ALBERTA - The Business Council of Alberta supports the proposal for Edmonton, Alberta to be one of the hub cities for the 2020 National Hockey League playoffs. “We are all seeking some sense of normalcy, some return of those things that bring us joy,” says Adam Legge,...
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Relaunching Alberta Part 3: Contact tracing apps can do good, if we get out of our own way
We’re eager to open up the economy and get back to some semblance of normal life. However, we are also aware, many of us intimately, of the risk for a second wave of the virus and the reality of illness, loss of loved ones, and potential for additional shutdowns for...
Relaunching Alberta Part 2: Adapting CERB to the post-shutdown economy
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) has done what it set out to do – to provide broad, quick support to Canadians in a time of urgent financial need. It provides $2,000 per month for up to four months to individuals whose work or health has been impaired by...
Relaunching Alberta Part 1: Solving the daycare problem
Alberta has taken its first cautious step towards re-opening the provincial economy. Phase one began on May 14th in most of the province, with delays in the Calgary and Brooks areas because of the higher concentration of COVID-19 cases. As Albertans begin to return to...
PODCAST: Episode #013: Rebuilding Alberta’s economy wisely: A conversation with Dawn Farrell
Since the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19, nearly 3 million Canadians have lost their jobs, and if you consider those who were technically employed but worked no hours, the number of Canadians without income is considerably higher. In Alberta, the economic...
Behind the headlines: what April’s jobs numbers mean for Albertans
On May 8th, Statistics Canada published labour force numbers for the month of April. This release marks the first relatively complete picture of the impact of the economic shutdown on jobs and unemployment across Canada. Last month, we only got a partial view of that...
BCA estimates that Alberta’s true unemployment rate jumped to nearly 29% in April
ALBERTA – COVID-19 continues to have a devasting impact on Canada’s labour force. As Canada shut down to fight the virus, millions of Canadians lost their jobs or were forced to stay home. All told, two million jobs were...
PODCAST: Episode #012: There’s a crisis in our beef industry, so what do we do about it?
UPDATE: Since the recording of this show, the provincial government has announced a $42 million joint federal-provincial set-aside program for a period of 30 weeks. More information can be found on the Government of Alberta's website. Alberta is home to 70-75% of...
Re-opening the economy will be a long, complex process; how do we make it work? Social & Economic Considerations
As business owners rush to understand and put in place new safety measures and stock up on PPE – in addition to all of the usual things needed to run a business, style hair, or serve meals – one thing is clear: re-opening isn’t going to be easy. We mentioned in our...
Letter to the Prime Minister on response and recovery after COVID-19
Right Honourable Justin TrudeauPrime Minister of CanadaHouse of CommonsOttawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, On behalf of the Business Council of Alberta, thank you for your leadership in these difficult and uncertain times. We recognize that you and...