Weaken the regulatory framework at your peril. Sloppy regulation begets sloppy industrial operation. And that drives investment away
Grant Sprague and Bev Yee, Alberta deputy ministers of energy and environment respectively, are very capable senior bureaucrats. Here’s hoping they bring to bear all their skills for the review of the Alberta Energy Regulator. They should keep in mind that the review ought not to be the witch hunt the current political framing suggests…
Many politicians would rather look to the past than mobilize to fight our greatest challenge
The Alberta provincial election is a case study of the collective Canadian avoidance of climate change. Albertans are told to focus on either cutting various government programs or making deficit expenditures on new social programs, arguing about the pros and cons of taxes (especially carbon taxes), and a generalized hope for a return of high…
Natural beauty distinguishes Alberta from so many places. Let’s follow the will of the majority and protect this beautiful region
It’s disappointing to see that the Alberta government's proposal to create new protected areas in west-central Alberta has led to a partisan political brawl. Over the last week, the government cancelled public information sessions for the Bighorn Country proposal because of reports of intimidation and threats by opponents to the proposal. The local MLA, Jason…
Right across Canada, dramatic signs of climate change are casting a pall on the landscape
The last five summers at Skelhp, on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, have been progressively drier. We’ve had one significant wildfire nearby, in Sechelt Inlet, which wafted ash in a big brown plume over our regional air shed. The smoke from this fire three years ago caused us to close all the windows in the July heat…
It’s just plain crazy to let ‘I-hate-oilsands’ activists frame our national energy agenda based on an immaterial number of bird deaths
A few months back, the latest story of bird deaths in the oilsands went national. About 100 birds had died at the Fort Hills oilsands mine operated by Suncor. According to reports, the mine was not yet operating but bird deterrent systems (including cannons, radar scanners and scarecrows) were functioning. Mystified by the event, Suncor…
Carbon taxes should replace, not add to, existing environmental regulations and subsidies
In an episode of the television program Seinfeld, the bungling George Costanza tells his friends that he’s concluded that every instinct he has is always wrong. So Jerry suggests George should always do the opposite of his first instinct: “If every instinct you have is wrong, the opposite would have to be right.” Somebody ought…
Othering can help understand energy discourse in Canada – and its tension and polarization – in a sector where natural sciences sensibilities ought to prevail
Understanding “othering,” a theoretical notion studied in the social sciences, could help the petroleum sector connect with Canadians. Othering is about declaring something or someone to be the ‘other’ and, in so doing, reduce that other’s ability to enjoy the same virtues to which you have laid claim. “Othering is the process of casting a…
The Alberta Energy Regulator's new website on pipeline performance helps the public better understand crucial operating dynamics
Two words define how we need to think about next-generation energy: trust and transparency. Independent of each other, they don't mean much. But make them codependent and an entirely different dynamic emerges. For the petroleum sector, that commingled nuance is critical. It struggles with trust and is often confounded by transparency when trying to win…
Alberta's off-roaders must work with the province to identify trails that let riders have fun without ruining the land
Bold moves are only gutsy if they come with some risk. It was risky, for example, for the Alberta government to declare that it would close all off-highway trails in the Castle area in the southwest corner of the province within five years. The risk for this government is that the animosity it faces from…
The gradual increase in Alberta’s carbon tax in coming years will exacerbate the economic damage being done to the province
By Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute Over the past two years, Albertans have been hit with a wide range of tax hikes and fee increases including substantial increases to personal and corporate income taxes. On January 1 of this year, Albertans faced yet another tax increase, as the province’s new carbon tax…
Grant Sprague and Bev Yee, Alberta deputy ministers of energy and environment respectively, are very capable senior bureaucrats. Here’s hoping they bring to bear all their skills for the review of the Alberta Energy Regulator. They should keep in mind that the review ought not to be the witch hunt the current political framing suggests…
