Bell: Here it is! Bombshell report on the costs of Alberta separating from Canada

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsNationalPoliticsOpinionColumnists Bell: Here it is! Bombshell report on the costs of Alberta separating from Canada Boom! The explosive report on Alberta separatism we've been waiting for. Author of the article: By Rick Bell Published Sep 16, 2026 4 minute read Join the conversation Alberta separatism supporters rally in front of the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton, on May 4, 2026. PHOTO BY HENRY MARKEN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Article content The report hits the streets and explodes.   Article content It’s the look-see the Alberta government asked the University of Calgary to do.  Article content Article content The good, the bad and the ugly of Alberta leaving Canada and the number crunchers are not picking sides. Article content It is not for the faint of heart. The mathematics of an independent Alberta is eye-opening. Article content The deep thinkers roll out two scenarios. Article content One is Alberta’s smooth exit from Canada.  Article content Article content The other is a very difficult good-bye.  Article content Noon News Roundup Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content They look at what could happen in the short run and the long run if Alberta goes it alone.   Article content In the smooth exit everything goes … well … smoothly with the rest of Canada and others.  Article content In the short term, less than five years after separation, the GDP, the overall economy, would be about 2.2 per cent lower than it would have been otherwise.  Article content Over the long term, in 20 years or so, the GDP would actually be 3.4 per cent higher than it would have otherwise been.  Article content Wages? They knew you would ask.  Article content In the short term, workers could see a dip in their earnings of more than $1,200 a year on average.  Article content In the long term, take-home pay could rise by more than $1,800 a year.  Article content Alberta’s debt would go up in a big way to a whopping $324 billion, an increase of $209 billion, as Alberta takes its share of Canada’s debt.  Article content In the long run of the smooth exit “Alberta can pursue its own policies to build a…