SPP Forum: The 'Hidden' Carbon Tax - How TIER Affects Cost Structures in the Oil Sands
Join the School of Public Policy for our Forum 2026 series.
This installment of the series is an informative discussion with Dr. Kent Fellows, Director of Graduate Programs, School of Public Policy, titled The 'Hidden' Carbon Tax - How TIER Affects Cost Structures in the Oil Sands.
The official opposition, and advocacy groups like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation have argued that the industrial carbon tax (which is actually a tapestry of federal and provincial carbon pricing systems) represents a significant driver of inflation in Canada.
In this talk, Dr. Kent Fellows will present preliminary research from his work as a Fellow with the CD Howe Institute on how industrial carbon pricing impacts costs per barrel across existing oil sands projects. This is a preview of research that will be presented in a forthcoming CD Howe Commentary Barrels of Oil and Buckets of Steam, a follow-up to the 2022 paper Last Barrel Standing: Confronting the Myth of “High-Cost” Canadian Oil Sands Production.
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (MDT)
Location: University of Calgary Downtown Campus - Second Floor, Room #241
Address: 906 8th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2P 1H9
Format: In-person
Contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
About Forum:
Forum is a weekly interdisciplinary discussion hosted by the School of Public Policy, that combines intellectual exploration, issue discussions and the exchange of ideas. Each week, graduate students, faculty, alumni, and leaders from across sectors come together over a lunch hour to engage with the ideas and challenges shaping our world.