daveberta.ca - Alberta Politics and Elections

The Alberta Views Magazine blog has launched their May challenge…

1. Create your ideal Albertan cabinet out of non-politicians. Feel free to include biographies, mandates, portfolios or justifications in your cabinet announcement. (You can see Alberta’s current cabinet online here.)

2. Take a photo that can be titled either “Why I Voted” or “Why I Didn’t Vote”.

3. Write an ode to your favourite Albertan festival or your ideal festival (imagine the activities, lineup, location, etc.)

I will be sending in my submissions within the week.

If you’re looking for a good show, put What Gives? and Revenge of the South Sea Bubble on your list. I saw this latest run from Stewart Lemoine’s Teatro La Quindicina at Edmonton’s Varscona Theatre last night and it was a lot of fun.

It’s playing from May 1st through May 17, so check it out.

(Read the Vue Weekly preview by Paul Blinov)

Who needs tarsands reclamation? All Alberta needs to save our valuable economy and natural resources from mother nature are cyborg ducks…

Chinese scientists experiment with remote control of animals

Chinese scientists said they have succeeded in an experiment to remotely control the flight of a pigeon with electronic technology.

Scientists with the Robot Engineering Technology Research Center of east China’s Shandong University of Science and Technology say they implanted micro electrodes in the brain of a pigeon so they can command it to fly right or left or up or down.

The implants stimulated different areas of the pigeon’s brain according to signals sent by the scientists via computer, and forced the bird to comply with their commands.

(link from Wired)

As the realization that over 500 ducks had died in one of northern Alberta’s tarsands toxic tailing ponds hits home, there was a big contrast in how two of Alberta’s political leaders handled the heat.

In Edmonton for the opening of the Mazankowski Heart Institute at the University of Alberta, Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn’t hesitate in saying that this loss of wildlife should not have happened and that it was a “terrible tragedy” that is unacceptable to Canadians.

In contrast, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach came out swinging against environmental and northern community groups by positioning himself as the victim of a “David and Goliath” battle against environmental and public interest groups in Alberta.

If you think it’s a little rich that the victim card is being played by a Premier who’s government just 1) won a 72-seat majority in the March 2008 election, 2) released a $37-billion provincial budget, and 3) launched a $25-million advertising campaign to “rebrand” Alberta’s tarsands, you’re probably right.

Stelmach also tried to downplay the real victims of this incident – the over 500 tailing-pond-marinated dead ducks – by claiming that 30,000 birds get killed by wind turbines each year (which isn’t true).

As hard as Stelmach tries to play the victim card, whether he likes it or not, he’s the Premier of Alberta and the buck stops with him. He has a responsibility to Albertans to deal with disturbing incidents like these ones without complaining or pointing fingers. Occupying the Office of the Premier brings great responsibility, not victimization.

Alberta’s government has stood idle as the economic boom in the tarsands have dotted northern Alberta with tailing ponds – giant lakes of toxic chemical water. This week’s tragic incident highlights to Albertans and to the world just how damaging current tarsands practices are to Alberta’s environment and it is time for Alberta to put a real stop to this type of nonsensical practice.

The responsibility to lead usually falls to the Premier, but if Ed Stelmach’s not up for the job, there are no shortage of others who are interested.

With the spring session of the Alberta Legislature in full-swing, here’s a look at what’s up with the Opposition parties…

– Maclean’s has an interview with Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft. In the meantime, FFWD Weekly had an interview a couple of weeks ago with Calgary-Currie MLA Dave Taylor on his aspirations for the Alberta Liberal leadership. More on this later…

– An NDP-Greenpeace conspiracy? It sounds a lot like the time someone accused me of being part of a giant Liberal conspiracy. Slow news day, I guess…

– Former NDP MLA Ray Martin has a letter in today’s Edmonton Journal.

– I’ve also updated the list of Federally nominated candidates in Alberta.

Starting the week off with nuclear Bruce Power hiring PC campaign manager Randy Dawson as their top government relations guru, to the appointment of a pro-nuclear expert to a “neutral” nuclear study panel, to Ed Stelmach’s dinner date with Greenpeace, to the completely misleading allegations by Energy Minister Mel Knight that the Sierra Club is pro-nuclear, it’s been a rough week for Ed Stelmach’s Tories on the environment file as they begin their million dollar re-branding campaign.

In response to the false claim that their organization supports nuclear power, the Sierra Club is demanding an apology from Energy Minister Mel Knight.

For Immediate Release
April 25th, 2008

The Sierra Club Demanding Apology to Slanderous Comments Made by Energy Minister Mel Knight

(Edmonton) On Thursday April 24th, 2008 Alberta Energy Minister Mel Knight made untruthful comments in the Alberta Legislature regarding the Sierra Club.

Minister Knight, in responding to questions from the opposition regarding the bias of his governments appointed Nuclear Energy Experts Panel, stated that “It might be very interesting for the member opposite to understand that one of the … major forces working with respect to environmental concerns globally, the Sierra Club, runs ads in Europe in favour of nuclear energy, Mr. Speaker, in favour of nuclear energy.”

“The Sierra Club Canada in addition to the Sierra Club US have clear policies which highlight our belief that Nuclear Energy is not clean, it is not green, it is not economical and it is not a solution to climate change,” said Lindsay Telfer, Director of the Sierra Club Prairie, “The fact that our Energy Minister Mel Knight is resorting to slander in an attempt to discredit our organization is simply unacceptable. Our positions on nuclear energy are based on sound science, clear evidence and a growing body of literature on the industry’s impacts.”

The Sierra Club Canada and the Sierra Club US are the only incorporated organizations using the Sierra Club name. There is no Sierra Club counterpart in any European nation.

“We expect a public apology in the legislature in addition to a meeting with Minister Knight to clear this claim on the Alberta Record,” concluded Telfer, “we believe we can work with the Government of Alberta to develop an energy policy that meets its own stated principle to lead in the post-oil economy, and we believe we can achieve this without resorting to the risks of nuclear energy.”

-30-

For more information contact:
Lindsay Telfer – Director, Sierra Club Prairie (780) 710-0136

God bless, YouTube.

You get more than just a standard Ed Stelmach speech at Tory fundraising dinners now days:

Premier Ed Stelmach’s $450-a-plate fundraising dinner was interrupted Thursday night by Greenpeace activists who lowered themselves from a catwalk and unfurled a big black banner which read: “$telmach: The Best Premier Oil Money Can Buy.”

Stelmach had just launched into his speech in front of 1,650 people at the Shaw Conference Centre.

A murmur rose from the crowd as the banner was lowered at the back of the room between two giant screens that were broadcasting his remarks.

(Photo care of Greenpeace)

UPDATE: In response to criticism of their weak record on environmental protection in the tarsands, the Tory government has released a slick booklet as part of an attempt to “re-brand” the Tory government’s weak image (Click here to listen to CBC Radio reporter Erik Denison on the tarsands campaign)

I paid a visit to Question Period at the Alberta Legislature yesterday afternoon and was sitting in the gallery when Tory Energy Minister Mel Knight gave his response to Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft‘s questions on the appointment of the pro-nuclear Dr. John Luxat to a supposedly “neutral” Tory appointed nuclear study committee:

Mr. Knight: It might be very interesting for the member opposite to understand that one of the, kind of, major forces working with respect to environmental concerns globally, the Sierra Club, runs ads in Europe in favour of nuclear energy, Mr. Speaker, in favour of nuclear energy. This is not – not – a consultation process. We’re going out to answer some questions for Albertans.

The Sierra Club is pro-nuclear? Really?

It just so happens that I exchanged a friendly email with one of the kind folks from the Sierra Club yesterday evening. Not only did they assure me that the Sierra Club continues to be steadfastly opposed to the expansion of Nuclear power, but that the Sierra Club doesn’t even have a European wing or any extension of activities in Europe.

Why would Mel Knight blow this kind of smoke? Is this out of character for the Tory MLA for Grande Prairie-Smoky? Has he just spent too much time enjoying the fresh air of Alberta’s tarsands? Well, in 2007, Knight didn’t hesitate in his defense of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board after they used taxpayers dollars to hire private investigators to spy on central Alberta landowners and their lawyers.

Is this just another step in Ed Stelmach and Mel Knight’s nuclear agenda for Alberta?

The Alberta Tories celebrated their 37 years as the governing party as rookie Finance & Enterprise Minister Iris Evans released a $37 billion “beacon of hope” budget yesterday. Not one to disappoint, I was happy to take in the show yesterday afternoon (a big thanks to Kevin Taft‘s office for arranging my ticket).

Overall, the 2008 Alberta PC budget looked and sounded like a confused 37-year old: still paying for the mistakes of its youth, not quite ready to settle down, almost ready to hit that mid-life crisis point (hello, Ferrari!), and not quite ready to save for the future. It felt like it could have been something out of the 10th season of Friends.

I will be elaborating on my opinions of the budget and what it means for Albertans over the next week, but until then, here are some quick thoughts on the day:

– The budget low balled the price of oil, basing the budget figures on a $78 barrel of oil, rather than the current $119 barrel.

– Bye bye, health care premiums. Alberta’s health care premiums will be gone by January 1, 2009. Though this is a positive move, but I can’t help but be a little cynical when I remember how many times I heard Tory candidates during the provincial election saying that it would be irresponsible to faze out health care premiums in a of less than four years…

– It’s business as usual for the horse-racing industry with a $7 million increase to the now $48 million Horse Racing Subsidy Renewal Program.

– A 120% budget increase to the Alberta Environment budget is mostly a result of $52 million from the Federal government and $155 million from corporate emitter fines.

– My good friends at the Public Affairs Bureau will be getting a stiff 25% increase of $6.4 million to continue to dole out the press releases and spin. Upcoming projects include convincing Albertans that Ed Stelmach is an environmentally friendly Premier while he continues to support the tarsands and stands on the sidelines watching the potential construction of a Nuclear Power Plant in the Peace Country. More on this later.

– I had a nice chat with Dr. Raj Sherman, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health & Wellness. I made sure to encourage him not to hesitate to shake some sense into Health Minister Ron Liepert and his “health care reform.”

– The best (and most insightful) quote of the day goes to Alberta Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Ken Kolby:

Ken Kobly, CEO of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, said the government must put some revenue aside for the future while revenues are still high.

“Personally, I don’t want to be known as the generation that sucked all the oil revenue out of the ground and left the bill for our kids,” he said.

I couldn’t agree more with Kolby. Kolby for Premier.

Tory Finance Minister Iris Evans will release her government’s budget today and I’ll be there to watch it happen. Just as in previous years, you can expect an honest and thorough observation of the afternoon.

Check out Ken Chapman‘s blog has more thoughts on today’s budget announcement.

Also, speaking of a nuclear agenda…