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If you’re one of those Albertans who follow the ups and downs of oil prices more than the hockey standings, you’ll know the province’s crude is losing about as often as the Edmonton Oilers these days.

A look at the market numbers tells the tale, and you don’t need to be an economist to understand.

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Near the top of the table is the price for West Texas Intermediate, which traded at around US$57 a barrel on Monday.

Way behind is Western Canadian Select — the stream that makes up much of what is produced in Alberta — which was valued at about US$20 a barrel. That’s actually an improvement from prices of below US$15 last week, but in general WCS has been falling steadily this fall, largely due to oversupply and a lack of pipeline capacity.

It’s the bargain of the century the province never intended to have.

Just how to characterize this mess is something of a debate at the legislature right now, with some politicians unsure whether to break out the C-word.