Deborah Yedlin, the new President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, says her first, and only, home purchase had quite the history.

Ongoing weakness in Alberta's housing market "can be explained by adjustment over the past five years to continuing challenges in the energy sector," said Carolyn Wilkins, senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, during a recent speech at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

With an Alberta provincial election set for this spring, there's no question what the number-one topic of discussion and debate will be among politicians and the public over the coming months: the economy.

That was the message delivered at a recent event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce that featured four panelists discussing the upcoming election and the economic landscape.

Energy panel weighs in on the nuts and bolts of the controversial carbon tax

Alberta's carbon tax is one of the most important policy changes in the province's recent history. How Alberta adapts to the tax will undoubtedly shape its economic landscape for years to come.

In effect since January, the $20-a-tonne tax remains a highly contentious topic from both economic and environmental perspectives. Since its implementation, politicians, businesses, and consumers have worried what the additional tax will do to an already fragile Alberta economy and to Albertans.

Some groups, like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, for example, claim the average household could pay more than $2,500 per year as a result of direct costs, such as household energy use, and indirect costs from increased costs to business operations.