The Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) is one of the most important Crown corporations operating in the province. It was, until recent controversies, perhaps the least known and understood of Alberta’s provincial agencies. In “Can AIMCo be Fixed?” a research paper published by The Parkland Institute, Bob Ascah examines the investment track record of AIMCo, the critical role played by the provincially-appointed board of directors and AIMCo’s independence from the government. Dr. Ascah’s talk will present a number of sensible recommendations to improve AIMCo’s governance, independence and operations.
Speaker: Robert L. (Bob) Ascah, Ph.D. Research Fellow, The Parkland Institute
Bob Ascah was born in Lachine, Quebec. He holds degrees in Commerce and Public Administration from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Alberta. He joined the Alberta public service in 1984 (Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs) and moved to Alberta Treasury in 1986. At Treasury he was responsible for financial sector policy, foreign borrowing and liaison with credit rating agencies. In 1999, Ascah’s Ph.D. dissertation Politics and Public Debt- The Dominion, the Banks and Alberta’s Social Credit was published. In 1996, he joined Alberta Treasury Branches becoming responsible for government relations, strategic planning, and economic research. In August 2009 he was appointed Director of the Institute for Public Economics at The University of Alberta. He is the editor and contributor to the forthcoming A Sales Tax for Alberta: Why and How. His articles have published in Alberta Views, The Conversation and the Calgary Herald. His blog is Abpolecon.ca.