Alberta: more bad news coming

[The Green Barbarian]

It’s hard to comment without knowing exactly what your friend’s proposal actually involved but a couple of red flags popped up right away. The NDP while in power instituted a lot of new environmental policies aimed at increasing corporate responsibility for pollution they cause, and moving Alberta toward a future of lower GHG emissions. The UCP on the other hand, reversed many of these policies that would result in added expense for the corporate sector, and have shown themselves unwilling to commit any to any meaningful environmental progress. Again, hard to say much about your friend’s case in particular other than something is missing as the NDP were gung ho on environmental protection, while the UCP are concerned only with appearing to be gung ho.

It's obviously not as black and white as you are portraying it. The NDP aren't some sort of environmental heroes and the Conservatives aren't environmental villains. I hope that you would concede that both sides care a bit about the environment, they just follow different methodologies. The NDP may follow a method that you agree with, increasing taxation and damaging the economy, in the name of "pollution", another term we disagree on, as calling CO2 "pollution" is just silly, and downright anti-science. The Conservatives follow a method I agree with, investing in clean-tech solutions that create jobs and don't hurt poor people with nonsensical taxes based on apocalyptic fairy tales and politicized anti-science silliness.

The point isn't about who is an environmental crusader and who isn't. It's about understanding a business proposal and being able to grasp a concept on a variety of different levels; helping the environment of course, then there are things like creating jobs, and also helping the economy, instead of damaging the economy. Seeing a return on investment (I can see the NDP'ers all scratching their heads at that concept) for the government money invested. That kind of thing. We all get it though, asking a bunch of ex-Starbucks baristas, Hugo Chavez wannabes and union thugs to put together a cohesive government working team is difficult if not impossible, and so the NDP was always doomed to fail. There was no way they could bring together people sophisticated enough to ever really understand true business opportunities, or the ways that they can create jobs etc.

So that was my point. The adults are running the province of Alberta again, while the NDP children have gone back to mommy's basement. You can argue fake talking points about who wanted to tax what in the name of the man-made climate change myth, but this is business. And the NDP don't understand business.

[fluffy]

Here are a couple of articles worth looking at, one from when the NDP were in the process of implementing Bill 6, the farm/ranch safety legislation. At the time Alberta was the only province in Canada where agricultural workers were not covered by WCB and its accompanying workplace safety oversight. Note the comments that as implementation progressed farmers’ saw merits of the legislation despite the efforts of the UCP to stir up dissent within the agricultural community.

https://www.thestar.com/calgary/2018/11/29/controversial-farm-safety-bill-goes-into-effect-this-weekend-and-some-alberta-farmers-say-its-common-sense.html

And this one from after the UCP came to power, replacing the NDP legislation with their own. Note that the meat of the NDP legislation remains unchanged with the exception of farms or ranches with five employees or less would be exempt, leaving them without the basic safety coverage all other Canadians take for granted. They also lifted any requirements for those small farms/ranches to carry private insurance to cover workers in the event of injury or death. Note that changes to the Alberta Labour Relations Code, effectively banning unions from the agricultural sector.

https://calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/ucp-unveils-bill-6-changes-new-rules-create-exemptions-for-small-farms

Small Farm and ranch operators for the most part were happy with the changes as the effects on their bottom lines is obvious, their employees not so much. Relevant comment towards the end of the article where farm worker advocate Eric Musekamp states “We believe that farm workers are the same as and equal to every other Canadian, and we’re entitled under the law to be treated as such.”

Now you may call this “good business”, but I’m more inclined to see it as a step backwards for the rights and safety of farm/ranch employees.

[The Green Barbarian]

Now you may call this “good business”, but I’m more inclined to see it as a step backwards for the rights and safety of farm/ranch employees.

Fluffy, you can keep trying to pump the tires of the horrible NDP amateurs all you want, but you are just shaking your fist at a tornado here. The NDP are gone, banished back to mommy's basement. It's over. It was an experiment that was never meant to succeed, just shake up the status quo. The children got to run the show for four years, now the adults are back in charge.

[fluffy]

So I take it you are in favour of denying the same basic rights that the rest of Canada enjoys to Alberta small farm and ranch workers ?

[The Green Barbarian]

So I take it you are in favour of denying the same basic rights that the rest of Canada enjoys to Alberta small farm and ranch workers ?

I take it that the system in Alberta was working for them and no one was asking for change, and along come a bunch of Hugo Chavez wannabes and just change everything anyway. But hey, if this is what you want to claim victory for the children of the NDP then great, you got it. Thank goodness the NDP were elected and brought in WCB for farm workers. The world as we know it will never be the same.

[fluffy]

Fluffy, you can keep trying to pump the tires of the horrible NDP amateurs all you want, but you are just shaking your fist at a tornado here. The NDP are gone, banished back to mommy's basement. It's over. It was an experiment that was never meant to succeed, just shake up the status quo. The children got to run the show for four years, now the adults are back in charge.

Careful GB, you know what they say about counting your chickens. Just fifteen months since the election and more and more people are seeing through Kenney’s smoke and mirrors. Stuff like the recent changes to municipal election contribution limits hobbyguy posted above is making it plain that Kenney intends to place government control in the hands of the few and privileged at every level. After all, that is the Conservative way is it not? And it’s a while until the next election, what’s he going to try next ? Start selling off provincial parks ? Oh, wait....

https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2020/04/13/study-shows-albertas-government-approval-rating-starting-to-slip/

[The Green Barbarian]

Careful GB, you know what they say about counting your chickens.

LOL - ok, keep hoping against hope that somehow there are enough people that want children with bad ideas back running the Alberta government. Reminds me of the Democrats in the US...lol

[hobbyguy]

I see Kenney's shtick of bringing back the oil sands boom took another hit today as Total wrote off $9.3 billion, indicating that the resource would be left in the ground by 2050 - and they also pulled out of CAPP saying CAPP's objectives were incompatible.

"Tar Sands or bust" has been Kenney's shtick forever... the only pony he has ever ridden. What now Jason???

[fluffy]

The writing is on the wall for burning fossil fuels, and the supplies that have the highest production costs will be the first to feel the pinch. The future is full of uncertainty so a twenty year lead time to recoup your investment just isn’t appealing, especially when there are places on the planet that can offer a better deal. Kenney isn’t alone in his wish to see the gravy days return, a lot of Alberta workers can’t see what’s going on in front of them either.

[The Green Barbarian]

The writing is on the wall for burning fossil fuels,

Is it though? Really? Or is this just something people tell themselves?

[kgcayenne]

A mono economy is disastrous. They got themselves into this.

[George Orwell 1984]

A mono economy is disastrous. They got themselves into this.

How can you state that when only 16% is factored into oil and gas including mining. A falsehood created by environmentalists and those that can’t stand to see Albertans or their economy prosper

https://www.statista.com/statistics/608 ... -industry/

[kgcayenne]

A mono economy is disastrous. They got themselves into this.

How can you state that when only 16% is factored into oil and gas including mining. A falsehood created by environmentalists and those that can’t stand to see Albertans or their economy prosper

https://www.statista.com/statistics/608 ... -industry/

Well, if it is that small, why are they bleating like injured sheep over their oil and gas industry?


Or...or... is it possible that most of the others rely on that 16% ?

[George Orwell 1984]

You mean like the 20% of the Alberta workforce that is employed in agriculture. Those filthy Albertans that use oil and gas to feed the world?

[kgcayenne]

You mean like the 20% of the Alberta workforce that is employed in agriculture. Those filthy Albertans that use oil and gas to feed the world?

Thank you for pointing out the 20% of the workforce is employed in agriculture. Thank you for pointing out that Alberta feeds the world. In light of that, I am curious as to why the oil industry presents as though they’re the most critical component of the economy.