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.
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
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