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Alberta

Province twinning David Thompson Highway (#11) from Sylvan Lake to Rocky Mountain House

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Premier Kenney announces highway 11 expansion

From the Province of Alberta

Improving David Thompson Highway and creating jobs

The Government of Alberta will twin a 66-kilometre stretch of the David Thompson Highway between Sylvan Lake and Rocky Mountain House.

This $120-million project is part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan and will create about 582 jobs, while upgrading the highway and improving traffic flow along this important recreation corridor.

ā€œAlberta’s government is taking every possible step to get folks back to work. Infrastructure upgrades like this will create jobs today, while ensuring our roads and highways can support the needs of Albertans for years to come. Ultimately, this will create more opportunities for Albertans and visitors alike to access the natural beauty and hospitality of our province.ā€

Jason Kenney, Premier

ā€œThe David Thompson Highway leads to some of the most breathtaking scenery in Canada and has become a popular route for the tourism industry. Twinning this highway will increase and improve access for Albertans and tourists alike to enjoy Alberta’s outdoors. The project is part of our government’s recovery plan to create jobs, diversify our economy and get Albertans back to work.ā€

Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation

The David Thompson Highway project is part of the more than $10 billion infrastructure spending announced as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan. This spending includes: $6.9 billion Budget 2020 capital spending, $980 million accelerated for Capital Maintenance and Renewal, $200 million for Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program and water infrastructure projects, $600 million in strategic infrastructure projects, $500 million in municipal infrastructure and $1.5 billion for Keystone XL.

ā€œThe twinning of the David Thompson Highway is an important infrastructure project for our community and will support further investment in the province. It will address the congestion at the 781 intersection that continues to plague the area and, frankly, is long overdue. Most importantly, this project will create jobs right here in central Alberta at a time when Albertans need it most.ā€

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake

ā€œThis project represents major progress on transportation infrastructure that will positively impact many communities in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre. The David Thompson Highway – named after one of Western Canada’s true pioneers – sees considerable use by industry, tourists and Albertans recreating in the surrounding areas. Twinning the highway will ensure this gateway to the Rockies is upgraded for use for generations to come – boosting tourism, shoring up industry supply chains and allowing Albertans to explore what I consider the most beautiful area in the province.ā€

Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment and Parks, and MLA for Rimbey- Rocky Mountain House- Sundre

Alberta’s government is helping create more than 50,000 good jobs for Albertans by building schools, roads and other core infrastructure that benefits Albertans and communities. It will further diversify our economy by helping sectors grow and succeed and return investment to our province by ensuring we have the most competitive tax environment in Canada

Quick facts

  • Sylvan Lake and the David Thompson Country region are popular summer vacation destinations.
  • Design work will start in 2020 with construction activities getting underway in the 2021 construction season following land acquisition. A project of this scope typically takes about four years to build.
  • The project will be completed in phases over the following several construction seasons.
  • About 5,800 vehicles use this section of Highway 11 each day.
  • This project is anticipated to support 344 direct and 248 indirect jobs.

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Alberta

Alberta’s oil bankrolls Canada’s public services

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This articleĀ supplied byĀ Troy Media.

Troy Media By Perry Kinkaide and Bill Jones

It’s time Canadians admitted Alberta’s oilpatch pays the bills. Other provinces just cash the cheques

When Canadians grumble about Alberta’s energy ambitions—labelling the province greedy for wanting to pump more oil—few stop to ask how much
money from each barrel ends up owing to them?

The irony is staggering. The very provinces rallying for green purity are cashing cheques underwritten not just by Alberta, but indirectly by the United States, which purchases more than 95 per cent of Alberta’s oil and gas, paid in U.S. dollars.

That revenue doesn’t stop at the Rockies. It flows straight to Ottawa, funding equalization programs (which redistribute federal tax revenue to help less wealthy provinces), national infrastructure and federal services that benefit the rest of the country.

This isn’t political rhetoric. It’s economic fact. Before the Leduc oil discovery in 1947, Alberta received about $3 to $5 billion (in today’s dollars) in federal support. Since then, it has paid back more than $500 billion. A $5-billion investment that returned 100 times more is the kind of deal that would send Bay Street into a frenzy.

Alberta’s oilpatch includes a massive industry of energy companies, refineries and pipeline networks that produce and export oil and gas, mostly to the U.S. Each barrel of oil generates roughly $14 in federal revenue through corporate taxes, personal income taxes, GST and additional fiscal capacity that boosts equalization transfers. Multiply that by more than 3.7 million barrels of oil (plus 8.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas) exported daily, and it’s clear Alberta underwrites much of the country’s prosperity.

Yet many Canadians seem unwilling to acknowledge where their prosperity comes from. There’s a growing disconnect between how goods are consumed and how they’re produced. People forget that gasoline comes from oil wells, electricity from power plants and phones from mining. Urban slogans like ā€œBan Fossil Fuelsā€ rarely engage with the infrastructure and fiscal reality that keeps the country running.

Take Prince Edward Island, for example. From 1957 to 2023, it received $19.8 billion in equalization payments and contributed just $2 billion in taxes—a net gain of $17.8 billion.

Quebec tells a similar story. In 2023 alone, it received more than $14 billion in equalization payments, while continuing to run balanced or surplus budgets. From 1961 to 2023, Quebec received more than $200 billion in equalization payments, much of it funded by revenue from Alberta’s oil industry..

To be clear, not all federal transfers are equalization. Provinces also receive funding through national programs such as the Canada Health Transfer and
Canada Social Transfer. But equalization is the one most directly tied to the relative strength of provincial economies, and Alberta’s wealth has long driven that system.

By contrast to the have-not provinces, Alberta’s contribution has been extraordinary—an estimated 11.6 per cent annualized return on the federal
support it once received. Each Canadian receives about $485 per year fromĀ Alberta-generated oil revenues alone. Alberta is not the problem—it’s the
foundation of a prosperous Canada.

Still, when Alberta questions equalization or federal energy policy, critics cry foul. Premier Danielle Smith is not wrong to challenge a system in which the province footing the bill is the one most often criticized.

Yes, the oilpatch has flaws. Climate change is real. And many oil profits flow to shareholders abroad. But dismantling Alberta’s oil industry tomorrow wouldn’t stop climate change—it would only unravel the fiscal framework that sustains Canada.

The future must balance ambition with reality. Cleaner energy is essential, but not at the expense of biting the hand that feeds us.

And here’s the kicker: Donald Trump has long claimed the U.S. doesn’t need Canada’s products and therefore subsidizes Canada. Many Canadians scoffed.

But look at the flow of U.S. dollars into Alberta’s oilpatch—dollars that then bankroll Canada’s federal budget—and maybe, for once, he has a point.
It’s time to stop denying where Canada’s wealth comes from. Alberta isn’t the problem. It’s central to the country’s prosperity and unity.

Dr. Perry Kinkaide is a visionary leader and change agent. Since retiring in 2001, he has served as an advisor and director for various organizations and founded the Alberta Council of Technologies Society in 2005. Previously, he held leadership roles at KPMG Consulting and the Alberta Government. He holds a BA from Colgate University and an MSc and PhD in Brain Research from the University of Alberta.

Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.

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Alberta

Alberta’s industrial carbon tax freeze is a good first step

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ByĀ Gage Haubrich

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is applauding Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s decision toĀ freezeĀ the province’s industrial carbon tax.

ā€œSmith is right to freeze the cost of Alberta’s hidden industrial carbon tax that increases the cost of everything,ā€ said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. ā€œThis move is a no-brainer to make Alberta more competitive, save taxpayers money and protect jobs.ā€

Smith announced the Alberta government will be freezing the rate of its industrial carbon tax at $95 per tonne.

The federal government set the rate of the consumer carbon tax to zero on April 1. However, it still imposes a requirement for an industrial carbon tax.

Prime Minister Mark CarneyĀ saidĀ he would ā€œimprove and tightenā€ the industrial carbon tax.

The industrial carbon tax currently costs businesses $95 per tonne of emissions. It is set to increase to $170 per tonne byĀ 2030. Carney has said he would extend the current industrial carbon tax frameworkĀ untilĀ 2035, meaning the costs could reach $245 a tonne. That’s more than double the current tax.

The Saskatchewan government recentlyĀ scrappedĀ its industrial carbon tax completely.

Seventy per cent of Canadians said businesses pass most or some industrial carbon tax costs on to consumers, according to a recentĀ Leger poll.

ā€œSmith needs to stand up for Albertans and cancel the industrial carbon tax altogether,ā€ Haubrich said. ā€œSmith deserves credit for freezing Alberta’s industrial carbon tax and she needs to finish the job by scrapping the industrial carbon tax completely.ā€

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