The program is not just aimed at Alberta’s traditional sectors such as agriculture and energy, but also technology, aviation and other sectors
Investment
Alberta outlines government-wide strategy for attracting investment to province – Leduc Representative
‘Investment and Growth Strategy’ is a $75-million program aimed at bringing investment and creating jobs.
EDMONTON — Alberta is promising a government-wide strategy to attract investment to the province, and sector-specific investments to help the economy recover as Canada emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to be able to keep up with a very fast economy that is ever-changing,” said Doug Schweitzer, the minister of jobs, economy and innovation, in an interview with the National Post on Thursday. “We have to make sure that we’re there to complement and keep up with the speed of the private sector.”
On Thursday, Schweitzer announced the “Investment and Growth Strategy,” a $75-million program aimed at bringing investment and creating jobs. The program is not just aimed at Alberta’s traditional sectors such as agriculture and energy, but also technology, aviation and other sectors, seeking fast-growing companies and ideas to bolster the economy.
“This is the beginning of a whole bunch of other announcements,” said Schweitzer.
Alberta, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, was floundering under the pressures of decreasing oil prices and challenges transporting the province’s main export because of the lack of pipeline capacity. Billions of dollars in investment have left the province in recent years, and Jason Kenney’s United Conservatives were elected on promises to turn the economy around.
Since the pandemic started, things have gotten worse.
Alberta sits at 12 per cent unemployment, and there have been staggering drops in economic activity that are putting pressure on government budgets. Last month’s fiscal update showed an $11.5 billion decrease in revenue flowing into government coffers, attributable mainly to the effects of the pandemic.
The investment strategy aims to sell Alberta abroad, pitching it as an attractive jurisdiction for companies, with low taxes and spending on infrastructure.
“We are showing the world that Alberta’s entrepreneurial spirit will endure with determination and confidence,” says a document outlining the strategy.
The strategy encompasses many of the things the government has already done during its time in its time in power, including dropping the corporate tax to eight per cent on July 1 — a year and a half ahead of schedule — and creating a new investment corporation to seek out money abroad.
A pumpjack near Acme, northeast of Calgary.
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It also highlights Alberta’s workforce, one of the youngest in the country, with a median age of 36.9 years, and with 71 per cent of those over the age of 25 having some form of post-secondary education.
“Coming into this pandemic, it’s forced us in Alberta to rethink how we move forward,” said Schweitzer.
In July, the United Conservative government outlined a new Crown corporation to attract investment, citing aggressive competition for new investment as justification for the organization. The $6 million annually for Invest Alberta is part of the $75 million bill for the innovation plan.
“We did launch that earlier on as a concept,” Schweitzer said. “Now it’s being refined and turned into action on our end.”
The province has promised several measures, such as aligning the investment strategies of Alberta’s international offices, more proactively going after potential investors, and offering “concierge” service for those who decide to spend in Alberta.
Schweitzer said there will be sector-specific announcements in the coming weeks covering multiple sectors of the economy. This includes reform of intellectual property laws, so that ideas and research can be turned into businesses and jobs.
“We’re not going to have all the answers today … but we’re going to set and put a marker in the ground that we’re going to do this faster than all the other jurisdictions in Canada right now that are looking at the exact same issue,” said Schweitzer. “Game on, we’re making sure Alberta’s here to play.”
• Email: tdawson@postmedia.com | Twitter: tylerrdawson
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Investment
Tesla shares soar more than 14% as Trump win is seen boosting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.
“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.”
Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.
Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.
Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.
In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.
The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.
And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.
Tesla began selling the software, which is called “Full Self-Driving,” nine years ago. But there are doubts about its reliability.
The stock is now showing a 16.1% gain for the year after rising the past two days.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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