This column is an opinion by Geoff Salomons, a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta researching provincial resource wealth. For more information about CBC’s Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
Alberta’s revenue roller-coaster continues.
During the pandemic in 2020, history was made when oil prices went into negative territory. Then they rose and peaked above $122 US per barrel in June 2022 — only to be nearly cut in half shortly thereafter, before a surprise overseas production cut brought prices back to the $80 range.
Within two years, the province’s books swung from a $17-billion deficit to a $10.4-billion surplus, and now more modest surpluses are
