Panel to explore potential economic impacts of Alberta separation

The province is creating a panel to come up with a dollar figure for the estimated cost of separating from Canada.

The Alberta government has tasked the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy with analyzing the potential economic impacts of Alberta separating from Canada.

The school will publish a report in the late summer so the panel’s analysis can inform voters in the Oct. 19 referendum.

“The report will give voters a better understanding of the estimated transition costs, economic impacts, potential savings and risks that could result if the province pursued this constitutional change,” the government announced Friday.

Additionally, an expert advisory panel, led by economist Jack Mintz, has been assembled for the University of Calgary (U of C) and provincial government to consult.

The panel also consists of Ted Morton, former Alberta finance minister; Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta; Alex Pourbaix, board chair of Cenovus Energy Inc.; and Janice MacKinnon, former Saskatchewan finance minister who authored the 2019 Blue Ribbon Panel into Alberta’s finances.

The U of C will retain full control of the report, the government promised.

“Albertans deserve clear and credible information on the potential impacts of separation. This is a huge decision that will impact our kids and grandkids long into the future, and we cannot approach it lightly,” Finance Minister Jason Nixon said in a statement.

One of the 10 questions on the referendum will ask: “Should Alberta remain a province in Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”