West of Centre

Alberta opposition leader Rachel Notley knows what it’s like to govern in tough times. She led the NDP to a majority government in 2015, just months after a crash in oil prices and an economic downturn. Now she’s trying to hold Premier Jason Kenney’s feet to the fire amidst a pandemic, a crisis in the oil and gas industry and greater economic uncertainty. The CBC’s Jim Brown, in this week for host Kathleen Petty, asks the NDP leader “what would Rachel Notley do?”

COVID-19 is battering economies in Canada's major cities. While some economists predict a rebound when the virus is contained, Edmonton and Calgary might not be so lucky. On top of the virus and the impact of a shuttered economy, they’re coping with the effects of a collapse in world oil prices and demand while delivering essential services. Revenues have plummeted and cities can't run deficits. Kathleen Petty talks to Edmonton mayor Don Iveson and Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi about the unique challenges for Alberta’s two largest cities.

Economists predicted brutal numbers in the Labour Force Survey for April when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Three Alberta-based economists look at the story behind the data, and how income support programs might need to adjust to meet the needs of people who are jobless or underemployed. Associate professors Lindsay Tedds and Trevor Tombe are with the University of Calgary. Andrew Leach is an associate professor at the University of Alberta.

Provinces are taking steps toward opening up the economy and services, shut down by COVID-19. Some economists say Canada is already in recession, and some provincial economies have been devastated. In the case of Alberta, the hits just keep on coming. Three opinion leaders from three western provinces weigh in: Charles Adler, host of Charles Adler Tonight on the Global News Radio Network; Licia Corbella, a senior columnist with the Calgary Herald, and Murray Mandryk, political columnist with the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Many oil and gas companies are trying to survive through gutted oil prices, oversupply and low demand. They are desperate for cash to stay afloat, and looking to Ottawa for help.The sector employs hundreds of thousands of Canadians and provides Canada’s largest export. Does the rest of the country get it? Kathleen Petty talks to two Alberta senators - Paula Simons with the Independent Senators Group and Doug Black with the Canadian Senators Group.

The prime minister’s response to what he calls the “layers of calamity” in the energy sector include $1.7 billion for oil and gas workers to clean up abandoned and inactive wells, and $750 million for emission reductions. Kathleen Petty asks three key energy analysts what it will mean for a sector gutted by COVID-19 and cratering oil prices: Peter Tertzakian, executive director of ARC Energy Research Institute and the creator of Energyphile, Gary Mar, president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation and Rory Johnston, managing director and market economist at Price Street Inc.

Alberta’s premier has been battling what he calls a “triple whammy” of COVID-19, massive job losses and the price of oil falling off a cliff. Jason Kenney says it all adds up to an economic reckoning. Kathleen Petty looks at what the future holds for the province and the Kenney agenda with political analyst Graham Thomson, Globe and Mail columnist Kelly Cryderman and CBC provincial affairs reporter Janet French.

Alberta was already coping with job losses and falling oil prices when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. A CBC News poll was in the field during turbulent times in the province - the Teck Frontier decision, an austerity budget, a stock market crash and the early shock of COVID-19. Kathleen Petty takes the pulse of Alberta at a critical moment with lead pollster Janet Brown, data scientist John Santos and academic advisers Duane Bratt and Melanee Thomas.

Alberta’s premier is demanding the federal government help with the economic fallout from depressed energy prices and the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Jason Kenney’s Fair Deal panel is writing its report. The panel heard from thousands of Albertans on a range of life changing questions - from creating an Alberta pension plan to separation from Canada. Two panelists: United Conservative Party MLA Drew Barnes and former Progressive Conservative MLA Donna Kennedy-Glans say Albertans need a fair deal now more than ever.

Debates about taxes, climate change and fossil fuel development have become more polarized. Politicians and commentators use information often taken out of context, or simply wrong to promote a narrative. On social media, facts don’t seem to matter. Academics have become vigilantes in the fight against misinformation - economists like Andrew Leach, Lindsay Tedds and Trevor Tombe.