Letter from Canada: Alberta’s petchems strategy could backfire

The Kenney administration seems to be ignoring any warning signs on future demand growth

The Alberta government has tried numerous times to diversify away from oil and gas since the oil price shocks of the 1970s made the industry the mainstay of the provincial economy. Most efforts were dismal failures—including a mobile phone company, a hazardous waste treatment plant, a pulp mill and a magnesium smelter. Those failures have led to recent administrations pursuing other avenues to diversify the economy within the energy sector itself, in particular the petrochemical industry. The provincial administrations of Premier Jason Kenney and his predecessor, Rachel Notley, have rolled out several programmes to encourage companies to build new plants in the province. Edmonton appears t