Alberta Heritage Trust Fund ripped of by 370 Billions of dollars.

The Conservatives have been drawing down the Heritage Trust fund to limit it to 4% appreciation. The moneys taken from the fund have been added to the provincial General Revenues and spent out of this slush fund.

This, coupled with the downloading of expenses to the cities and towns and allowing the cities to charge whatever they want for power, means Alberta is the highest taxed state in North America if not the world!

balance73
1:43 PM on June 19, 2010

Here's what might have been...

$97.9 billion- If the government had allowed the Heritage Fund to reinvest its profits, rather than using them to cut the deficit, pay off its debt and otherwise help with general government expenses

$57.2 billion- If the government had diverted a mere 1% of revenue to the fund starting in 1987, and had allowed profits to be reinvested

$164.5 billion - If the government had never taken a penny from the fund, and had continued to seed it with 30% of resource revenues from 1982 onward

$55.6 billion - If the government had kept adding 15% of resource revenues per year after 1987

$65.8 billion - If the government had treated the Heritage Fund like an endowment, letting the fund reinvest its profits and drawing out a fixed amount every year-say 4.5% of assets-and topping up the fund to account for inflation (as it eventually started to do in 2005), with no further royalty contributions after 1987 (figures as of march 2008 - Globe and Mail)

Resource companies get water free then sell it to communities.

Alberta Environment
10th Floor, Petroleum Plaza South Tower
9915 - 108 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T5K 2G8
June 14,2010

Attention Mr. Rob Renner, Minister.

Dear Minister;

How is it possible an energy company can sell water they have received free as an operational allotment, to Cities and towns and by extension, anyone else?

The Western Wheel on June 10th reports CanEra Resources has agreed to transfer over 200,000 cubic meters of water to the Town of Okotoks of unused allotment.

You tell us time and again, this is an Alberta resource owned by the people of Alberta and yet, we have to buy it from resource companies?

There was a second news item in which the Town (Drumheller?) was not allowed to divulge who they got the water from or, what they paid for it. Why do you not publish who you have given water to for the purpose of resale?

This is patently wrong! Receive water permits using fresh water for drilling is bad enough but receiving cash for water they asked which was beyond their needs is something else again.

John Clark.

The US border police running high on paranoia are dangerous.

If you have a chance to travel to the US or someplace else; choose the someplace else!

This is what we are moving towards in Alberta under the Conservative banner.

Alberta Royalty: Cash for crooks

Additional up-graders and plants are announced. This promises more revenue for more production coming into Alberta coffers. As revenues increase there will be further reductions in royalty and huge theater productions to sell it to the public.

Higher production means lower cash is required to maintain the status-quo. Being Conservative they are ploughing money into lower royalty; stuffing cash into the gas industry and have invented a big story to make it all seem reasonable.  The taxpayer will never see any part of these profits under this Government!

We have had the lowest royalty in the world to this point and it did nothing for the exploration!

The price of gas is way down! The gas companies are looking for money to make up lost revenue.  Alberta taxpayer is going to give it to them.

The Province is still spending at 1989 levels. This means Alberta has not put any more money into the coffers from previous increases.

As productions from various plants increase royalty will fall and there will be no additional funds pumped into Alberta coffers.  That is the history and the intent of this Government.

Any extra money into the Government comes from income taxes and user fees; not from the resource industry.

They are robbing this province blind and voters just won't get their heads around that fact!

Any party elected is going to support the resource industry but there will also be a good chance to bring on additional industry under a different party.

The Wild Rose Party are even more right wing that the Stelmach crew.  In their simplistic world Obama is a socialist and snakes at a service to prove your Christianity just makes good sense.

I will be supporting the Liberals as being my choice for a reasonable business driven party.