Net-zero a no-go for Alberta government

Never a dull week in Alberta politics

Due to some unexpected family health issues, I didn’t have time to write a full column this week. Instead, I’ve prepared a short digest of a few issues in Alberta politics that caught my attention over the past few days.

Alberta launches anti-net zero 2035 ad campaign

Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz speaks at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary (source: Twitter / Rebecca Schulz)

Fresh from launching a pro-Alberta Pension Plan advertising campaign, the Alberta government has launched another advertising campaign asking Canadians to email their Member of Parliament to encourage them to oppose the federal government’s draft Clean Electricity Regulations (most Alberta MPs are Conservatives, so they are probably already opposing it).

The government’s “Tell the Feds” ad campaign warns that electricity prices could quadruple and Albertans could face blackouts during -30C temperatures if the draft federal regulations are adopted.

Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz, MLA for Calgary-Shaw and 2022 UCP leadership race candidate, has been the government’s point-person in opposing the draft federal regulations.

A billboard van spotted in downtown Ottawa looks familiar (source: Dan Woynillowicz / Twitter)

While the federal government’s proposed move to net-zero electricity by 2035 poses some unique challenges for Alberta’s natural gas-heavy electrical grid, the provincial government’s ad campaign doesn’t mention prices in Alberta’s current electricity system are already sky-high - having surged by 128% in July 2023. It also doesn’t mention the Alberta government’s decision to unilaterally pause new wind and solar projects for 7 months.