This And That

Alberta premier wants provincial trade barriers dropped -"Premier Ed Stelmach says Alberta is feeling the economic pinch from the soaring dollar, so it's time for the premiers to start talking about eliminating trade barriers between provinces..." " Stelmach says that eliminating this barriers would Stelmach says eliminating such barriers would increase productivity and competitiveness, build a bigger economy and help Canada compete with other trading nations."

Hotel tax boosts tourism budget -"With that 23 per cent increase, there will be an increase in attention to Western Canada, with a really a strong focus on Alberta. There will also be a very strong focus on Canadian and American leisure business."

"The plan is to continue to attract Albertans, given that a booming economy, higher salaries, disposable incomes and growing populations in Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray all point to huge potential for both leisure and business travel to Banff."

Council Mulls Big Tax Hike -"A hike of 10.9% would cost the average homeowner another $164 a year, when increases in the waste management fee, sanitary sewer utility and land drainage utility are factored in.

The average Edmonton homeowner is defined as someone who owns a single-family house assessed by the city at $243,500. The city assessment is often much lower than what the home could fetch on the market." $164 a year is not that much if your property value is rising.

Penn West says Alberta's boom pushed royalty hike -" "We're concerned that the government has increased its take from our sector," "But that's offset by the knowledge that additional funding is required to keep up with the needs of our expanding population, who we greatly depend on for our labor, our knowledge and our services." Bill Andrew Penn West, Canada's No. 2 energy trust's chief executive

"The new cash has created thousands of jobs and a population boom in the province, squeezing strained services and infrastructure that had grown run down and inadequate after more than a decade of government spending cuts.

To cope with the additional demand, the Alberta government plans to spend close to C$20 billion over the next three years on new roads, schools, hospitals and transit, with the royalty hike contributing an extra C$1.4 billion in revenue annually."