Posts
Alberta rural roads are getting an unusual amount of attention; Stelmach has let paving contracts to every local construction type in the rural ridings. There is more fresh pavement laid on rural roads “to control dust” than any of the major centers!
Yet highways that are collecting bodies over the years such as highway 19 are on the back burner. More votes to be had by paving driveways than highways.
What is the downside? We are going broke. After the fall election Stelmach is going to put the brakes on spending and ask us by way of higher taxes or higher utilities to make up the debit he caused getting re elected. There are tough times ahead!
There will be no move on getting our rightful share of resource revenue!
These people are shameless.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Fall Election a sure thing!
Fall Election a sure thing!
My trip around Alberta this weekend showed me crops that are in abundance and well on their way to becoming full and ripe in most parts of the province.
Stelmach knows the farmers and farm communities will be politically docile when harvesting a promising crop!
They will not worry about these guys running off with the Heritage Trust fund or the continued turn over of our resource and infrastructure to private friends though the closed bidding process and the guise that it is best for Alberta to do this in secret.
The unsettled extreme weather of global warming could still put sand in his Vaseline! Wet fall weather could prevent the crops from coming off.
cyberclark@shaw.ca
John Clark
My trip around Alberta this weekend showed me crops that are in abundance and well on their way to becoming full and ripe in most parts of the province.
Stelmach knows the farmers and farm communities will be politically docile when harvesting a promising crop!
They will not worry about these guys running off with the Heritage Trust fund or the continued turn over of our resource and infrastructure to private friends though the closed bidding process and the guise that it is best for Alberta to do this in secret.
The unsettled extreme weather of global warming could still put sand in his Vaseline! Wet fall weather could prevent the crops from coming off.
cyberclark@shaw.ca
John Clark
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Some work for my journalistic freinds.
Some work for my journalistic friends:
Just how arms length is Mazankowski and Great West Life removed from the AON Corporation that Alberta though the health care package to?
Why will the Government not allow viewing of the agreement between the people of Alberta and AON.
The minister sites “information on revenues” as the reason.
Hummmmm.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Just how arms length is Mazankowski and Great West Life removed from the AON Corporation that Alberta though the health care package to?
Why will the Government not allow viewing of the agreement between the people of Alberta and AON.
The minister sites “information on revenues” as the reason.
Hummmmm.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Conservatives wasting Alberta away!
As citizens of Alberta trapped under this Conservative Government our chances of getting any meaningful changes to the royalty structures for natural resources in this province are next to nothing.
The oil companies keep raising the bar for what they will pay for the shrinking labour and professional market. They are estimating the costs to go as high as 50.00 per barrel US for oil sands projects!
That would mean on a 85.00 barrel of oil 35.00 would be considered clear after production costs and we would get 8.75 royalty for the dwindling resource.
Under the present scheme there is little or no audit of what they call expenses. There are absolutely no controls over what and how much money they spend on something. There is no consolation even though the money they spend comes direct out of Alberta’s royalty portion.
Or, could it be the costs are jacked up in order to capture more revenue for the oil companies? Even though they are essentially spending our money, they claim huge success for “all the good” they have done by spending our money.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
The oil companies keep raising the bar for what they will pay for the shrinking labour and professional market. They are estimating the costs to go as high as 50.00 per barrel US for oil sands projects!
That would mean on a 85.00 barrel of oil 35.00 would be considered clear after production costs and we would get 8.75 royalty for the dwindling resource.
Under the present scheme there is little or no audit of what they call expenses. There are absolutely no controls over what and how much money they spend on something. There is no consolation even though the money they spend comes direct out of Alberta’s royalty portion.
Or, could it be the costs are jacked up in order to capture more revenue for the oil companies? Even though they are essentially spending our money, they claim huge success for “all the good” they have done by spending our money.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Monday, July 16, 2007
Further electricity gouging-Pay market price by 2010
Alberta to pay “market price” by 2010.
Ed Stelmach has said Alberta Electricity consumers will pay full market price for their electricity by 2010. That is 2 years from now! Electricity cost will increase rapidly in that period.
“Market price” is the cost of electricity in California which, is the highest in the world!
This Government has taken the single advantage Alberta had and with a total disregard of what the voters in this province want, gave away out power lines which in turn will increase in proportion to the power.
Oil concerns need the power and, any power they use at any price at all adds to the price of construction or the price of producing. So, we take a hit on both ends! I call it padding the books!
This in turn firmly slams the door on any manufacturing opportunities opening in this province and you can expect still more companies to move east to a better business climate. High Electricity, High Heating Cost, the high cost of labor, the lack of skilled workers coupled with the improved highways east bound means the Calgary warehouses are becoming redundent. Property values will depreciate.
The population is also moving east. People born and raised in this province can no longer afford to live here thanks to the extreme policies of this Government. However this is all okay with Ed Stelmach and company, it saves putting people on busses.
Many pensioners are moving east to Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This does not bode well for these provinces as the people have very low spending power and will not be able to contribute a great deal to their economy.
Fat and fast union settlements to avoid pressure at the next election are burning dollars like nothing else and, further putting the heat onto the labor market.
This, as I said, makes Ed Stelmach a happy camper.
If a government could be labeled as social psychotic, this Government would be it.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Ed Stelmach has said Alberta Electricity consumers will pay full market price for their electricity by 2010. That is 2 years from now! Electricity cost will increase rapidly in that period.
“Market price” is the cost of electricity in California which, is the highest in the world!
This Government has taken the single advantage Alberta had and with a total disregard of what the voters in this province want, gave away out power lines which in turn will increase in proportion to the power.
Oil concerns need the power and, any power they use at any price at all adds to the price of construction or the price of producing. So, we take a hit on both ends! I call it padding the books!
This in turn firmly slams the door on any manufacturing opportunities opening in this province and you can expect still more companies to move east to a better business climate. High Electricity, High Heating Cost, the high cost of labor, the lack of skilled workers coupled with the improved highways east bound means the Calgary warehouses are becoming redundent. Property values will depreciate.
The population is also moving east. People born and raised in this province can no longer afford to live here thanks to the extreme policies of this Government. However this is all okay with Ed Stelmach and company, it saves putting people on busses.
Many pensioners are moving east to Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This does not bode well for these provinces as the people have very low spending power and will not be able to contribute a great deal to their economy.
Fat and fast union settlements to avoid pressure at the next election are burning dollars like nothing else and, further putting the heat onto the labor market.
This, as I said, makes Ed Stelmach a happy camper.
If a government could be labeled as social psychotic, this Government would be it.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Friday, July 13, 2007
Our rip off electricity options or lack of them.
An interesting call from Direct Energy
The price of electricity has gone up 32% since 2004.
Does it cost more to generate? NO!
An interesting call from EPCOR
If the price of electricity posted on the AESO web is .08 per kwh, EPCORE will figure the cost at .16 per kwh and, that is what they will charge you if you choose the “open market option”
As with most things with this Conservative Government the open market option is hype. The way it is administered leaves no choices for the consumer but to go to one of the “electrical supply companies” invented by the Conservatives.
A huge rip off and, with this Government in place there is nothing you can do about it.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
The price of electricity has gone up 32% since 2004.
Does it cost more to generate? NO!
An interesting call from EPCOR
If the price of electricity posted on the AESO web is .08 per kwh, EPCORE will figure the cost at .16 per kwh and, that is what they will charge you if you choose the “open market option”
As with most things with this Conservative Government the open market option is hype. The way it is administered leaves no choices for the consumer but to go to one of the “electrical supply companies” invented by the Conservatives.
A huge rip off and, with this Government in place there is nothing you can do about it.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Friday, July 06, 2007
New RCMP head-Shades of Mulroney
Shades of Mulroney!
Conservatives by their nature and conviction have an inherent mistrust of the Government Bureaucracy and feel a direct, hands on operation by the ruling (as opposed to elected) government is the cure all for everything. Fundamental to Conservatives is the mantra that Buisiness should run the country, Government should make rules to enable this.
Following the Conservative conviction he put his ADM’s (Assistant Deputy Ministers) directly in charge of the daily workings of various departments very often shorting and/or discarding input by seasoned bureaucrats putting the Conservative stamp on the program.
William Elliott is the named commissioner. In 1989, Elliott worked as an executive assistant to the office of the deputy prime minister. One year later, he became chief of staff in the same office.
Harper has gone one better. He has put his ADM type directly in charge of the RCMP. I suspect we can look forward to hearing the RCMP pension fund is privatized as a “step forward”
Conservatives by their nature and conviction have an inherent mistrust of the Government Bureaucracy and feel a direct, hands on operation by the ruling (as opposed to elected) government is the cure all for everything. Fundamental to Conservatives is the mantra that Buisiness should run the country, Government should make rules to enable this.
Following the Conservative conviction he put his ADM’s (Assistant Deputy Ministers) directly in charge of the daily workings of various departments very often shorting and/or discarding input by seasoned bureaucrats putting the Conservative stamp on the program.
William Elliott is the named commissioner. In 1989, Elliott worked as an executive assistant to the office of the deputy prime minister. One year later, he became chief of staff in the same office.
Harper has gone one better. He has put his ADM type directly in charge of the RCMP. I suspect we can look forward to hearing the RCMP pension fund is privatized as a “step forward”
By extension Harper is setting himself up in the likeness of Bush, a dictator want to be.
A harsh thought is with the Government in charge of the national police, we are in a police state wheter or not it is intended that way.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Elecricity rebates come to an end.
The Conservatives are under the gun from the suits to speed up their privatization schemes and open up the free market doors. Chopping all power subsidies will be the next thing they will do.
In Alberta we pay for all the power lines on export and oil sands power line generation. This means that the consumers in this province pay unfairly for all aspects of their power.
The price of electricity the US is willing to pay has gone up and will continue to go up as they fall short on generation by 7000 mw over the next year or so. The Conservatives want to fill this need and have you pay for the overhead.
They have allowed the price of electricity to jump by 30% over the weekend. They have grouped the consumers of Alberta into the nebulous electrical market discounting the fact that we are paying unfairly for large portions of the costs.
Now, they are about the cancel or adjust to non existence the brief protection we had as the electrical industry strives for market prices.
Democracy Watch chided Alberta by saying at one point the province was the closest state in Canada to being free enterprise. That is they clarified the state in Canada that is most like the USA! But, they continued the rush to the US state was slowed down under the Ralph Kline era. Stelmach is after brownie points trying to pick up the pace.
Everything that is filth in politics can be found in Alberta’s Conservative Government.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
In Alberta we pay for all the power lines on export and oil sands power line generation. This means that the consumers in this province pay unfairly for all aspects of their power.
The price of electricity the US is willing to pay has gone up and will continue to go up as they fall short on generation by 7000 mw over the next year or so. The Conservatives want to fill this need and have you pay for the overhead.
They have allowed the price of electricity to jump by 30% over the weekend. They have grouped the consumers of Alberta into the nebulous electrical market discounting the fact that we are paying unfairly for large portions of the costs.
Now, they are about the cancel or adjust to non existence the brief protection we had as the electrical industry strives for market prices.
Democracy Watch chided Alberta by saying at one point the province was the closest state in Canada to being free enterprise. That is they clarified the state in Canada that is most like the USA! But, they continued the rush to the US state was slowed down under the Ralph Kline era. Stelmach is after brownie points trying to pick up the pace.
Everything that is filth in politics can be found in Alberta’s Conservative Government.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Every body loves chocolate and its good for you?
Every body loves chocolate. Now, the German studies have shown that 6 grams of dark chocolate per day will reduce blood pressure and is being touted as a good thing. This is a nice trick in allowing you to go crazy over chocolate, this time for your good health.
Dark chocolate contains large amounts of l’arginine a nitrate. This “smoothes” out the blood vessels, relaxing them somewhat in turn, the blood pressure drops.
They don’t talk of the dark side of l’arginine! If you have a herpes virus including a cold sore and you drink chocolate milk, you will find the infection spreads rapidly with no indication of clearing up. The l’arginine in the chocolate is exciting the herpes virus!
If you have a slightly cancerous spot in your body, the l’arginine will also excite that!
Do what ever you want to do, just take a moment to know what you are doing.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Dark chocolate contains large amounts of l’arginine a nitrate. This “smoothes” out the blood vessels, relaxing them somewhat in turn, the blood pressure drops.
They don’t talk of the dark side of l’arginine! If you have a herpes virus including a cold sore and you drink chocolate milk, you will find the infection spreads rapidly with no indication of clearing up. The l’arginine in the chocolate is exciting the herpes virus!
If you have a slightly cancerous spot in your body, the l’arginine will also excite that!
Do what ever you want to do, just take a moment to know what you are doing.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Why is the tar sands borrowing of interest?
All costs for the loan of the money will go in as an expence of the tar sand construction period. This in turn has to be paid from the royality structure before the tax payer sees any amount beyond the 1%
This is standard business practice, not a shady deal. The point here however is like the other direct expences we must pay for we have no say in what prices are being paid.
The door is open for the oil company to form and fund a new company to borrow money from at very high rates inflating the costs to the taxpayer.
This doesn't bother the Conservatives.
john clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
This is standard business practice, not a shady deal. The point here however is like the other direct expences we must pay for we have no say in what prices are being paid.
The door is open for the oil company to form and fund a new company to borrow money from at very high rates inflating the costs to the taxpayer.
This doesn't bother the Conservatives.
john clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Oil Companies borrow 3.2 billion on your behalf.
Oil Sands Companies borrow 3.2 billion dollars for oil sands projects. Why not use their money? They are sitting on many times that amount. It is less than a quarter’s profit.
If they use their own money they cannot deduct it from the cost of the Oil Sands. However they can collect interest on their own money and bank it while taxpayers pay for the loans they make for use in the tar sands.
Wonder why we are going broke in this province?
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=05ce7596-7b4d-4c09-afa2-382e452ce44a
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
If they use their own money they cannot deduct it from the cost of the Oil Sands. However they can collect interest on their own money and bank it while taxpayers pay for the loans they make for use in the tar sands.
Wonder why we are going broke in this province?
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=05ce7596-7b4d-4c09-afa2-382e452ce44a
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Monday, June 18, 2007
Why is 40% the minimum acceptable?
In answer to the many questions of “Why 40%”?
This is really a statement of how the Conservatives have ripped off this province.
40% would be an honest return if applied to all the natural resources.
40% would still be the lowest royalty charged in the world, bar none!
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
This is really a statement of how the Conservatives have ripped off this province.
40% would be an honest return if applied to all the natural resources.
40% would still be the lowest royalty charged in the world, bar none!
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Friday, June 15, 2007
Alberta schools on the block!
The Government’s 3P plan for building schools has little or no chance of succeeding as favorable to the taxpayer. It does however bring us a step closer to totally privatizing the school buildings.
In most 3P projects to date, the cities and governments involved have had to buy back the project after a short period of time. It appears to me to be still another way of shuttling cash into buddies’ pockets by this Government.
What do you think the chances are for an open and public process? My guess is the deal has already been made.
Liepert said consolidating the design and bundling the construction will "definitely" cost less than building the schools as one-off projects.
One reason is that the final price will be locked in when the contract is signed, he said. That means the contractor, not the taxpayer, will assume the risk of cost escalations due to inflation, he said.
In most 3P projects to date, the cities and governments involved have had to buy back the project after a short period of time. It appears to me to be still another way of shuttling cash into buddies’ pockets by this Government.
What do you think the chances are for an open and public process? My guess is the deal has already been made.
Liepert said consolidating the design and bundling the construction will "definitely" cost less than building the schools as one-off projects.
One reason is that the final price will be locked in when the contract is signed, he said. That means the contractor, not the taxpayer, will assume the risk of cost escalations due to inflation, he said.
Royalties Energy-Recap
There has been volumes published by oil companies trying to defend the highest profit oil royalty regime in the world! In defending what is seemingly impossible to defend there is only a few key points they hit on.
1.
Natural Gas output has peaked as of 2001. It’s all downhill now. We are running out and the taps are still turned on full for export. Alberta Natural Gas was also given to the oil and gas companies at the lowest rates in the world. Now that it is running out, these same companies will move on to greener fields and, we in Alberta are left holding a very stinky bag of no natural gas and ruined water supplies.
Multi billions of dollars miss managed by this Government! They sill plan on accelerating the coal bed methane capture using more of our dwindling water supplies and returning the lowest royalties in the world.
2.
Conventional oil complains are saying they are not getting the profits they once did because it is more difficult to drill in part and the cost of labor has increased. They feel they should be compensated for this by the taxpayers who are in the same boat.
3.
The Association for Canadian Oil Producers have finally come out and their only addition to the arguments is the oil companies pay big bucks for the oil leases and this somehow entities them to the extreme high share of oil revenue while the Alberta Crown gets next to nothing; 20 to 25 percent.
The leases like every thing else the Conservative Government has done are sold off lower than leases elsewhere in the world leaving this organizations arguments empty.
4.
Tar sands organizations are saying their costs have gone up; they need still more profit if anything. Look here at the hundreds of billions of dollars profit declared by these same companies every quarter!
By over building and exploiting the resources they actually get for nothing they have put huge pressures on the supply structure as well as the labor market. In fact they pay some of the highest wages in the world to people working in the tar sands industry. Unfortunately they are paying this out of taxpayer money. The taxpayer does not get any part of their skinny royalty until the plant costs are totally paid for.
The same organizations are saying they add so much to the economy of this province they should not have to take a lower cut of the oil revenue. Considering most of what they have added is bought with our money its hard to think they are actually serious in this ploy.
5.
Stelmach’s Conservatives continue to say this “success” is because they created a climate conducive to business investment. What a snow job!
I say to the oil companies “Come to the table with a proposal of 40% royalty held over time” and then, you may just survive.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
1.
Natural Gas output has peaked as of 2001. It’s all downhill now. We are running out and the taps are still turned on full for export. Alberta Natural Gas was also given to the oil and gas companies at the lowest rates in the world. Now that it is running out, these same companies will move on to greener fields and, we in Alberta are left holding a very stinky bag of no natural gas and ruined water supplies.
Multi billions of dollars miss managed by this Government! They sill plan on accelerating the coal bed methane capture using more of our dwindling water supplies and returning the lowest royalties in the world.
2.
Conventional oil complains are saying they are not getting the profits they once did because it is more difficult to drill in part and the cost of labor has increased. They feel they should be compensated for this by the taxpayers who are in the same boat.
3.
The Association for Canadian Oil Producers have finally come out and their only addition to the arguments is the oil companies pay big bucks for the oil leases and this somehow entities them to the extreme high share of oil revenue while the Alberta Crown gets next to nothing; 20 to 25 percent.
The leases like every thing else the Conservative Government has done are sold off lower than leases elsewhere in the world leaving this organizations arguments empty.
4.
Tar sands organizations are saying their costs have gone up; they need still more profit if anything. Look here at the hundreds of billions of dollars profit declared by these same companies every quarter!
By over building and exploiting the resources they actually get for nothing they have put huge pressures on the supply structure as well as the labor market. In fact they pay some of the highest wages in the world to people working in the tar sands industry. Unfortunately they are paying this out of taxpayer money. The taxpayer does not get any part of their skinny royalty until the plant costs are totally paid for.
The same organizations are saying they add so much to the economy of this province they should not have to take a lower cut of the oil revenue. Considering most of what they have added is bought with our money its hard to think they are actually serious in this ploy.
5.
Stelmach’s Conservatives continue to say this “success” is because they created a climate conducive to business investment. What a snow job!
I say to the oil companies “Come to the table with a proposal of 40% royalty held over time” and then, you may just survive.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Monday, June 11, 2007
Bottom line: No choices on Electricity!
The Conservatives have crooked the books yet again on Electricity supply. Up front we are given the choice of signing up with 3 or 4 electricity resellers. Middlemen as the name implies, picking up the change between the supplier and the consumer. The latter being you and I.
There is also the choice of signing up for the direct rates. I looked into this and although the direct rates are much lower than are the “over time rates” charged by the resellers we cannot take advantage of them as promised by the Government.
If you rejected resellers and opted for EPCOR to bill you the direct charges as they change from month to month, EPCOR will charge you an undetermined amount making sure your charges are above those being pushed by the reseller.
As with most things the Conservatives come up with it is a deal that is no deal at all!
On top of this we hear horror stories of people who have had their power cut off because they neglected to sign up for a reseller to cover them when their existing contacts are finished.
There is also the choice of signing up for the direct rates. I looked into this and although the direct rates are much lower than are the “over time rates” charged by the resellers we cannot take advantage of them as promised by the Government.
If you rejected resellers and opted for EPCOR to bill you the direct charges as they change from month to month, EPCOR will charge you an undetermined amount making sure your charges are above those being pushed by the reseller.
As with most things the Conservatives come up with it is a deal that is no deal at all!
On top of this we hear horror stories of people who have had their power cut off because they neglected to sign up for a reseller to cover them when their existing contacts are finished.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Bureaucrats run amuck in Alberta.
Punitive Taxation in Alberta:
Alberta Health and Wellness decided we are all dumb and negligent and installed a costly process for getting a replacement health card. When interviewed they said the Health Care Card is important and this will encourage you not to loose it again.
The drill:
Copy your drivers licence or other, specific ID.
Fill out Statutory Declaration on Replacement of Alberta Personal Health Card
Have the Declaration signed by a public Notary or a commissioner of oaths.
This only applies if you have lost 5 cards over the course of your lifetime.
Beware of your wallet in a wash machine.
Cost to you will be half a day lost work and 15 bucks for the signature.
On the other hand when I lost my wallet on a plane I reported it immediately. They said thanks. Months later when I received by AHC expense statement it showed a series of large expences in Toronto. I reported this to AHC and they told me not to worry it was okay. No effort was made for a follow up!
Alberta Health and Wellness decided we are all dumb and negligent and installed a costly process for getting a replacement health card. When interviewed they said the Health Care Card is important and this will encourage you not to loose it again.
The drill:
Copy your drivers licence or other, specific ID.
Fill out Statutory Declaration on Replacement of Alberta Personal Health Card
Have the Declaration signed by a public Notary or a commissioner of oaths.
This only applies if you have lost 5 cards over the course of your lifetime.
Beware of your wallet in a wash machine.
Cost to you will be half a day lost work and 15 bucks for the signature.
On the other hand when I lost my wallet on a plane I reported it immediately. They said thanks. Months later when I received by AHC expense statement it showed a series of large expences in Toronto. I reported this to AHC and they told me not to worry it was okay. No effort was made for a follow up!
Very selective. Some one had what seemed a good idea once and it is in for all time.
This is a bureaucracy run amuck!!!!!
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Conservatives sell of the last of Alberta!
Alberta will get no part of the secondary manufacture of its natural resources. It appears every mover and shaker in the world is after our crude to send it south to the US for refining.
We give away all the up grade revenues and facilities.
We give away all the huge amount of water it takes to produce this crude.
We get the lowest prices in the world for our resource.
Stelmach and the Conservatives consider this to be good business.
I wonder how one gets on their “Buddy” list?
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
We give away all the up grade revenues and facilities.
We give away all the huge amount of water it takes to produce this crude.
We get the lowest prices in the world for our resource.
Stelmach and the Conservatives consider this to be good business.
I wonder how one gets on their “Buddy” list?
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Stage is set to do away with electricity cost protection!
Further subsidies in the form of electricty for the oil industry!
Electricity article shows the shape and size of the electrical supply problem facing this province.
Not explained in the article is who pays and what is the power needed for.
The Atomic plant in the birthing stages in Whitecourt is needed to supply the oil up-graders and tar sands with electrical power. It is not needed for general population use in that area but the general population, you and I will be expected to pay for the generation and the transmission on our utility bills.
No plans for “user pays” for the Conservative friends.
The same article explains the dilemma of wind generation. Only dependable when the wind blows and we need the power. Otherwise the power is wasted to earth.
There is an on going plan for a power plant at Blue River Alberta. This is large enough to double the power supply of Alberta and the design is chiefly for export of power to the US while the home owners pay for them on their utility bills.
The power upgrades to Genesee and the subsequent up grade of the power grid is very expensive. The expense is needed, again to supply the new oil up grader plants with electrical power.
You and I pay for these costs on our utility bills.
The conservative “equalization” program for electrical power serves the oil industry more than it does the home owners in this province.
Presently home owners are protected from higher costs of electricity by Government rebates. Such “protection” is paid for by the tax base and as such maintains the subsidy for the power companies.
This article sets the stage for Stelmach’s Conservatives to very seriously mess with this limited protection and to essentially do away with it.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Electricity article shows the shape and size of the electrical supply problem facing this province.
Not explained in the article is who pays and what is the power needed for.
The Atomic plant in the birthing stages in Whitecourt is needed to supply the oil up-graders and tar sands with electrical power. It is not needed for general population use in that area but the general population, you and I will be expected to pay for the generation and the transmission on our utility bills.
No plans for “user pays” for the Conservative friends.
The same article explains the dilemma of wind generation. Only dependable when the wind blows and we need the power. Otherwise the power is wasted to earth.
There is an on going plan for a power plant at Blue River Alberta. This is large enough to double the power supply of Alberta and the design is chiefly for export of power to the US while the home owners pay for them on their utility bills.
The power upgrades to Genesee and the subsequent up grade of the power grid is very expensive. The expense is needed, again to supply the new oil up grader plants with electrical power.
You and I pay for these costs on our utility bills.
The conservative “equalization” program for electrical power serves the oil industry more than it does the home owners in this province.
Presently home owners are protected from higher costs of electricity by Government rebates. Such “protection” is paid for by the tax base and as such maintains the subsidy for the power companies.
This article sets the stage for Stelmach’s Conservatives to very seriously mess with this limited protection and to essentially do away with it.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
New Driver Culture in full play.
Even though the “enlightened driver culture” is taking shape across the country an example of what happens was demonstrated in Edmonton on the 5 of June.
Around the city truck two-way radios or “CB” radios heard the story of a man who had been kept on the road for 9 weeks and had constantly been refused time off at home. In this case, back in Edmonton, his home town, he was being asked to go to Toronto immediately. The trucking company is not an Edmonton based company.
He put the word out on his “CB” he was looking for a new job which would guarantee him reasonable time off. In the course of an hour he had 3 job offers.
He was driving a company truck which he had fixed up to make his life a little more livable. He put these accessories up for sale on the “CB”
Within an hour he had a new job, stripped his stuff out of his truck and parked it in a Safeway parking lot. The company will find it sooner or later.
This happened with a tractor only situation. It is happening across Canada and the US with tractors hooked to trailers with various loads on them. Just in time? Any company who says "We force them to go" is just not in charge of the facts.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Around the city truck two-way radios or “CB” radios heard the story of a man who had been kept on the road for 9 weeks and had constantly been refused time off at home. In this case, back in Edmonton, his home town, he was being asked to go to Toronto immediately. The trucking company is not an Edmonton based company.
He put the word out on his “CB” he was looking for a new job which would guarantee him reasonable time off. In the course of an hour he had 3 job offers.
He was driving a company truck which he had fixed up to make his life a little more livable. He put these accessories up for sale on the “CB”
Within an hour he had a new job, stripped his stuff out of his truck and parked it in a Safeway parking lot. The company will find it sooner or later.
This happened with a tractor only situation. It is happening across Canada and the US with tractors hooked to trailers with various loads on them. Just in time? Any company who says "We force them to go" is just not in charge of the facts.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Driver culture-Just in time not what is used to be!
A year ago the hours that truck drivers can drive was changed so that 10 hours per day working is what they are allowed. This includes waiting time loading and unloading; delays in traffic meals and bathroom breaks.
Prior to this time they were allowed 13 hours driving exclusive of all other details.
This means a trip from Edmonton or Calgary to Winnipeg which for years was a next day delivery has been changed to a 2 nd day delivery from Edmonton and a 3 day delivery from Calgary. Other points are in proportion the shorter hours allowed being recognized.
Another nuance evolved. If the drivers were cut down to a days work as are most people, why do they have to spend their work time driving at night? Yes, this evolution moved forward slowly. Because the loads were needed in he mornings to start unloading, The bulk of trucks just arriving would be looking for loads back out in effect turning the industry into a daylight driving only. If loads are ready at 6 PM which, under old rules would be okay, they are simply too late,
A 6PM load out would mean a driver, now attuned to daylight driving would only get a short distance down the highway and he or she would have to shut it down for sleep because they are tired or because their hours have run out.
The “enlightened driver culture” is now in place.
Along with this culture of real people working in daylight came the thought that it would be nice to take a summer holiday. Now, across Canada as never before drivers are booking off for a week or two holidays in the busiest part of the year instead of waiting for slack time.
Loads are not delivered or delayed greatly.
Some companies have taken a very hard line with their drivers trying to keep them behind the wheel. By coaxing or threatening they attempt to keep the driver moving there-by shelving their holiday wants. Many of these situations are resolved very badly with the truck abandoned at a far off point and the driver is flying home to keep his holiday wishes.
Yes, times just got a whole lot better for drivers and, that is not a bad thing. On the other hand industries depending on the just in time inventories delivered by trucks are going to have to re think their plans. That means more inventories and less just in time demands.
The 'get it there overnight' scenario offered over the years is no longer valid.
These laws do not cover trucks that do not cross a provincial boundary. Hence trucks in the oil service-supply business can pretty well run a driver 24 hours a day and, they do. Big bucks in the pockets of those drivers which is not in it self a bad thing . They often have to travel at night when there is frost in the ground. In their world delivery time and condition is everything!
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
Prior to this time they were allowed 13 hours driving exclusive of all other details.
This means a trip from Edmonton or Calgary to Winnipeg which for years was a next day delivery has been changed to a 2 nd day delivery from Edmonton and a 3 day delivery from Calgary. Other points are in proportion the shorter hours allowed being recognized.
Another nuance evolved. If the drivers were cut down to a days work as are most people, why do they have to spend their work time driving at night? Yes, this evolution moved forward slowly. Because the loads were needed in he mornings to start unloading, The bulk of trucks just arriving would be looking for loads back out in effect turning the industry into a daylight driving only. If loads are ready at 6 PM which, under old rules would be okay, they are simply too late,
A 6PM load out would mean a driver, now attuned to daylight driving would only get a short distance down the highway and he or she would have to shut it down for sleep because they are tired or because their hours have run out.
The “enlightened driver culture” is now in place.
Along with this culture of real people working in daylight came the thought that it would be nice to take a summer holiday. Now, across Canada as never before drivers are booking off for a week or two holidays in the busiest part of the year instead of waiting for slack time.
Loads are not delivered or delayed greatly.
Some companies have taken a very hard line with their drivers trying to keep them behind the wheel. By coaxing or threatening they attempt to keep the driver moving there-by shelving their holiday wants. Many of these situations are resolved very badly with the truck abandoned at a far off point and the driver is flying home to keep his holiday wishes.
Yes, times just got a whole lot better for drivers and, that is not a bad thing. On the other hand industries depending on the just in time inventories delivered by trucks are going to have to re think their plans. That means more inventories and less just in time demands.
The 'get it there overnight' scenario offered over the years is no longer valid.
These laws do not cover trucks that do not cross a provincial boundary. Hence trucks in the oil service-supply business can pretty well run a driver 24 hours a day and, they do. Big bucks in the pockets of those drivers which is not in it self a bad thing . They often have to travel at night when there is frost in the ground. In their world delivery time and condition is everything!
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
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