North America gained another city of over one million population this week, as Calgary, Alberta passed that magic milestone. Of course, many other metropolitan areas with extensive suburbs are far bigger in total, even if the core city has less than a million population. But nevertheless, Calgary's growth is very important to all of us. Calgary is the headquarters of Canada's booming oil industry, and the exploitation of the Athabasca tar sands, larger in potential than Saudi Arabia's oil reserves, will bring the city much, much more wealth and growth. But Calgary's importance goes far beyond mere size and wealth. Calgary will play a vital role in helping Canada evolve into a more market—driven, American—friendly country. Calgary's citizens are noted for their openness to change, their friendliness, and their pro—American leanings. The wealth of Alberta already subsidizes the rest of Canada to the extent of several thousand dollars a year for each Alberta family....(Read Full Post)