k - I went thru all the links you provided...thanks. And every one shows that the Alberta govt has made a positive net on the oil sands development. One could easily argue they might have made more with a different tax/royalty structure. But that different system might not have led to as much development and net income for Alberta.
I think you are half correct. They made a lot of money in 2012, but in 2013, which as you point out constantly was a record year, they had an austerity budget. This still makes no sense to me. It's also not clear that tar sands is a net gain because different pockets for costs, and the accounting is not simple, and Alberta appears to be a partner is some of the enterprises. But that's just a quibble. Governments aren't supposed to make money anyway, they're supposed to break even.
BTW I stumbled through the Soplaaris blog. Found lots of opinions and almost no documented facts.
I'm gonna sound like Clinton here, but I'm not sure what you mean by facts. He pretty much destroyed the Canada is being cheated out of 50,000,000 loonies a day argument. And he did name companies that dug and refined tar sands, in other words buyers and sellers. There are vertically integrated oil companies, I think you'll agree.
I have noticed that the economics of tar sands is a contentious thing in Canada, and my first impression from the reading is that I can find somebody who has written a good defense of any opinion I choose to have.