and business income tax rate. As a result, it had the lowest top combined (federal and provincial/state) personal income tax rate and business income tax rate in North America. This was a powerful advantage that made Alberta an attractive place to start a business, work and invest.
In 2015, however, the provincial NDP government replaced the single personal income tax rate of 10 percent with a five-bracket system including a top rate of 15 per cent, so today Alberta has the 10th-highest personal income tax rate in North America. The government also increased Alberta’s 10 per cent business income tax rate to 12 per cent (although in 2019 the Kenney government began reducing the rate to today’s 8 per cent).
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America, all while saving Alberta taxpayers $1,573 (on average) annually.
And a truly integrated flat tax system would not only apply a uniform tax 8 per cent rate to all sources of income (including personal and business), it would eliminate tax credits, deductions and exemptions, which reduce the cost of investments in certain areas, increasing the relative cost of investment in others. As a result, resources may go to areas where they are not most productive, leading to a less efficient allocation of resources than if these tax incentives did not exist.
Put differently, tax incentives can artificially change the relative attractiveness of goods and services leading to sub-optimal allocation. A flat tax system would not only improve tax efficiency by reducing these tax-based economic distortions, it would also reduce administration costs (expenses incurred by governments due to tax collection and enforcement regulations) and compliance costs (expenses incurred by individuals and businesses to comply with tax regulations).
Finally, a flat tax system would also help avoid negative incentives that come with a progressive marginal tax system. Currently, Albertans are taxed at higher rates as their income increases, which can discourage additional work, savings and investment. A flat tax system would maintain “progressivity” as the proportion of taxes paid would still increase with income, but minimize the disincentive to work more and earn more (increasing savings and investment) because Albertans would face the same tax rate regardless of how their income increases. In sum, flat tax systems encourage stronger economic growth, higher tax revenues and a more robust economy.
To stimulate strong economic growth and leave more money in the pockets of Albertans, the Smith government should go beyond its current commitment to create a new tax bracket on income under $60,000 and institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Author:
Alberta
Province to stop municipalities overcharging on utility bills
Making utility bills more affordableAlberta’s government is taking action to protect Alberta’s ratepayers by introducing legislation to lower and stabilize local access fees. Affordability is a top priority for Alberta’s government, with the cost of utilities being a large focus. By introducing legislation to help reduce the cost of utility bills, the government is continuing to follow through on its commitment to make life more affordable for Albertans. This is in addition to the new short-term measures to prevent spikes in electricity prices and will help ensure long-term affordability for Albertans’ basic household expenses.
Local access fees are functioning as a regressive municipal tax that consumers pay on their utility bills. It is unacceptable for municipalities to be raking in hundreds of millions in surplus revenue off the backs of Alberta’s ratepayers and cause their utility bills to be unpredictable costs by tying their fees to a variable rate. Calgarians paid $240 in local access fees on average in 2023, compared to the $75 on average in Edmonton, thanks to Calgary’s formula relying on a variable rate. This led to $186 million more in fees being collected by the City of Calgary than expected.
To protect Alberta’s ratepayers, the Government of Alberta is introducing the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024. If passed, this legislation would promote long-term affordability and predictability for utility bills by prohibiting the use of variable rates when calculating municipalities’ local access fees. Variable rates are highly volatile, which results in wildly fluctuating electricity bills. When municipalities use this rate to calculate their local access fees, it results in higher bills for Albertans and less certainty in families’ budgets. These proposed changes would standardize how municipal fees are calculated across the province, and align with most municipalities’ current formulas.
If passed, the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 would prevent municipalities from attempting to take advantage of Alberta’s ratepayers in the future. It would amend sections of the Electric Utilities Act and Gas Utilities Act to ensure that the Alberta Utilities Commission has stronger regulatory oversight on how these municipal fees are calculated and applied, ensuring Alberta ratepayer’s best interests are protected.
If passed, this legislation would also amend sections of the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, the Electric Utilities Act, Government Organizations Act and the Regulated Rate Option Stability Act to replace the terms “Regulated Rate Option”, “RRO”, and “Regulated Rate Provider” with “Rate of Last Resort” and “Rate of Last Resort Provider” as applicable. Quick facts
Related information |
-
Brownstone Institute1 day ago
Deborah Birx Gets Her Close-Up
-
Alberta1 day ago
Coutts Three verdict: A warning to protestors who act as liaison with police
-
Alberta1 day ago
Alberta moves to protect Edmonton park from Trudeau government’s ‘diversity’ plan
-
Energy1 day ago
Canada Has All the Elements to be a Winner in Global Energy — Now Let’s Do It
-
espionage1 day ago
Canada’s intelligence chief says he personally warned Trudeau about China’s election meddling
-
Business1 day ago
Maxime Bernier warns Canadians of Trudeau’s plan to implement WEF global tax regime
-
Frontier Centre for Public Policy2 days ago
The tale of two teachers
-
Freedom Convoy1 day ago
Ottawa spent “excessive” $2.2 million fighting Emergencies Act challenge