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No growth or slow growth, it doesn’t really matter what you call it.

The tale of 2019 is just about over and it’s unclear whether the province slipped back into an economic recession during the past 12 months or narrowly avoided it.

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But many Albertans felt like they were mired in a downturn with high unemployment levels, less consumer spending and sluggish activity in the energy, housing and construction sectors.

It was a year when the provincial economy spun its wheels like a car stuck in an icy rut.

Oil production quotas, trade troubles for canola producers and a major petroleum producer relocating its head office to the United States added to the dreariness.

“The biggest story is no growth in the economy,” says Ken Kobly, chief executive of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. “Until we get some positive news, we’re going to be sitting in the doldrums.”

The economic slowdown was the most important business story of the year in Alberta.