Alberta least competitive energy hub: economist

A new report by prominent economist Jack Mintz concludes.

Jack Mintz  used to be Mr. CD Howe and Council of Business Executives stand up.  Like always he is a stand up spin doctor for the Conservative causes.  Hardly a study and even less educational.

The new oil regime this article refers to was a document produced to get the conservatives elected again. It served no other purpose other than reducing our take from US dollars down to Canadian dollars.

A year after it was published Alberta's Auditor General pointed out to the Government they were far below the 19% royalty they had targeted.

Take from this, the payment in kind for bitumen which returns to Alberta 48 cents per bbl.

Bottom line is Alberta is taking far less than 50% of what either BC or Saskatchewan is collecting at their 30% USD royalty.

On the tar sands, the full cost of the project is paid by a reduced royalty take.  Albertans in effect pay all the start up costs.  This is done by us receiving only 1% royalty paid until the project is totally cleared off the books! 

When you consider the items like inflation, Water and increased cost of our power lines you will quickly determine we are actually paying these companies to take to oil from the province.

The Conservatives are of a mind that wages and income tax is all the right we have to any revenue from the resources.   All other monies go back to the corporation, and then some.  Until Albertans decide they want more than wages from this industry there is little hope for difference.

Get rid of these suckers!

Alberta Universities take funding cuts to promote Conservative Agenda! Albertans relegated to second class citizenship.

Alberta Universities take funding cuts to promote Conservive Agenda! Albertans relegated to second class citizenship.

The news is alive with funding cuts to our universities.  I have left it for you to pick your own links.

These cuts represent the very softest targets for the Torys.  Most people at the universities vote for parties other than Conservative (I choose to think because they are enlightened) so cutting them to the point of putting them out of business is the best idea Morton could come up with according to Tory insiders.  Universities are a soft target-no vote losses there.

There is more!

About 10 years ago now, the Conservatives paid big bucks to get the opinions of experts regarding the expansion of industry in Alberta.   They were told that Alberta could not support larger industries because we did not have the educated population that is needed to build these same industries.  We were not graduating enough Doctors and Engineers to grow!

Those years passed and the Conservatives found it is cheaper and easier to higher the professionals from Namibia, China and the Philippians than it was to educate our own.

You will recall when the latest boom started Alberta kids were encouraged to leave school to work as labour in the construction and oil fields.  This Government thinks that is a great plan to continue with!

Now, those jobs are gone, the same kids are back home with their parents looking for work; any kind of work and the Conservatives are cutting funding to the universities in the event that any of these kids managed to get there.

Why any one in this province would consider voting Conservative is beyond me.  Why anyone in this province would go to an even more extreme group, the Wild Rose Part is also beyond me.

And for those of you who though it was not worth while for you to vote, perhaps you will think again the next time you have a chance.

Alberta Universities take funding cuts to promote Conservive Agenda! Albertans relegated to second class citizenship.

The news is alive with funding cuts to our universities.  I have left it for you to pick your own links.

These cuts represent the very softest targets for the Torys.  Most people at the universities vote for parties other than Conservative (I choose to think because they are enlightened) so cutting them to the point of putting them out of business is the best idea Morton could come up with according to Tory insiders.  Universities are a soft target-no vote losses there.

There is more!

About 10 years ago now, the Conservatives paid big bucks to get the opinions of experts regarding the expansion of industry in Alberta.   They were told that Alberta could not support larger industries because we did not have the educated population that is needed to build these same industries.  We were not graduating enough Doctors and Engineers to grow!

Those years passed and the Conservatives found it is cheaper and easier to higher the professionals from Namibia, China and the Philippians than it was to educate our own.

You will recall when the latest boom started Alberta kids were encouraged to leave school to work as labour in the construction and oil fields.

Now, those jobs are gone, the same kids are back home with their parents looking for work; any kind of work and the Conservatives are cutting funding to the universities in the event that any of these kids managed to get there.

Why any one in this province would consider voting Conservative is beyond me.  Why anyone in this province would go to an even more extreme group, the Wild Rose Part is also beyond me.

And for those of you who though it was not worth while for you to vote, perhaps you will think again the next time you have a chance.