Alberta Craft Breweries – daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics and Elections

New pipeline will carry Alberta Craft Beer to tidewater

After years of political wrangling over the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline, the Alberta government has announced the construction of a new pipeline that will carry craft brewed beer from Alberta to British Columbia.

“We’re working with entrepreneurs to create jobs and brewing in Alberta is thriving, with more breweries and distilleries opening their doors or growing their businesses,” said Premier Rachel Notley.

“I’m thrilled Kinder Morgan has agreed to help export our craft beer to foreign markets through this pipeline… all the way to tidewater,” a cheerful Notley exclaimed while raising a cold pint of Alley Kat Scona Gold.

The proposed pipeline, with 980 kilometres of pipe, would increase Alberta’s export capacity to 1,000,000 kegs per day. An investment of $10.8 billion would complete the connection between Edmonton and Burnaby.

“Our government is proud to support a successful and growing industry from grain to glass to tidewater as they broaden job opportunities, help diversify the economy and make great products,” exclaimed Joe Ceci, Minister of Finance and Craft Brewery Development, after taking a sip of East Calgary Lager from the Cold Garden Beverage Company.

“It is great to see that the craft brewing industry in Alberta is obviously flourishing. I’m also happy to see the number of jobs that will been created as a result of this new pipeline,” said Agriculture and Hops Minister Oneil Carlier while enjoying a glass of Naked Woodsman Pale Ale from Bench Creek Brewing.

“We are proud to support Alberta’s successful and growing liquor manufacturing industry. This pipeline will provide manufacturers with an export capacity that makes sense, reduces licensing costs and creates job opportunities by enabling business growth,” said Ceci.

But the opposition remains unimpressed.

“Last week I wrote the Premier asking that her Government convene an emergency sitting of the Legislature to allow MLAs of all parties to discuss this critical economic issue, inform the government’s approach, and hopefully show a sign of unity in calling for federal action to get the Craft Beer pipeline built,” said Official Opposition leader Jason Kenney.

“The Craft Beer pipeline is critical for Alberta and it is the national interest for this project to succeed,” said Kenney.

In response to Kenney’s criticism, Notley simply stated, “I know, Jason. That’s what I’ve been working on for the past three years.”

Notley is expected to join BC Premier John Horgan for a ceremonial keg-stand near the Alberta-BC boundary next month.

Alberta NDP win the Fake Trade War on the Prairies

In one of his final acts as Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall ended the brief and bizarre fake trade war his government launched against Alberta.

Deron Bilous Edmonton Alberta MLA Minister — Deron Bilous

The ban on vehicles with Alberta license plates on Saskatchewan road worksites was initially framed as a retaliation for similar actions by the Alberta government. But when no evidence could be found that this was actually happening in Alberta, the ban was soon framed as a retaliation for the Alberta Government’s support of the province’s booming craft beer industry.

Anyone who pays attention to Alberta politics will know the New Democratic Party has been enthusiastic supporters of the province’s craft beer industry. Out-of-province brewers claim changes that have helped distilleries in Alberta triple from 18 in 2014 to 54 in 2017 are unconstitutional. The government does not appear to have any intention of stepping back, and Finance Minister Joe Ceci, in particular, has spent a considerable amount of time showing his support for Alberta craft beer.

While Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous tried to make sense of the Saskatchewan government’s insistence on meeting in Medicine Hat rather than Lloydminster, at lot of Albertans couldn’t help but think we might be getting punk’d. Bilous was about to inform the New West Partnership trade secretariat of the dispute when the Saskatchewan Government blinked, or backed down.

The fake trade war was seen by some political watchers as a strategic failure or a distraction from scandals and unpopular decisions that plagued Wall’s Government in its final year. But it was also consistent with Wall’s ongoing adversarial relationship with Premier Rachel Notley, and the NDP in general.

A decade ago, Wall was the fresh face for conservatism on the prairies after he led his party to unseat a 16-year old NDP government. But after ten years in office, Wall has assumed the role as the leading voice of grumpy conservatism in Western Canada.

Wall, who continues to enjoy incredible popularity in his province and among Conservative partisans in Alberta, raised the white flag days before he is set to retire as Premier.

While New Democrats in the Alberta Legislature will be pleased to see Wall ride into the political sunset, it remains unclear whether his successor will be open to a more cordial relationship with their provincial neighbours.

Alberta’s NDP should enjoy their quick victory in the fake trade war on the prairies, but they should not lose focus as the real political battle continues to brew to the west – and that fight is about oil pipelines, not licence plates or beer.

The Saskatchewan Party will choose its next leader on Jan. 27, 2018. Candidates include former cabinet ministers Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Ken Cheveldayoff, Scott Moe, Gordon Wyant and former senior public servant Alanna Koch.