When the royalty review panel recently visited Fort McMurray the panel was met with skepticism instead of a warm welcome. The panel has been visiting local communities to get feedback on possible changes to royalty rates and other factors, but some in the local community feel that there are panel members who have a bias against the oil industry and this is fueling fears. Most of the day was spent with the panel members meeting local business and aboriginal leaders, but eventually the panel met with a crowd of residents who had plenty of feedback to give as well. The crowd was very skeptical of the panel and some made their skepticism quite clear. One unnamed resident asked panelist Mowat what his panel leader qualifications were, saying “How can you guarantee you don’t have a bias towards us?” after pointing out that Mowat was trained to discuss climate change by Al Gore himself.

If the royalty review panel was expecting a warm welcome in Fort McMurray just because panel members wore buttons and gave presentations they were quickly disillusioned. When Mowat was questioned by the resident the panel leader tried to reassure the crowd, saying “We’ve complemented the panel with different attributes. It’s the job of the panel to ask the right questions. It’s not my personal views that are coming into this. We know the review will play a part in Alberta’s role in the global economy. Principles last longer than regulations. We will keep our regulations up to date with technology, but we’ll keep true to our principles.”