This study is a few years old but has some topical conclusions.
http://policyschool.ucalgary.ca/site...a-spending.pdf
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Does Alberta have a spending problem?
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The recent return to deficits in Alberta has raised the question of whether the province has a spending problem. The answer to this question has important implications for how the province addresses its deficit. If Alberta has a spending problem, it makes sense to focus on expenditure reductions to reduce the deficit. If not, then relying on economic growth or tax increases might be the appropriate response.
This paper has made a comparative and normative case that Alberta needs to make a sizeable expenditure reduction — a minimum of $5 billion — in the upcoming budget. This will bring Alberta’s program spending more in line with other provinces, put the province on a sustainable fiscal track and make it more likely that Alberta will maintain its tax advantage — a policy and political hat trick.
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