Rolling in dough

Our Dear Economist has crunched the numbers on Hebron, as Barb Sweet reports for The Telegram:

Although $20 billion is the expected spinoff, variables including the price of oil and the value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S., put the Hebron project’s potential taxes and royalties to the province at a range of $11 billion to $34 billion over its lifespan, depending on the worst and best case scenarios.

Between 2004 and 2010, the "Conservative" government of Danny Williams increased provincial program expenditures by a nudge under $2.7-billion.

Without taking into account inflation, the Hebron payoff can be re-expressed thusly:

Although 7.4 years worth of Williams Government program spending increases is the expected spinoff, variables including the price of oil and the value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S., put the Hebron project’s potential taxes and royalties to the province at a range of 4.1 to 12.6 years worth of Williams Government program spending increases over its lifespan, depending on the worst and best case scenarios.