Calgary & Alberta Economy

[CalgaryTiger]

does not make Europe an attractive market

It's the fact that they are not our customer. Whether they're stagnant or growing, they're not stagnating using our resources as much as they could. The supplier they currently use isn't the kind of supplier you want to do business with.

 

[darwink]

...
Carney did call Canada the “most European of non-European nations".

Besides irritants like supply management standing in the way of expanded trade deals, what constrains trade other than Europe having stagnant population and economic growth? Being stylish and progressive does not make Europe an attractive market

A bunch of non tariff barriers. Easiest example one would be we build cars to North American standards and don't allow imports of European standard cars without localization.

'We' could shift, and it might make more sense to send Canadian made Lexus's to Europe (it appears there is no current Lexus manufacturing in Europe), rather than trying to send Canadian vehicles to the USA.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Easiest example one would be we build cars to North American standards and don't allow imports of European standard cars

Accepting European standards on a lot of things would be a good first step in opening ourselves up to more trade with the EU. It probably wouldn't change much on the car front as a lot of European brands are under larger umbrella brands that already operate here so it isn't likely they add competition for themselves in Canada.

We got fat, happy, and lazy using our proximity to the US. A slip in our standard of living and we're waking up to why having a strong economy matters. You cannot support our standard of living without one. I use to not care about the economy because things were good for me, what did I care that the GDP wasn't going up. Skip ahead if you don't want to ready me digressing about my Canadian Capitalism epiphany...

I had a good job, a house, and car. Except, that individualistic thinking eventually catches up to you and the bill for your standard of living comes due. In the form of deteriorating public services. I've realized our standard of living in Canada costs money, public money. We are not the USA, the invisible hand doesn't work here like it does there. We accept higher taxes for public services rather than relying on a higher wage and more purchasing power making up for what we'd lose in public services. The problem is, if our wages are not growing and our economy is not generating more money that is taxed to support our public services, those public services slip (like they have, directly affecting our standard of living). In a sense, it is Canadian to do more with less, what I mean is being smarter and working hard to do the same amount of work as our contemporaries. When I was in the military we had one person doing the job of three American military personnel. Using the mentality that it is the people who figure out how to work simply in the present, rather than the people who mastered complexity of the past, who get to say what happens in the future. We need to be better at working simply in our *new* present.

Unfortunately, our Grand Bargain means making some deals with the devil, everyone else is taking care of themselves, we cannot sideline ourselves by being too virtuous. We should be trading as much as we can with the US, China, India, and others. I think you also have more power to be virtuous when you're working with the devil because at least you have something to bargain with.

 

[trtcttc]

I'm supportive of the high level goals, it's just the chosen technology seems like a has been.. Plus if I'm not mistaken it generates more waste than the candu reactors, giving Canada yet another problem to solve.

IMO the time and money being slated for the so-called SMR would be better spent developing a naval reactor, that could not only be used for the next gen of RCN warships, but would also be small and portable enough to be used to support industry and communities in remote locations where grid extensions aren't practical.



What eastern exports would Canada need containers for though? Energy, sure I get that, but oil and gas don't go into cans, those are for finished products (and stolen cars)

Much like Canada, Africa is a resource colony. I don't see enormous amounts of trade happening there anytime soon.

Europe is well on its way to being de-industrialized, so no idea what they'd do with raw materials either.

It really does seem the Laurentians are stuck in a 20th century groundhog day, where the RCN will be hunting zee uboats for all eternity, and that Europe still has any political or economic relevance.

Time to get with the times Ottawa...

Admittedly not that familiar with SMRs, and that announcement was panned in Ontario as those projects are essentially underway with nothing really needed from the Federal Gov anyways.

Regarding export, Europe may have its problems, but to essentially right off a continent of 450 million people is a bit ridiculous. They may grow slowly but people there still need to consume products, good, etc. Eastern ports also access the middle east.

 

[darwink]

with nothing really needed from the Federal Gov anyways.

Nuclear is mostly regulated by the feds, and providing a better mandate for the different stage gates to look for solutions and avoid anything that looks like a regulatory induced schedule slip is a thing versus the prioritize risk above all else.

 

[InfrastructureEnthusiast]

Regarding export, Europe may have its problems, but to essentially right off a continent of 450 million people is a bit ridiculous. They may grow slowly but people there still need to consume products, good, etc. Eastern ports also access the middle east.

Overall I'm supportive of things like port expansions as well, but this one just seems a bit cart before horse. The thing with eastern trade right now is no one in the region is really a manufacturing powerhouse, so there are limited trade options for a resource powerhouse. Like it or not, the two big factories of the world are to our south and west.

The argument could be made that Canada could increase manufacturing and have more finished goods to export, and I'd support that too when it makes sense.

But Canada is in an awkward position where the industry for mass produced goods is already locked up, and Europe has the 'making nice things' market locked up. So what could Canada make that would sell that way?

I don't see it being cars, unless the Euros pick up a thing for pickups.. Cheap Chinese EVs are about to slaughter Europe's car industry, at least Canada has trucks and SUVs where foreign competition is less likely.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

there are limited trade options for a resource powerhouse.

Other than replacing resources from someone who (allegedly) mistakenly flies drones into EU airspace.

I do think you're speaking more specifically about the port of Montreal, which yes, typically ships finished goods. It is probably time that we use the little manufacturing we do have to do something other than autos, although diversifying our autos even more is the worst idea. We're in the age of a new defence buildup, getting even a small slice of the EU defence buildup pie is worth it. In this case you do need to put the cart (port capacity) before the horse (finished products), otherwise the horse is left to sit on the dock.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

So the Calgary Chamber released their election platform, 50 recommendations, but one really stuck out to me.

https://calgarychamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CC-Business-Matters-2025-Municipal-Election-Platform-Web.pdf

Expand the Free Fare Zone from Sunalta to the Franklin stations on the Blue Line and the SAIT/ACAD/Jubilee and Erlton Stations on the Red Line.
Public transit is a driver of economic and social mobility, connecting employees to employers, students to schools, and people to services. Connections to the Calgary Zoo on the Blue line and Jubilee on the Red Line would improve Calgary’s tourism experience, allowing visitors to travel more easily throughout Calgary’s cultural areas. Expanding the Free Fare Zone would also allow vulnerable Calgarians to more easily access vital supports and services beyond downtown

Extending the Free Fare Zone just that little bit would really change access from the downtown to some important cultural assets. The Breweries in Sunalta, the Zoo, The Jubilee, and everything at Stampede Park. So many people going from downtown to those places probably risk not even paying for a ticket so I don't actually think you'd lose much but the added ridership could really help with transit safety.

 

[badc0ffee]

I think that idea is crazy. The free fare zone is where it is because the stations are open to the street, and so close together you could easily walk between them. But, walking to SAIT from downtown is a bit of a pain both because of distance and because of the large hill.

Why would we want to miss out on a chunk of the transit revenue from SAIT students, Stampede/Saddledome/event centre users, and people seeing Zoo Lights and Jubilee shows? And do we really want more vagrants on the train that ride the free fare zone from one end to the other, now all the way to Sunalta?

I think there's a perception from whoever proposed this that residents mostly need to start/end their C-train journey outside of this zone. But the reality is it covers many of the densest residential areas of the city, areas with high transit usage.

 

[CBBarnett]

So the Calgary Chamber released their election platform, 50 recommendations, but one really stuck out to me.

https://calgarychamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CC-Business-Matters-2025-Municipal-Election-Platform-Web.pdf

Expand the Free Fare Zone from Sunalta to the Franklin stations on the Blue Line and the SAIT/ACAD/Jubilee and Erlton Stations on the Red Line.
Public transit is a driver of economic and social mobility, connecting employees to employers, students to schools, and people to services. Connections to the Calgary Zoo on the Blue line and Jubilee on the Red Line would improve Calgary’s tourism experience, allowing visitors to travel more easily throughout Calgary’s cultural areas. Expanding the Free Fare Zone would also allow vulnerable Calgarians to more easily access vital supports and services beyond downtown

Extending the Free Fare Zone just that little bit would really change access from the downtown to some important cultural assets. The Breweries in Sunalta, the Zoo, The Jubilee, and everything at Stampede Park. So many people going from downtown to those places probably risk not even paying for a ticket so I don't actually think you'd lose much but the added ridership could really help with transit safety.

The problem with free transit is that someone has to pay for it.

To expand the free fare zone to the most popular destinations nearby outside of downtown would take tens of millions of revenue away from Calgary Transit. That would have to be backfilled by tax dollars, which unlike fare revenue, are far more subject to the whims of politics that are forever changing. Perhaps the Stampede or board of commerce can come up with the tens of millions as they are the main beneficiaries, but in the long run it's always back to tax dollars.

It's one of the biggest misconceptions out there about transit usage - the main barrier to increasing ridership is not the fare price, particularly in our current paradigm where many fares are subsidized already for many low income households. Car ownership costs 100x more than transit, leads to amazing levels of personal debt and all sorts of financial burdens on families. In the end many people still pay to drive cars around because it's convenient. It's not the cost to the user!

The main barrier to transit usage is that it's time uncompetitive to other modes and unreliable for many types of trips. Free fare schemes can be useful, but ultimately are a bit of a niche application and shouldn't be broadly applied if the goal is to properly fund transit and deliver more service.

 

[darwink]

Yeah, with capacity constraints at the bridges induced by the shared section downtown, extending the zone would likely have a counterintuitive effect of reducing LRT 'miles' by crowding out longer distance commuting by replacing walking trips with LRT trips.