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Ken Schultz's avatar

As a VERY grumpy Albertan, I commend your analysis.

Not for your conclusions (although I do agree with them) but rather for the simple fact of noting that there is room to ask about and to discuss the ideas of equity and fairness. Of course, I have my own conclusions but what absolutely annoys me (and many other Albertans) is that any time that we posit the idea that these things should be discussed, we are shouted down, deemed to be unpatriotic and so forth. So, if those who so call us those things really believe those assertions then perhaps we should oblige them and actually become so.

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Greg West's avatar

The system definitely needs reform. In addition to your points, I will add a west coast perspective. There are a huge number of folks from Alberta who retire to B.C. both in interior and on Vancouver Island. And very few BC residents who retire to AB in the other direction, at least in general.

Unfortunately for BC, we get these retired AB folks for their expensive medical years, but they’re retired and paying much lower taxes, and during their working years paid nothing into B.C. revenue for healthcare. I was in a golf group with a guy who retired here from AB who was complaining about this very topic of transfer payments and how AB was getting screwed, so I pointed out he was freeloading on BC taxpayers healthcare. Shut him up for a bit as he pondered that.

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