[DrCaleb]

It's not going to change public opinion that the government needs to fund public healthcare.

[BartSimpson]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It's not going to change public opinion that the government needs to fund public healthcare.

It's not going to change reality if the government doesn't have the money for it.

[DrCaleb]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It's not going to change public opinion that the government needs to fund public healthcare.

It's not going to change reality if the government doesn't have the money for it.

There is no such thing in Canada as 'no money for healthcare'. It would be like telling us they will defund the police service.

They will find the money, or run deficits. But healthcare will be funded.

[Scape]

Reagan proved deficits don't matter.

Dick Cheney

[bootlegga]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It's not going to change public opinion that the government needs to fund public healthcare.

It's not going to change reality if the government doesn't have the money for it.

You're kind of right, but only because the Alberta Government invested $7 BILLION in the Keystone XL pipeline and another $4 BILLION in tax cuts for O&G companies, which most took and paid to their shareholders (instead of hiring workers as was hoped).

If this government stopped pissing away billions on a dying industry, there would be plenty left over to fund healthcare and education.

[Thanos]

They quietly got rid of the regulations from the Lougheed era that banned open-pit mining on the east slope of the Rockies and the foothills. Apparently they're now convinced that coal is about to make some sort of mega-comeback and it's $$$$ PROFIT time.

This isn't just the worst government Alberta's ever had. It's also the most rotten. What an evil and chickenshit thing to do.

[Freakinoldguy]

Thanos Thanos:

They quietly got rid of the regulations from the Lougheed era that banned open-pit mining on the east slope of the Rockies and the foothills. Apparently they're now convinced that coal is about to make some sort of mega-comeback and it's $$$$ PROFIT time.

This isn't just the worst government Alberta's ever had. It's also the most rotten. What an evil and chickenshit thing to do.

I seriously doubt you're going to see a plethora of open pit mines on the South Slope no matter what happens and this is just a very pointed and emphatic pushback towards a Federal gov't that, through it's actions has shown it's ultimate goal to be the complete destruction of the oil industry and through collateral damage, the province of Alberta.

[JaredMilne]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

I seriously doubt you're going to see a plethora of open pit mines on the South Slope no matter what happens and this is just a very pointed and emphatic pushback towards a Federal gov't that, through it's actions has shown it's ultimate goal to be the complete destruction of the oil industry and through collateral damage, the province of Alberta.

More like the actions of a Prime Minister who's in over his head. He's in Dutch with a lot of environmental groups and pipeline protesters due to the billions he spent on the TransMountain X pipeline, just as he's in Dutch with a lot of the oil and gas industry for legislation like Bill C-69.

And as Boots pointed out, the province is pleading poverty in healthcare and education after it gave Keystone XL a large direct investment and loan guarantees, as well as the billions in tax cuts that continued the disturbing trend of companies buying back shares instead of actually investing in new jobs, research and equipment upgrades.

Remember how mad everybody was after Teck Frontier withdrew its mining proposal? Teck outright said in their letter explaining their decision that they didn't feel we were doing enough to have a balance between environmental protection and energy concerns? The province's actions only make it look like we're putting our heads in the sand on how other jurisdictions are starting to phase out things like fossil fuel-driven vehicles, and that we refuse to acknowledge how many businesses and consumers alike are demanding more consideration for environmental protection. It's the same old mentality of expecting the next boom to last forever.

Don't get me wrong, Alberta has dedicated, responsible energy producers who try to mitigate their impact. We're not Captain Planet villains, despite the hard leftists who want to portray us as such. But perception is everything in politics-and whether we're repealing environmental regulations that go all the way back to Lougheed, as Thanos pointed out, or we're suspending environmental monitoring, it makes us look really bad, particularly when the Energy War Room has made so many blunders it looks more like a real-life SCTV or Air Farce sketch.

And all that aside, our energy industry is simply getting fucked over by the free market in ways no federal or provincial government can control. The U.S. is set to become a net exporter of energy, as one of our biggest customers turns into one of our biggest competitors. The Saudis and the Russians are creating a supply glut of oil that keeps prices down. Yes, you can blame Trudeau for issues like Bill C-69, but the fact is the energy industry would probably be getting hammered even if Stephen Harper was still in office.

[Sunnyways]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

But at least NL will sign a contract with physicians so they can plan their practices and know what is expected of them.

That has been true in the past and we used to get a few ‘refugees’ from the Alberta medical system whenever the govt there had a conniption and suddenly changed policy. However, the fiscal position in NL is truly running-out-of-money dire despite the generous deal they just gave to fee for service docs during the COVID crisis. Any Alberta physicians thinking of leaving their province would be well advised to try BC, Ontario or even the Maritimes first.

[bootlegga]

Thanos Thanos:

They quietly got rid of the regulations from the Lougheed era that banned open-pit mining on the east slope of the Rockies and the foothills. Apparently they're now convinced that coal is about to make some sort of mega-comeback and it's $$$$ PROFIT time.

This isn't just the worst government Alberta's ever had. It's also the most rotten. What an evil and chickenshit thing to do.

If you line up the map of provincial parks that are closing/will be sold off, it lines up pretty well with the area that now allows open-pit coal mining.



Guess we now know that it was never about saving a measly $5 million/year, it was all about selling the land to corporations.

[JaredMilne]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Thanos Thanos:

They quietly got rid of the regulations from the Lougheed era that banned open-pit mining on the east slope of the Rockies and the foothills. Apparently they're now convinced that coal is about to make some sort of mega-comeback and it's $$$$ PROFIT time.

This isn't just the worst government Alberta's ever had. It's also the most rotten. What an evil and chickenshit thing to do.

If you line up the map of provincial parks that are closing/will be sold off, it lines up pretty well with the area that now allows open-pit coal mining.



Guess we now know that it was never about saving a measly $5 million/year, it was all about selling the land to corporations.

Where did you guys hear about this? Don't get me wrong, I believe you, but I'm interested in seeing the source myself and bookmarking it.

[Thanos]

They did the announcement about the change in mining regulations in a news-dump on Thursday night. I don't know about the overlap with coal deposits under the park sections that had their services permanently shut down or that reverted to crown land. With someone like Jason Nixon as our interior minister though I wouldn't be surprised by anything these UCP jackals end up doing with hammering public land as hard as they can.

[DrCaleb]

You can use the Government of Alberta's mineral mapping site to let you see that the areas in the south west that are now parks are also heavy in minerals and metallic deposits. Especially in the areas south of Hinton, and in the far south near Pincer Creek.

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewe ... 6fb8d0aee5