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“The Alberta economy at large faces ongoing fundamental challenges on several fronts,” said Southern at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel.

“From plummeting investor confidence and major project cancellations to increased taxation and regulatory uncertainty. Since the provincial NDP and federal Liberal government came into power in 2015, the taxes paid by ATCO and its customers have increased by 54 per cent — from $819 million in 2015 to $1.265 billion in 2018.

“ATCO is proud of its reputation as a good corporate citizen — we take our responsibility as a taxpayer seriously, but the tax burden we face is becoming a significant challenge.”

On every seat, little fact sheets showed adjusted earnings of $355 million for 2018 and on the flip side, it displayed how back in the year ended March 31, way back in 1948, Southern’s father Ron Southern and her grandfather started Alberta Trailer Hire Co. and had gross sales of $1,077.65, paid $8.05 in taxes, only paid out $4 in wages (they obviously worked for free) and had a net loss of $596.39.

Clearly, ATCO, a $24-billion enterprise with 6,000 employees, is an epic success story from every angle and its warnings should be heeded.

Southern said that ATCO has “serious concerns about the competitiveness of Canada for foreign investment because of the burden of these taxes.

“At the federal level, Bill C-69 will not only affect oil and gas initiatives but also major infrastructure projects in ATCO businesses ranging from gas transmission pipeline construction, to electricity transmission projects similar to the Alberta powerline project, to future power generation — but I’ll stop there before my blood begins to boil,” Southern said.