High Finance a History and your future!

Interviews with Jane D'Arista an Economist and Author of great merit. It is not often I put forward reading or authors but Real News have these Interviews posted and they are truly exciting.

MUST WATCH is an appropriate heading for this series. We could use some changes in Canada too!

Art Show! Super!

ART SHOW!!!!
NATALIA’S GALLERY

Hello friends

I have been invited to place 20-30 paintings at the

GREY NUN’S HOSPITAL
3015-62st, Edmonton
Lower level by the auditorium.

OCTOBER 8, 2009 to January 31, 2010

I hope you will drop by when you are in the area.

Because of my deep concern for

Public health care, seniors, agriculture, & education, a percentage all sales will be donated to support Dr Swann, leader of the official opposition, And his Liberal leadership.

DARLENE NATALIA KONDUC

Alberta Trucking about to change big time!

This should further depreciate the value of warehouse property in Calgary!

Governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan work together to cut red tape for commercial trucking industry

Regina... The Governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Regina to help truckers and shippers move goods more efficiently and safely in western Canada.

The memorandum will help harmonize policies and regulations for commercial vehicle operations, reduce barriers between the two provinces, and address safety regulations. This includes specific items such as special permits, vehicle weights and dimensions, cooperative enforcement activities, national safety code issues and research.

“Transportation is fundamental to supporting Alberta’s economy and we are committed to seeing that regulations don’t impede the economic competitiveness of either province,” said Luke Ouellette, Alberta Minister of Transportation. “This memorandum of understanding supports highway safety and the reduction of barriers to interprovincial transportation.”

“For Saskatchewan’s export-based economy, this means businesses will be more competitive in reaching inter-provincial, national and worldwide markets,” Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter said. “Our two governments are acting to reduce red tape and enhance our business climate to continue to grow our provincial economies.”

“The trucking industry is pleased to see this spirit of co-operation to allow us to move more seamlessly between the two provinces and to literally help us keep the economy moving,” Saskatchewan Trucking Association President Glen Ertell said.

“From a trucking industry perspective this is good news because it highlights all the work that has been done on transportation between Alberta and Saskatchewan over the years to benefit the economy,” said Richard Warnock, President of the Alberta Motor Transport Association.

Key issues in the MOU include:

• the harmonization of special permit conditions for turnpike doubles (a semi with two long trailers);
• the harmonization of special permit conditions for oversize and overweight indivisible loads;
• the harmonization of the maximum gross vehicle weight for B-trains (a semi with two trailers);
• the establishment of an inter-provincial heavy haul/high clearance corridor;
• the harmonization of special permit conditions for the movement of manufactured homes;
• the harmonization of regulation and permit conditions based on the National Safety Code;
• co-operative commercial vehicle enforcement activities and facilities; and
• a joint research and pilot project to address common concerns with wide-based super single tires.

Shaw and others are getting more than their fair share!!

We've got the 8th highest average connection speed (although we'd need to make it 2.5 times faster to get in the top 5). The really interesting part of the graph is the prices. The dollar figure underneath the speed rank is the price in USD for 1Mbps. We're paying double the price for our bandwidth that the US is, and 10x what Sweden is.

You'll notice that almost all European nations are charging less than we are. The main difference? Most EU countries consider internet access to be a utility like power or gas, and the governments invest heavily in upgrading infrastructure. France has gone as far to say it considers broadband internet access to be a basic right for all of it's citizens, and put it's money where it's mouth is.

Cellphone infrastructure graphs look almost identical, with Canada paying 2 or 3 times more than the US on average. Recently the CRTC auctioned off another commercial radio spectrum for use in wireless communication. The range was purchased by an international company called Globalive for $442 million. My understanding was that the money was placed into general government coffers instead of being used to improve nationwide data infrastructure.

The best part, is that the CRTC (acting on a complaint from Bell and Telus) ruled that Globalive didn't have enough Canadian ownership, so they are not going to be allowed to act as a telecom in Canada. The end result: $442 million was removed from the Telecom industry with no benefit to research or abundance, and we still only have 3 telecoms which continue to gouge us on price. Good thing the CRTC is on our side, eh?

The CRTC has also failed to defend Net Neutrality principles (essentially, every packet is worth the same as every other packet).

Net neutrality is important because without legislation supporting it, ISP's can throttle certain kinds of traffic (peer-to-peer, video streaming, etc.) as well as block access to certain websites (such as when Telus blocked access to their Union's website during the strike), or allow large corporations to pay for 'priority' traffic.

Priority traffic would mean that access to a news site like Fox News, or CNN would run at full speed, while small blogs would be throttled much slower or not be available at all, depending on which tiered package the consumer bought. The NDP and Liberals have both submitted bills for Net Neutrality which died on the floor following the dissolution of the 39th parliament by Harper.

Long story short, welcome to Canada! Home of the slow growing, expensive, aging, and unfair telecom giants!

Alberta Flu Shots part of privitztion program.

Underfund; under staff; close facilities and tell the population private is the only way to go! This is good thinking as a Conservative.

Flu Shots are slow to start in Alberta putting pressure on unusually few facilities. This has caused Pharmacies like London Drug to charge a reported 18.00 per shot for standard flu shots. They (London Drugs) explain they asked the Government for the coin and were refused.

In keeping with this plan, a major grocery chain is also giving flu shots but for 12.00.

Most countries instruct people to stay away from crowded situations as the first line of defense. Some suggest their populations wear face masks in public.

In order to force their privatization envelope one step forward Alberta has forced people into long crowded lineups or forced them to wait in halls and large rooms a couple hundred people at a time. Some are sneezing, sweating and living the life in an enclosed space.

I would not be surprised at all to hear stats that Alberta tops canada with the number of sick and dead this year. All because of policy, not medicine!

Those of you who voted Conservative must surly be shaking your heads now? And if you think those very extreme people in the Wild Rose Party are going to give you any relief you have been very misguided!

Alberta Oil-The world has changed!

This came to me from a respected source so will publish as is: The new technology referred to is the use of Carbon Dioxide as a solvent to free the oil. The CO2 comes back out of the hole when oil is recovered. This is why I say taxpayer paying for carbon sequestration is a farce!

Here's an interesting read, important and verifiable information :
About 6 months ago, the writer was watching a news program on oil and
one of the Forbes Bros. was the guest. The host said to Forbes, "I am going to
ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer; how much oil does
the U.S. have in the ground?"

Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "more than all the Middle East put together."

Please read below.
The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since 1995) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota, western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana ..... check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable... at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5..3 trillion.." says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst."When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea."

This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years," reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin, but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' It stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada.

For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves.... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from 2006!

U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006
Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted.

With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling? They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders,than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
- and it's all right here in the Western United States .

HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy.....WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.

Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price - even with this find? Think again! It's all about the competitive marketplace, - it has to. Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?

Got your attention yet? Now, while you're thinking about it, do this:Pass this along. If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you complain about gas prices - by doing NOTHING, you forfeit your right to complain.
--------
Now I just wonder what would happen in this country if every one of you
sent this to every one in your address book.

Nursing Professional lights up Stelmach and Company

To:
Mr. Ron Liepert
Mr. Ed Stelmach,
Dr. S Duckett

Dear Mr. Liepert,
I heard your confession on television about making a mistake in your communication concerning the plans for health care. That isn’t where I saw the mistake. Your communication was clear to me and many others. Perhaps in your own mind it wasn’t. So allow to share with some ideas you may want to think about.

Many of us professionals see the huge mistake in hiring high paid foreigners who have contributed zilch in this province, instead of listening to front line workers, doctors and nurses right in our own back yard. To think we don’t have skilled people here is unrealistic and incredibly arrogant.

I read Vision 2020. The goals sound good to those who don’t know. but they are so broad that guidelines for those goals aren’t only difficult to narrow down because of their broad range, but there are many directions those guidelines could go within those goals. So that isn’t reassuring to those who know about goal setting and drafting guidelines.

I question replacing registered nurses with more LPN’s.

I do not underestimate the work LPN’s do and there is a very valuable roll for them in the health care system. However, there are limits to their scope of knowledge just as there are limits in the scope of knowledge for example between a medical doctor and a registered nurse just in the quantitative versus qualitative aspects of the education itself.

My reason for questioning this is that the acuity of patients in hospitals has grown very dramatically and requires highly skilled professionals whose knowledge and expertise goes beyond the scope you are recommending. Enclosed is an article I wrote before I left my career in the nineties with the same attrition as is again proposed and which left a big hole in deleting highly experienced staff. I was one of those people. I would like you to read the attached article of just one 36 hour day on a ward- without overtime. Then tell me, which one of those situations of acuity could have been handled by an LPN? This kind of situation has now become the normal situation for most nurses in hospitals. That role cannot be replaced and still provide quality.

Premier Ed, Mr. Liepert and Dr. Duckett, do not under estimate the acuity of patients today. The ones that are in hospital are there mostly because they can’t go home, a clinic or a day ward, and are too ill. They are there because they need to be (except for those who need long term care beds).

My daughter on the other hand was a new grad from the university and left for the USA to get a job in the nineties. She received 3 awards for excellence in nursing since then. We educated her and lost her ICU experience, and as a family we lost a daughter, a sister, grand daughter, cousin and niece, possibly forever unless this province has some incentive in recruiting back our professionals.

How is this government going to retain nurses and doctors that get educated here? If you let go of senior staff through attrition, and many will take it because they have “had it”, and if young don’t start their career here, how is that going to encourage a career in health care for the future for both nurses and doctors?

We need an environment in this province that fosters excitement in health, sciences and research with encouragement for health care professionals to stay in the province because it is a wonderful career.

Your government is building the Edmonton Clinic across from the University of Alberta Hospitals. How do you plan to staff this place?
.
We need more public medi centres or public health clinics that people can go to even after hours so as not to burden emergency wards.

We need more quality home care if you want to really keep people in their homes.

Front line doctors and nurses need to be part of the plan for decisions in alternatives.

We need to establish prevention through a Public Primary Care Network with proper assessment of needs and education.
This could include seniors, diabetics and others with chronic diseases who may need this type of care.

Special clinics for bone, joint and many other procedures has proven to reduce wait times in a huge way. Don’t cut it and don’t privatize it.
My medical and nursing colleagues from England and Australia do not want a P3 system here.

Dynalife should not have a monopoly on lab work,
They are sucking money out of the system and out of the country.

Do not assume that pastoral care for people in crises can be turned over to other professionals. It is a different art and science form

When a family has lost a loved one, or the sudden death of their child, when someone is facing a fatal diagnosis, when staff are in tears because of the horrendous difficulties they often face,( we are human also) it is the pastoral or grief professionals that are there in an entirely different capacity than doctors, nurses, social workers or even clergy that have an outside church. Their training and education for this role is different. These people are on call 24/7. They are there to pick up the pieces and the spiritual healing of the soul. Health care is more than physical physiology. And to assume that anyone else can do that job is lacking in knowledge.

Consider a possibility of replacing the now defunct health care premiums with long term care premiums. If it was a government run program instead of a private insurance company, it could have the same long term benefits as EI and CPP. Many people could not afford private Long Term Care Insurance. I pay as much as $220.00 a month for twenty years. In the event, I should need it for home care, assisted living, or other facility, I would only receive $2000.00 a month. An average senior in a long term care institution lives a mean average of 2 years. If I die before I use it, the insurance company keeps all the money. Twenty years at $220.00 a month equates to $52,800 profit not counting interest just from one person.

If the government had a cheaper program to replace health care premiums for everyone, there would be plenty of money in the pot for long term care. Every young person will get old or some may need support at a young age as a result of crippling illness, car, recreational or industrial accident which at present costs the tax payers millions.I am currently working with some of these young people in their 20’s.

Use highly experienced senior nurses as a bigger liaison between patient and doctor instead of getting rid of them.
I was a nurse clinician in a specialty area of Nephrology (physiology and diseases of the kidneys) with 34 years of experience from the pioneering stage of dialysis (second unit in the world next to Seattle) to the evolution of treatment over the years, teaching, and finally as a nurse clinician in the area of dialysis and renal transplantation.

I took 4th year medicine and worked under the supervision of the Nephrologists for a year first. It was very satisfying and saved them many hours of work after that. We worked as a team. I was able to see and assess the newly discharged transplant recipients while the doctors made rounds on the ward and would communicate with them after saving time for everyone. They still saw them regularly in clinic. Many senior Nephrology nurses and I knew what they didn’t. I knew all the patients thoroughly, all 800 of them. The doctors and junior staff relied on that knowledge and expertise from us “old senior birds”. It didn’t take away from what they needed to do. It added to the quality of care.

There has been talk in Ontario about Physicians Assistants. The scope of a nurse clinician or nurses who make cardiology, or surgery, or orthopaedics or any other area their specialty, the scope is much bigger with more education as they see the total picture of the person, the family, the community and the resources. Such experienced nurses could be a very added value in community settings and are a necessity in acute care hospitals for stability, continuity of care, teaching and research.

I know these are difficult times. I ask that you consider what I have just told you. Putting money in the right place will save money long term with a healthier society. Another slash and burn of the nineties will not be cost effective in the long run, and neither will private health care.

After you read my enclosed attachment, consider who you want to care for you, a well run public system or a deregulated private institution for profit? Pray they have a crash cart in the event of a cardiac arrest and that someone knows how to use it before they transfer you to the public hospital. There by the Grace of God go you.

Sincerely,
Professional Nurse

Stelmach "Keeping our resource competative"

The Republicans in the US hammered the taxpayers with a built in give away of resource revenue.

The current administration is reviewing these deals with a view to charging royalty along a line of what the resource is worth.

The rate that the Republicans put in was 19% US which happens to be the base for Alberta's resources under the Conservatives.

Deduct from this the Royalty in Kind paid in Bitumen and you see that we are hardly breaking even in this deal.

If you are thinking you will get anything better from the Wild Rose outfit you are sleeping.

Coal fly ash poisons water aquifers

According to Upper Watauga Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby's review of the data, all thirteen of the tested coal ash ponds were found to be leaking toxic heavy metals and other pollutants into nearby groundwater, including but not limited to: arsenic, boron, cadmium, chloride, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, pH and sulfate. In all, the analysis found 681 instances where levels of pollutants were in excess, ranging from 1.1 to 380 times higher than North Carolina's groundwater standard.

"The results of this data are very alarming, and we now know that some of these ponds have been leaking into the groundwater for years," said Lisenby. "We intend to call for further oversight and clean up of coal ash pond waste to prevent additional heavy metals and other toxins from being released into our groundwater and rivers."

Health Care Private Insurance confirmed by Stelmach

You heard him folks!

"We will look after the poor and the Seniors"

What he didn't fully say was the Seniors had to be poor to receive any Government subsidy on health care premiums. The rest of us are expected to purchase our own health care plans or badger our employers for "better" and "more" health care.

Remember the numbers they are using are not real; they drove up the health care costs with high wages and higher settlements.

I don't know what we can do about it now short of shooting them!

MINISTER'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

Survey Introduction

Laying the foundation for legislative reform

A message from the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health

Alberta's health system is governed by a complex web of legislation, regulation and contractual agreements. Some of our legislation dates back to the early 1900s and has become a barrier to improved care and innovation. (The legislation was a deliberate barrier protecting against privatization!)

That's why the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health is examining what an effective and responsive legislative framework could look like in today's – and tomorrow's – context.
Alberta's health system needs to better consider a patient-centred approach that places wellness, good health and the prevention of avoidable illness and injury in the forefront.

We need support for a broader array of health providers and health care settings. We have new care facilities, new health providers, new technologies, and new ways of providing care – Alberta needs renewed legislation that keeps pace. (New Health Care Providers are US style insurance companies on the march into Alberta and Canada)

Legislation can be a tool for transforming our health system. So how can we reshape our legislation in order to put the focus on wellness? How can it help us put patients' needs first? How can we capture the best that innovation can offer? And how do we do that while respecting and complying with the Canada Health Act and our desire for a publicly-funded, patient-centered system? (They have told us they intend to change the Canada Health Act so it conforms with their ideas of private medicine practice and coverage!)

Survey guide
• Please read the following guide before completing the online survey.
The need to update health legislation in Alberta (And in Canada!)

The Minister's Advisory Committee on Health met on two occasions to discuss what principles and themes a new health legislative framework should address. As a starting point, we would like to offer the following thoughts and ask for your input.

Albertans value a strong public health system. They want to know that they can access health services when they need them, regardless of income. They want a health system that delivers services in better ways and uses technology to improve outcomes. However, today's system has legislative and regulatory barriers that limit choice and prevent change. (Again, shylocks using verbiage to do away with the Canadian standard for health in a public system!)

For example:

• A funding structure that pays for prescription drugs in a nursing home but not in an assisted living or home setting;
• Barriers to enabling health providers to use all their training and competencies, for example, in primary care settings; (stopped now by funding and soon to allow hospitals to take on US patients in our hospitals!)
•
• Models that firstly fund and focus on care in hospitals and secondly at home or in the community; and (Take a lien of your home before treatment is offered)

• A fee structure that makes a routine prescription renewal a medical event rather than something done by a pharmacist. (Have you ever put up with the half hour lectures and arguments by a pharmacist to get even a physician prescription filled?)

This arises because historically, health legislation – and the system – has been organized primarily according to specific facilities or settings (e.g. hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) or providers (e.g. physicians) and focused more on the treatment of disease and injury than on wellness and prevention. (The structure of the legislation has been set up to stop publicly funded and built institutions from being used by private coverage to treat their patients-as in the case of looking for US insurance business for their Cardiac and other converges; Canada hospitals are public funded and cheaper than the comparable US hospital. Canada would be a savings for US insurance)

Today, we see health in a broader social context, more in line with the determinants of health as laid out by the World Health Organization, namely, that the things that make people healthy or not include their income and social status, education, physical environment, social support networks, genetics, access and use of health services, and their gender.1

Health legislation for the future must support this broader perspective and key transformations underway in health and health care. It should also encourage innovation and allow for the adoption of new technology and practices as they emerge. It needs to help us address the challenges before us. (As in MRI units built across the province and no staff hired to run them while keeping up waiting lists to foster dissent in the population!)


Challenges to the health system
Our health system needs to be structured to meet the challenges that lay ahead. These include:
• An aging population – Today's boomers will be tomorrow's seniors and will bring profound and enduring economic, social and political implications. The first baby boomers will reach age 65 in 2011. By 2031, it is projected that one in five Albertans, or 20 per cent of the population, will be seniors. This aging population will bring greater and greater demands on the health system.
(Seniors have proven to be in better general health than the average 40 year olds in the US and Canada)

• Population growth and diversity – As of June 2009, Alberta continues to have the highest year-over-year growth rate in Canada as a result of its high birth rate and continued interprovincial and international migration2. Alberta's aboriginal communities are also growing and experience higher than average rates of certain chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, renal disease, heart disease and mental illness. Furthermore, these communities experience access barriers to the health system due to cultural, social and financial factors. (All problems brought on by the unteathered and unplanned expansion of the tar sands)

• Health spending – Alberta has consistently spent more than the Canadian average on per capita and annual growth in health spending3, yet only has average outcomes in areas such as wait times and health service quality4.

Therefore, it is unclear if we are getting value for our spending in Alberta's health system. (There has never been an itemized accounting of health care expenses in this province! At the same time hospitals have been blown up. Built and not used and huge salaries paid and even larger settlements given to changing regimes. Multi Billions squandered by this Government is not health care it is mis management)

• Impact of chronic disease and injury – The incidence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory illness, mental health disorders and diabetes, are rising and account for 60 per cent of the health system's medical costs5. In Canada, the current cost of illness, disabilities and death due to chronic disease is $80 billion annually(Figures consider time lost at work etc not direct costs to health care)

6. Injuries are the leading cause of death for Albertans aged 1–44. Managing chronic disease and injury prevention is not solely a health system issue and requires collaboration across governments and all sectors of society. (Studies have shown much of the chronic ailments stem from sedentary life styles; lack of exercise)

• Dependency on facility based care – The majority of Alberta's hospitals and long-term care centres are operating above capacity and are not always the appropriate setting for the patients for which they are caring. However, the system is unable to readily transition patients out of these facilities and into community based care alternatives where appropriate because there is limited capacity available. (Ongoing short funding has caused bed closing which in turn lowers the capacity of the hospitals. Quirky numbers being used)

• Increased utilization of health technologies – Technologies are developed to solve a problem and improve quality of life. They are an indispensable component of the health system in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease and disability.

They also have the potential to be effective in avoiding health system costs, but only if used appropriately. Policies for the selection and management of new technologies must be based on scientific evidence and best practice; otherwise, health technologies can quickly become a significant cost driver while not necessarily providing for better health outcomes. (Here we go folks; they will take your house before you get a new treatment!)

• Supply and diversity of our health workforce – Health is labour intensive; in fact, Alberta Health Services spends over 70 per cent of its budget on staff salaries.(Again there is no accounting of spending-Massive severance packages come under salaries)

By the year 2020, it is projected that Alberta's health system will not have enough nurses or family physicians to meet the needs of the population. While strategies are needed to increase supply in these areas, consideration of the expanded role of other health providers is required. (An introduction into nurses union busting)

Over the past two decades, Alberta has seen a significant increase in the diversity of health professionals, such as respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners, paramedics and mental health workers. These highly educated professionals potentially could take on a larger role in the provision and coordination of health services through expanded scopes of practice. (Alberta has forced a system of reference onto Physicians. The physician refers you to a specialist and gets extra coin as does the specialist. The specialist refers patients back to the physician again for more bucks)

• Insufficient emphasis on public health – Public health is the collection of programs, services, policies and regulations that together focus on keeping the whole of the population healthy. Currently, more emphasis is placed on improving the health care or healing system rather than focusing on activities that keep us from becoming sick or getting sicker. (We do not need a private system to exercise more and eat better!)

• Limited health literacy – Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, evaluate and communicate information as a way to promote, maintain and improve health in a variety of settings. It is an essential step in managing and advocating for one's health. Research indicates that persons with limited health literacy skills are more likely to skip preventative measures, making them more susceptible to illness, higher rates of hospitalization and ultimately, higher health care costs. Strategies such as engaging health providers to assist in educating patients and early health emphasis in schools have increased health literacy. This results in improved maintenance of one's health, lower rates of hospitalization and ultimately, lower health care costs.


A discussion about principles for renewed health legislation

As Alberta's health system evolves and adopts new ways of delivering care and models that put patients and their families at the centre of their care, what principles need to be embedded or maintained in order to ensure that we protect and sustain what matters most in our health system?

In its Terms of Reference, the Committee was given two principles as a starting point for its deliberations –

1. The public health system will serve the interests of all Albertans regardless of their ability to pay; and (Ability to pay key here- if you make more than 20,000 per year you have enough to pay your own in health care- enter private insurance)

2. Access to publicly funded health care services will be fair and effective. (This means limited, fair in the Conservative world means your income is 20,000 or below!)

Another way of describing those principles is patient-centered, publicly-funded and accessible. Albertans along with other Canadians value the national framework of health services available on the basis of need, not ability to pay, linking provincial health systems with the principles in the Canada Health Act. What about quality and safety as principles? A focus on wellness? (Again the deceit :Talk Canada Health Act as it is now then, change the Canada Health Act! If there was any honesty they would tell us what exactly they want to change in the Canada Health Act and, what they want to delist in services! Ability to pay means in the final form they take a lien on your home if you do not have private insurance. Just look to the US system they are trying to emulate!)

As a starting point, we need to ask ourselves what might the guiding principles for a new legislative framework be? Do the principles below provide a starting point? What other principles need to be embedded in a new legislative framework? What would you change or add?

Examples of principles
1. Publicly funded and consistent with the Canada Health Act, including the principles of public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability and accessibility.

o The principles of the Canada Health Act embody many of the values that Albertans and Canadians expect from the health system. While the Canada Health Act focuses on what are termed "medically necessary" services – primarily hospitals and physician fees – Alberta’s publicly funded health system covers a much broader range of health services and the principles within the Canada Health Act have come to mean more than when originally drafted. (Here we go again, they are talking of the Canada Health Act as it is now and their intention is to change it to fit their privatize programs)

2. Committed to quality, including acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency and safety.

3. The Health Quality Council of Alberta has developed a quality matrix outlining the dimension of quality in health. They include the six dimensions of quality included in the proposed quality principle. Sustainability is embedded in these dimensions; a quality system is a sustainable system. (This is what we have now with no changes)

4. Focused on wellness and public health.

o It can be said that what we have now is a disease system and that our approach needs to be fundamentally rethought so that public policy and priority is given to initiatives that will support healthy and resilient people, families and communities. (This is what we have now!)

5. Patient-centered across a full and integrated continuum of health services, from health to end of life. (If you don't have the cash earlier than you might think!)

o Focusing on what works for people and their care journey improves access and outcomes. A full continuum of care looks at health needs throughout a person’s life, including prenatal through to continuing care and palliative care (We have this now under the public system; when it goes private you have only what you can put up the cash for!)

6. Protective of infirm and vulnerable Albertans.
o A critical measure of the health system is how it cares for the most ill and vulnerable. (This crew is a breath away from compulsory euthanasia!)

7. Accessible to all Albertans regardless of ability to pay.

8. Albertans believe that need, not ability to pay, is a fundamental part of the social network in Canada. (This is what we have now, they are going to change it!)

9. Decision-making based on the best evidence available that enables the right care, in the right place, at the right time and by the right provider.

o Use of up-to-date evidence to determine what health services are delivered, how they are delivered, and where and by whom, will help lead to better health outcomes for Albertans and better use of the time and skills of providers and other health resources. (Nancy Bethowsky format; chewing gum for the mind!)


A discussion about themes for renewed health legislation
In its discussions around what key transformations should be enabled by new legislation, the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health discussed the importance of a system focused on wellness, one that helps build resilience in Albertans, families and communities, and one that puts patients and their families at the centre of their care.

The following themes outline broad policy areas that could support a patient-centred health system for the future. Do these themes reflect the changes that you think should happen? Would you change any of them? We want to know what themes you would propose – and why.

Optimizing the competencies and capacity of all health service providers (As in changing the Canada Health Act)

Stelmach rejects royalty-loss warning

The US Interior Department's inspector general found exactly the same thing Mr. Dunn found!

Stelmach's views are strictly there to discredit Mr. Dunn while propping up a dysfunctional system.

SUBJECT TO MANIPULATION the US view on payment in kind.

Salazar said the program "has been a blemish on the department" and has "created problems and ethical lapses" among those who managed it.

At a recent House committee hearing, Salazar said, "It's time for us to end the royalty-in-kind program." About half of the oil and gas royalties come through the in-kind program, and Salazar said that would be phased out over a period of time to make an orderly transition.

The credibility of MMS offices responsible for the royalty-in-kind program was undermined last year when the Interior Department's inspector general found evidence that at least 13 employees were involved in unethical behavior such as rigging contracts, working part-time as private oil consultants and having sexual relationships with - and accepting golf and ski trips and dinners from - oil company employees.

The inspector general's report cited a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" involving a small group of individuals "wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to government ethical standards."
+
A STRAIGHT QUOTE FROM ANDREW NIKIFORUK

The United States has the U.S Government Accounting Office (GAO) along with the U.S Congressional Research Authority. Both groups make valuable information and policy analysis available to the public. The GAO, for example, reported on Alberta's low royalty rates in a 2007 global comparison of oil royalties months BEFORE Alberta's royalty review panel and Alberta's Auditor General came out with similar findings.


That's what Alberta needs now.

Alberta Health Care is a National Problem!

Alberta announced they would open the Canada Health Act to make changes allowing them to further privatize medicine in this province!

This is a Federal Jurisdiction. The Feds would have to get the Provinces on board before they would attempt this.

Not one of the Provinces raised an alarm nor did any of the other political parties!

We have pretty much a wall to wall Conservative government in Canada at this time. BC has a government that claims to be Liberal but is every bit as right wing as is the Alberta Tories.

This means all the Provinces are in agreement as are all the political parties!

It follows then we have only the choice to make provincially and nationally who we want dealing our health care and our NAFTA.

I include NAFTA in this article because trucks are moving loads of water in bulk to the US now and it is against Canadian law.

What was Ralph Klein Hiding?

Days before he left office, Ralph Klein made changes to Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that put a five-year blackout on ministerial briefing documents and other records that show how he mismanaged the Province for more than a dozen years. Klein also put into place a cloak of findings of internal audits for 15 years in order to keep from Albertans a full accounting of how he spent our money.

If Ed Stelmach really believes in more transparency in the Alberta government, he should change the FOIPPA back to the way it was before Klein buried the records. What are you hiding from us Ralph?

Alberta should not complain about Abscan and the Liberals! The biggest problems are ongoing here in Alberta!

Jack Layton: Political opportunists

Jack Layton is going to sell out Canadians and the Public Health Service in order to protect his personal increase in pensions due him from the House of Commons.

Even NDs should have cause to look at what they have, in my opinion, for an arrogant self centered egotist.

Agreement with A conservative- who would have guesed?

Mr. Ken Chapman has commented on a post in the Calgary Herold where I said Alberta Royalty started out as the lowest in the world and then went down from there.

Ken Chapman
September 11, 2009 - 1:50

cyberclark - royalties are rents not taxes. Very different things and all are legitimate charges
citiznes are entitled to as owners of the resources.
Jobs last as long as the companies decide - not us as citizens and
resource owners. Income taxes requires an income and that is not
happening as much these days and commodity prices are volatile so
the owner's revenues are lower.

That is Albertans sharing the risks but we don't seem to get the
full benefits of the rewards we are entitled to in good times.
According to the Auditor General Alberta Energy doesn't have
the manpower or other capacity to calculate the oilsands royalties,
never mind collect them. As for conventional rates,
I get the sense the companies phone it in whenever they feel
like paying. The whole thing is sloppy and citizens are getting screwed.

To make it worse, the PC government just denied the Auditor General the
extra budget this year to finish off his investigation on royalites
to see if Albertans were getting our legal entitlement. The OWNERS
are not amused.

Proposed Power lines costs go sky high!

Power line costs are expected to go as high as 200.00 per month for individual homes. 1.3 million homes in Alberta times 200.00 per month - you play with the zeros.

Power lines are heavily financed. Any number of generation plants and power lines fell by the way side in the US when the interest rates went sky high under Nixon. It seems like a long time ago but the deals put in at that time are still being paid for!

If the costs of today's numbers are based on today's rates of 1/4% we are well and truly in deep trouble. Think of it! If the bank rates go up to 5% which they most certainly will at some point, the interest charged on those power lines will be 100 times higher than they are now.

I think it is fair for Albertans to ask for some figures on the "estimates".

Canada Health Act- What it does.

I'm getting questions about why the Canada Health Act is important. Here is a short version.

The Act enables the regulations.

Act does not allow hospitals to take on US insurance patients. This, is exactly why the Conservatives built the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and this is why it was empty for so long.

US Insurance companies have long viewed Canada as being a cheaper place to send their patients mostly because taxpayers pay for building the hospitals and in one way or another, cover the staffing.

The Act states which services are covered in Health Care in Canada. The Conservatives have a long list of services to be delisted from health care but, they need the act opened and changed to do this!

And finally the whole thing stinks! I have used the statement "Our public health care system is about to be changed to private by political chicanery!" because I am very sure the other premiers in Canada were on side with this change. Alberta has done a job on them too!

It remains that if Harper is booted out of office, the process comes to an end. However with Layton playing coy on an election, that is to support or not support Harper, I would think he is on side with this program too.

Alberta Oil Exports to Increase!

Another 800.000 BBL per day pipelines is going to build. ENMAX has a second 800,000 bbl per day going into Chicago; should be ready in November.

In addition the pair to Alberta Clipper another 900,000 BBL per day is under construction to the Gulf States.

That is 2.5 million BBL per day that has yet to be filled.

Where is the oil coming from? When is it coming? Who is building what and when?

Meanwhile; the cheapest oil royalty rates in the US are still higher than what Alberta is charging!

We really cannot afford Conservatives in this province! Our resource is non renewable and is going below costs!

Alberta Healthcare -Ready to kill Canadian Public Health

The Alberta Conservatives are desperately looking for a scenario that will allow them to turn the Canada Health Act into a guideline rather than a law.

Certainly they have the support of Stephen Harper in this; health care has been the Conservative holy grail of privatization for many years.

Harper supports the opening of the Canada Health Act. When this is done anything can be changed. Their program is not about de-listing services; it is about doing away with the Canada Health Act which will effect every province and the country as a whole.

Alberta trying to change Canada Health Act to De-List Services

Alberta Conservatives have declared their intention to change the Canada Health Act in order to de-list health services.

Meanwhile they have legislation in place to allow US Health Care Companies to sell insurance in Alberta.

Mr. Duckett was hired from Queensland Australia where he was instrumental in bringing the US health coverage companies into Australia. This was called "building partnerships".

The word from Australia is do not let them in; your state coverage is greatly reduced and you cannot get rid of them!

The Canada Health Act must be changed by the Federal Government. If the Conservatives are sitting at the time (between October and December of this year) the Canada Health Act will be changed dramatically by the Conservatives.

The Liberals have made it clear they have no intention of changing the Canada Health Act and have defended it over time. If the Liberals can unseat the Conservatives it will be the end of the Alberta plan.

Now is the time as never before for Alberta to vote Liberal in the next Federal Election!

Alberta Electricity-4.1 billion in indirect taxation

A study commissioned by the Province of British Columbia on the merits of privatization has been put forward.

This study tells us how much we have paid in indirect taxation to Edmonton and Calgary. The number is a staggering 4.1 billions dollars.

That is 3/4 of an annual budget collected on electricity alone as a utility bill rather than the indirect tax that it is! Alberta's low tax regime is still another lie!

Certainly there must be some Conservatives out there shaking their heads and, there must be a bunch of people out there who thought it was not worth while to vote, rethinking their decision?

Alberta Insider Trading Opportunities

Alberta pays power line construction at 15% cost plus.

Alberta power line construction is pegged at 16 billion dollars.

15% of 16 billion is 2.4 billion dollars

There were no public bids; There were no public announcements. Yet, members of the legislature knew that 2 companies were going to get the contracts ahead of any public disclosure.

I find it very difficult to believe some members did not rush out and buy stocks in the two companies before the announcement was made public. By not making the windfall profits to these companies public knowledge they further prevented the general investors from being invited to the table.

That is serious coin going to insiders!

This same scenario is prevalent in all this Governments' transactions. When bids are asked for the winners are seldom published. The unsuccessful bidders are never published nor are their bids. The latter with 1 exception when last challenged on this site.

Alberta Electricity-Indirect Taxation at its best.

Stelmach tells us there will be no sales tax on his watch. He is proud to say Alberta has the lowest taxes in Canada. He fails to say they ramp up utility charges so the cities can get revenue from that source, rather than the Government. When this is considered, I would think Alberta's tax rate is higher than most states.

The headlines today read to the effect companies are leaving Alberta because of high energy prices. Companies have been leaving Alberta ever since they privatized the electricity! Goaded with "Oil or nothing policy" because of their constant failures in creating business they actually opted for energy and nothing else.

Now, we have nothing. The Conservative Government is broke; a complete and abysmal failure! In hindsight I would call it criminal. Time and again I have said it is difficult to distinguish this Government from Organized Crime.

In 2007 I wrote a couple of electrical articles. They seem to have been right on the money!
Search the blog for "Electrical" you will find a small volume of warnings.

The indirect taxation by municipalities by ramping up electrical and water bills is not a new thing. Devon recently raised water prices 25%, because they could. Cities across Canada and the US got into this about 8 years ago. However, no one has taken it to the extreme that Alberta has!

Every dollar the cities take out of utilities as profit is a dollar the province does not have to put back into the city programs. That in turn is 1 dollar more they can reduce the royalty rates.

Add to this shell game the real price of new power lines for export of electricity and you have some big bills coming your way but, that is not all of the story.

The Conservatives have denied the export marker forever. We are all blind and stupid in their minds.

The whole thrust of the power thing has been for power export to the US and this Government has ever admitted this. They continue to flounder under mismanagement.
The US as of 3 years ago stated they needed 70,000 MW of new power generation by 2020. By comparison Alberta is 12,000 MW. Any power built in the US is that much less power to be imported from Canada. It is a sweet export market!

In today's news the US power generation build has slowed down because of the recession. That said, there is still 43,000 MW of generation under construction now.
Ontario and Quebec are ramping up generation to meet this market. There are about 2 dozen power export companies in Canada working this market.
Looking at how quickly the new production is coming on line I would guess that Alberta has missed this market; still another loss for Albertans

Down the hall, Saskatchewan is opting to build one or two nuclear plants of which the Province ( Saskatoon’s Cameco Corp.) will own 30% or more. This is one of the best investments made of any of the provinces.

For those of you who voted Conservative or did not vote at all; you deserve this. The rest of us do not deserve the beating.

Alberta Upgraders - Game over!

The state-owned energy companies in Mexico and Venezuela are falling behind in oil production. Consequently, they are supplying progressively less crude to major refineries in the Southern United States. Refineries in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana are becoming more and more depending on supplies from Alberta's Oil Sands. This may not be quite the bonanza that it seems however due to a quirk of segmentation in oil production.

Bitumen has historically been about 30% cheaper than crude oil. In the past, this has provided an incentive to upgrade Bitumen where it is found. But due to the decline in supply from Mexico and Venezuela, the prices gap has narrowed considerably. The return on bitumen is approaching the price of crude oil.

Bitumen has historically been about 30% cheaper than crude oil. In the past, this has provided an incentive to upgrade bitumen where it is found. But due to declines in supply from Mexico and Venezuela, the price gap has narrowed considerably. The return on bitumen is approaching the price of crude oil. This lowers the profit on upgrading it.

Therefore, some major producers in Alberta are opting to ship bitumen to existing upgraders in the US south and postpone their own plans. This is a big disappointment for construction and energy sector workers for the provincial government. Many of the higher-end jobs are in refining. This is also where most "value added" occurs.

Alberta History 3- The camp grounds and parks.

Up until this crew came into office, Alberta's camp grounds were all public. They were quite probably the very best in Canada!

Millions of Federal monies and more millions of Provincial monies had been put into the camp grounds to install showers, build various buildings, build piers and various other first class improvements.

A large portion of the money from the Federal Government was put into the camp grounds just prior to their being sold.

As usual the Government opened the doors for bids for the camp grounds. As is their lack of business practice, the camp grounds, totally improved, were sold for pennies on the dollar of value.

As usual there were never any names published as to who bought the camp grounds and for how much. Nor were there any figures published on the bids that were put in that didn't get selected.

To put it in one line; "All the camp grounds in Alberta were sold to Torrie insiders at a fraction of their worth"

This scenario is a standard business operation for this crew even today!

In Alberta there is no sense putting in bids on anything as the parties who are going to get the property or chattel are already selected and know what price to bid.

For those of you who think Conservatives are the only way to vote should give your heads a shake. You are not on their buddy list.

Alberta's image formed by Conservative lies.

Alberta History 2

How did the Conservatives manage to get away with so much for so long? For years the Alberta Conservatives beat their drums with the same old story (and still do); the bad guys from the east are going to eat us alive!

The National Energy Program was the best thing that ever happened to the Alberta Conservative. It allowed them to build a pyramid of lies and misrepresentations that lasts until today.

The National Energy Program "NEP" was brought in by the Trudeau Liberals in 1981. It was signed by Peter Laugheed Premier of Alberta at that time who had reviewed it thoroughly and agreed after protests, boycotts, and court challenges.

The NEP had 3 purposes:
1. Increase Canadian content in the oil industry by giving incentives to Canadian companies.
2. Keep the price of oil bellow the world price to protect consumers.
3. Tax oil exports to increase the federal share of the profits.

All of these would effect the revenue of the Oil Companies who had put the Conservatives into power in Alberta.

At the time of the NEP Canada did not control its own oil! However after the NEP was in place for 2 years, control of the oil industry rose from 25% to 50%. It also left Canada more resilient to world events, more self-reliant, and getting a larger profit from the pie OPEC baked.

The real harm to the finance at the time was not the NEP however, it was a situation very similar to what we are going through now. The oil industry in the States tanked at the same time and the NEP did not cause the world price of oil to fall. Trudeau was willing to renegotiate the NEP on multiple occasions as the price of oil fell.

Meanwhile the real problem took hold; inflation took hold and interest rates went through the roof; above 20% on mortgages! The cost of borrowing was close to 25% of the business income. Oil supply businesses went bankrupt. Unemployment shot up as business across the country (not just this Province) failed and all the while the Alberta Conservatives were burning up the media telling the world it was all the fault of the NEP.

During this time as the price of oil fell, Trudeau renegotiated the federal take on oil several times as the price of oil dropped to the floor, as did Lougheed.

Yes, the Alberta conservatives blamed it all, in total on the NEP and the Liberals. They did not bother to tell Albertans that in the 1930s, Ontario bailed out Alberta and kept the province from declaring bankruptcy!

This BS flew so well they spent another several years saying Quebec was getting a far better deal than Alberta and that difference was the cause of our problems. Ralph Klein especially would sing out hate and dissent against Quebec at every opportunity. The Physic of the Alberta population was not so different then as it is now. The person from the next village or city is considered a foreigner and Quebec is just the ogre someplace east that is waiting to do us in.

Albertans feel in their minds there is no choice in the political scheme. There is only Conservative even if the crew takes the bread off their table and drives them into poverty as is the case now.

So all the years have passed and the children still "know" the NEP and the Liberals did them in. All because of carefully orchestrated lies and misleading by the Alberta Conservatives who found they exercise so good they find it hard to stop.

Outright on going lies told time and time again has been the main stay for the Alberta Conservatives all told to the populace for whom they have absolutely no respect, laughing at their backward ways when in private.

Alberta Conservative History 1

Electrical power lines sold at a value of 1 cent on the dollar. The end of the Alberta Advantage.

The golden Alberta owned its own power lines. Municipalities received money for the power lines that went through their towns. Some towns had more power lines than others hence a better revenue base.

This started to change with the Conservatives decided to privatize the electrical industry in Alberta.

They told people it was unfair for one town to receive more money from power lines than the next town. To fix this and give every school an equipped computer room so the schools would be on the same footing, the Government would take control of all the power lines. In doing so All Albertans would be share ownership and responsibility for all power lines in the province.

Short funding of schools created a disparity in funding that seen all schools wanting for computer equipment. This was a fix that was welcomed by the voting parents around the province.

The Government then mandated the power generation companies could not own the transmission lines. If they owned them they would have to divest themselves of the lines or the generation facility.

All the generation wattage would be sold on public market. To this end the Government created Power Purchase Agreements. While this was going on so called brown outs of power circulated the province and, we were told privatizing the power was the way to fix it.

The idea is you could have the option to buy the generation from any of the power plants. Some power plants on coal were making money while others on Natural Gas were losing an arm and a leg. Parties bought the PPAs quickly for those profitable sites but, not the non profitable.

The Conservatives have always been in bed with the insurance companies. In this case the companies that were losing money were picked up by the Power Group of which Great West Life is a subsidiary. We know insurance companies do not invest to lose money so the question has to be asked “How much is Alberta paying the Power Corp to carry this paper?

Unnamed parties bought the PPA these were reported flipped by the new owners not once but up to three times, each time pocking more cash; each time driving up the cost of electricity. This was not so strange for uncaring Alberta voters as the Conservatives asked for bids, never divulged who bid or who the running up bidders were. On has to wonder why companies who vie for business in Alberta would even bother to bid!

Now, EPCORE and ENMAX own most of the power generation and count on the money they receive from these organizations run the city business. If the prices of electricity are curtailed, taxes will most certainly go up.

Now, with Albertan’s owning all the power lines equally we as consumers end up paying an unreasonable percentage of the new construction for the upgraders to name one.

The bottom line is the deal cost the Alberta Taxpayer 6 billions of dollars for which there is no return.

More segments to follow.

Billions for Carbon Capture:Report 2

The graphic is great. It shows all the POSSIBLITIES but does not show the projected traffic. More especially it shows that the gas can be metered as to where it is going and what it is being used for!

The majority of carbon dioxide is going down hole into existing oil fields to scarf oil and return it to the surface. Oil that is brought up like this is saturated with Carbon Dioxide and there is a large amount of carbon dioxide escapes back into the atmosphere before after and during the recovery of oil. Carbon Dioxide tucked into the Saline Aquifer, stays there.

In Saskatchewan, reports of carbon dioxide escaping ahead of the oil giving the sound of a jet engine and running for hours before the oil shows up is a repeated report.

In Montana they are starting a carbon capture into an underground natural dome which has no oil. In this case they are building a pipeline from the dome to the shale formation to use it to recover oil as they are doing in Weyburn.

It follows, companies take a carbon credit when it goes down the hole. There is no accounting of when it comes up again and no one has any intention of metering or public disclosure.

Recovery of costs for the Alberta scenario is based on the increased price of power when we are already paying the highest prices in north America.

Or, by reducing oil royalty which, is the lowest in the world already.

We cannot afford any more Conservatives!

Carbon capture to cost Billions:Alberta Report

The present plan is for carbon to be collected at 3 sites, one of which is electrical generation. Once collected it is shipped down a pipeline (still to be built) into the mature oil field in the centre of Alberta.

When injected there it will be used as a solvent to extract more oil from the strata. When this new oil comes to the surface it does so saturated with new carbon dioxide and is propelled to the surface by carbon dioxide which is released again into the atmosphere.

The present plan for this is for the taxpayer to pay for the construction of the new plants through user fees and through advanced electrical rates. On electrical rates we are presently paying the highest rates in North America.

Other funding will come from still further reduced royalty rates. Presently at 19% Canadian they are the lowest in the world already. BC and Saskatchewan are collecting 30% US dollars.

There will be no relief from this Government! Nor will there be any relief from the Wild Rose Association who by definition are more extreme than the present Conservatives and that is hard to take!

Time to wake up Alberta! I for one have had enough of Conservative and, I really cannot afford any more.

Alberta worming out of upgraders

The Calgary Herald and Deborah Yeldin is the ink barrel for the Alberta Conservatives. Their article, Bitumen-processing rationale needs an upgrade can only be a direct quote from the Government. It was after all, the consensus of opinion when they started this BS to get elected.

Bitumen-processing rationale needs an upgrade
By Deborah Yedlin, Calgary HeraldJuly 22, 2009
The provincial government, despite advice to the contrary, is forging ahead with its bitumen-in-kind initiative as a way to increasing the amount of bitumen processed in Alberta. The latest step toward achieving this goal came in the form of a draft request for proposal soliciting comments from industry released Tuesday.

The intent, of course, is to kick-start the moribund upgrading projects that have been iced in recent months, thanks to high costs, lower prices and more capacity for upgrading and processing in the United States.

By being able to supply a stand-alone upgrader (can you say Northwest Upgrading?) through this policy, the government will make good on an election promise to see more value-added to Alberta's natural resources --in this case, bitumen.

But the entire idea remains misguided and ill-advised.

Let's start with the fact that if the economics made sense, there would be more upgrading going on in the province, not less. Access to the bitumen molecules is not the problem--there are other issues preventing this from happening.

Point 1: It's cheaper to modify and expand existing facilities instead of building them from scratch. And this is exactly what's been going on south of the border. Capacity has increased as a result of refineries reconfiguring themselves to handle the increasingly heavier barrels being produced in North America, as well as the fact there isn't as much crude flowing from Mexico and Venezuela and finding its way into the U. S. facilities. More capacity means lower processing fees, even with the cost of sending it south.

There's also the advantage of being closer to markets that gives the economics a boost.

The reality is if the market thought it could compete with that, more upgraders would be moving ahead in Alberta; but that's not the case.

"These decisions are usually made by the market," said David Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

"I understand the government's desire to increase investment in the province, but it needs to be mindful of the potential downside of market intervention."

And it's market intervention that is the second factor that should cause anyone in the energy business to be very worried; this includes pipelines as much as it does producers.

As things look right now, the initiative is aimed at companies whose operations are not integrated in Alberta. This potentially means companies the likes of En-Cana, with agreements to upgrade bitumen in the U. S., could be negatively affected by this policy.

It also could have an adverse impact on pipeline companies committed to building capacity to ship the bitumen into the U. S.

Either way, it's not good from a free market perspective; any time there is market intervention, the consequence is market distortion.

Nor do these undertakings necessarily play out the way they were initially intended.

Anyone with a bit of grey hair out there will remember all too well the outcome involving the last provincially owned upgrader; the jointly owned Lloydminster upgrader was ultimately sold to Husky--and not for a price that remotely covered the cost of construction and operating it up to that point.

The third factor to consider is that more upgrading in the province will increase greenhouse gas emissions. Given the direction in which climate change policy is headed, one has to question why the Alberta government would move in this direction.

Finally, there is the issue of managing the commodity price risk associated with the policy.

The economics of stand-alone upgraders -- those that depend on bitumen being supplied by other producers -- is difficult at the best of times. See aforementioned reference to Lloydminster.

Whether the facility makes money is dependent on what is known as the differential between light and heavy oil.

This differential--also known as the discount to which the price of a barrel trades relative to the benchmark light crude--varies according to refining capacity.

If there is lots of capacity, the differential--or the discount-- is low. This means the barrels are more expensive because they can be processed. Conversely, if there is a shortage of capacity, there are more raw barrels and therefore the price falls.

This inherent volatility means these are tough businesses to finance--especially on a standalone basis.

Finally, while it's noble to want to create jobs in the province, it has to be pointed out that the job-intensive aspect of an upgrader is during construction; the facility doesn't require a huge labour force to keep it running. Moreover, didn't the province just announce a 12-person panel aimed at determining how to diversify the economy? By pushing this upgrading agenda, it appears the government might not be as committed to economic diversification as it wants the electorate to believe; this is clearly the easier route.

Alberta's oilpatch has already had enough challenges in the past 18 months and the last thing it needs is more uncertainty as a result of ill-conceived initiatives solely for political gain. The possibility of market distortion as a result of this policy will be one more reason for outsiders to stay away from investing in Alberta. Given the current economic climate, it's the last thing we need.

Alberta forcing seniors out of the province.

The Alberta Conservatives are doing every thing in their power to force Seniors to move from this province. They have been harassed and targeted with cuts. This isn't a bad novel it is what is happening!

For you younger people, your inheritance will be nothing when this Government gets through with your parents.

Liquor becomes part of Stelmach's Public Relations

Cancel the input on the liquor tax? They never intended to go with it in the first place! This was a grandee scenario; an in-house play to give Stelmach a chance to appear in a positive light. That's what paying millions to a PR company can do for you!

Car Rentals - Alberta

Beware of leaving the province or coming to the province in a rental vehicle! Alberta's new law is untested. They have put a cap on damages that can be collected from rental vehicles.

If you rent in Saskatchewan and drive to Alberta does the Alberta cap reign supreme? Leaving you stuck with the difference?

If you travel to BC from Alberta does the cap stay in place for a passenger? This means you most certainly face personal law suits.

Alberta Conservatives now protecting car rental agencies.

adding vehicle rental companies to the list of businesses for which third party liability will be capped. Is a quote from the list of changes in the new Alberta Traffic safety act.

Why they decided to cap damages on these guys is beyond me- they see a payoff someplace.

Alberta opens the door to private health insurance

The Alberta Gazette leaves the notation "more changes- new document to be produced shortly)"
This is really bad for Albertans. When will you see Conservative for what it is and vote otherwise?

Contract or self-insurance plan allowed under section 26 of Act
20(1) Pursuant to section 26 of the Act, an insurer shall not enter into or issue a contract or initiate a self‑insurance plan covering indemnification for the cost of basic health services or extended health services provided within Alberta except as otherwise provided in this section.
(2) An insurer may enter into or issue a contract or initiate a self‑insurance plan under which a resident is indemnified for
(a) the cost of chiropractic services provided to the resident by a chiropractor in excess of the amount that is payable in respect of each service under the Chiropractic Benefits Regulation,
(b) the cost of podiatric services provided to the resident by a podiatrist in excess of the amount that is payable in respect of each service under the Podiatric Benefits Regulation,
(c) the cost of optometric services provided to the resident by an optometrist in excess of the amount that is payable under the Optometric Benefits Regulation, or
(d) the cost of extended health services provided to the resident where those services are outside the limits prescribed in the Extended Health Services Benefits Regulation.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (2)(a), an insurer may enter into or issue a contract or initiate a self‑insurance plan under which a resident is indemnified for the cost of chiropractic services provided to the person pursuant to the Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols Regulation (AR 122/2004).
(4) Notwithstanding subsection (2), nothing in this Regulation prevents an individual from receiving indemnity for the cost of extended health services where the individual was eligible to receive such indemnity through some other plan provided by a private insurance carrier before the individual or the individual’s dependants became eligible for extended benefits.