Tag: Alberta

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac Politics

Alberta Will Receive $300 Million in Federal Disaster Funds

Alberta will receive an advance payment of $300 million in disaster funds in early July, with the payment coming from the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program according to a recent announcement about the payment. This payment is an interim funding payment which is based on a preliminary review of the wildfire damage in the province. According to a press release from federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale “The Government of Canada is moving quickly to make federal funds available for Alberta to alleviate the financial burden of recovery from the northern wildfires.” In addition another $90 million in Red Cross donations will be matched by the federal government and $30 million in donations to the Red Cross will be matched by the provincial government. The news release also detailed the fact that “Both governments are working closely with the Red Cross to determine how the funds can be best used to support recovery efforts in the impacted communities.”

Danielle Larivee, Municipal Affairs Minister for Alberta, discussed why the disaster funds alone are not enough to prevent future wildfire events in Alberta. “Alberta appreciates the support of our federal government and all Canadians as we continue to deal with a difficult situation. Much work remains ahead in the recovery of Fort McMurray. An even greater challenge is mitigating the risk of similar disasters in the future. We look forward to working with the federal government and other partners across Canada to make this happen.” Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo Wildrose MLA Tany Yao called for a review of logging and firefighting practices, saying “It is just about time to start taking a look at reviewing our strategies for how we do logging and fight forest fires. That’s something I want to see the province work with the federal government on. Hopefully we learn, because we obviously did not learn from Slave Lake.”

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Alberta Ft Mac

Joint Alberta Ottawa Oilsands Monitoring Program Review Released

A joint oilsands monitoring program between Alberta and Ottawa has been under review, and the review has been released to the public. The goal of the review is to assess the effectiveness of the program when it comes to measuring the industry development impact on the oilsands. The program is operated by the federal and provincial governments and it was initially scheduled to be implemented completely by the end of last year. There have been some delays in the implementation though, and there are still some concerns over the program. Local First Nations groups are not involved in the program or the review process. The groups were involved in the beginning but they pulled out to show their protest because their environmental concerns were not being adequately addressed.

Some of the concerns about the joint Alberta-Ottawa oilsands monitoring program include financial and funding issues. One unit for mobile air testing had to be taken out of service when a decision was made that the program budget was not sufficient to cover the cost of the repairs needed. The Alberta monitoring agency has only been operating for around a year now and evaluations are still being performed. Some peer reviews of the program have been quite critical, and a scientific panel that studied the program also had some concerns as well. The latest review of the program is expected to address many of the concerns that have been voiced in the past. Hopefully the review will also answer the many questions that residents who live in the oilsands region may have about the program.

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac

More Job Losses Expected in Construction Industry in Alberta in Coming Years

The construction industry in Alberta is expected to face even more job losses in coming years according to a recent BuildForce Canada report that was published last week. The report showed that oilsands construction labor demand is expected to drop by an additional 28% by the year 2020. At the root of the additional job losses is the decline in oil prices and a global market that seems saturated right now. The report spells out that “The oil price decline is driving employment lower across all construction sectors.” BuildForce Canada Executive Director Rosemary Sparks explained “Alberta has been through construction cycles before, but nothing this complex. That’s why it’s crucial for industry to stay focused on recruiting young people and attracting and keeping those skilled trades that are, or will be in the most demand. Shifting demographics and market conditions require a construction workforce with the flexibility to move with the times and the jobs. The reality is that in many provinces, the local workforce may not be enough to counter rising retirements and fill the jobs, especially when major projects gear up.”

On top of the job losses the construction industry in Alberta has seen in the last few years the added jobs which will be lost add up to a significant impact on the oilsands economy. Some positions in the industry are still strong in spite of the decreasing oil prices though. Maintenance is still needed by energy industry companies and projects regardless of what the economy is doing. This may be good news foe skilled workers, a category which includes welders, pipe fitters, and boiler makers. These workers will still be needed to sustain the current levels of production, to provide routine maintenance and plant upkeep duties, and to handle certain aspects of plant shut downs.

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Alberta Canada Health

Cannabis Prescription for Epileptic Girl Requires Alberta Mom to Travel to Ontario

Alberta, cannabis prescription

Sarah Wilkinson is an Alberta mom who loves her epileptic daughter very much, and the only thing that has helped her daughter get some relief from the almost constant seizures that she experienced in the past is a cannabis prescription. In 2013 Wilkinson started t use extraction to get cannabis oil to treat her daughter, and the oil is extracted from dried marijuana. Until recently Sarah purchased the plant material from a grower who was licensed and the use of a prescription provided by an Alberta Children’s Hospital neurologist. When Wilkinson went to have the prescription renewed in July the physician declined to renew it because the Alberta Health Services position that does not support using marijuana on pediatric patients who have epilepsy, and the hospital policy is now based on the AHS position.

No one would argue that a cannabis proscription for a child should ever be provided without careful evaluation and medical need. The case of Sarah Wilkinson’s daughter Mia in Alberta is not typical though, the 8 year old girl suffers from seizures that can threaten her very life. In spite of trying a wide variety of anti convulsive drugs Mia would suffer 100 or more seizures in a single day before the cannabis prescription was provided. Since Mia started the cannabis oil treatment the child has not had a single seizure, yet the AHS refuses to even consider that her case may require special consideration instead of a blanket policy. Mia was seen at the St. Catharines, Ontario Canadian Cannabis Clinic after the Alberta physician would not renew the cannabis prescription, and Sarah now has the new prescription she needs to get the dried marijuana that has been so effective at stopping Mia’s seizures. What do you think about the position of AHS?

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac Health Politics

New 2017 Carbon Tax Introduced by Alberta Will Affect Local Economy

carbon tax, Alberta

A new carbon tax set to be implemented in 2017 by Alberta could have a big impact on the local economy, the residents of Wood Buffalo, and every household in the entire province. The tax will be economy wide and was set in place in order to address climate change and do more to lower the carbon emissions that the industry has. Complaints that the province, which is where the Canadian oil sands are located, has not done enough to fight global change was part of the reason for the new carbon tax. According to provincial government estimates the pal and the resulting tax could help generate annual revenue that may be as much as $2.25 billion.

Premier Rachel Notley defended the Alberta carbon tax and explained “It will help us access new markets for our energy products, and diversify our economy with renewable energy and energy efficiency technology. Alberta is showing leadership on one of the world’s biggest problems.” It is not just oil and energy companies who work in the oil sands who will be affected though. The average household in Alberta would see an increase in cost of around C$320 for 2017 and around C$470 in 2the year 2018. For many households in Wood Buffalo these added costs could be hard to cover while the economy is struggling and more people than ever have needed some type of assistance just to survive. What do you think of the new Alberta carbon tax plan? Is it a good idea or a costly mistake?

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Alberta Politics

Comprehensive Bail Process Review to be Launched by Alberta

Alberta, comprehensive bail process review

The Alberta government will launch a a highly comprehensive bail process review after the killing of a St. Albert Mountie, and this review was recommended by a recent report into St. Albert RCMP Const. David Wynn’s fatal shooting. The report looked at the Alberta Crown Prosecution service, the involvement of this service with Shawn Rehn who shot Wynn, and other possible variables. Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley explained “This is a crucial system. It’s important to review it, to determine if there is anything we can do to make it better. The review that we are going to be doing is going to concentrate specifically on how bail hearings are conducted, and how information travels within the system, to ensure that the best information is in front of the person conducting the review, and whether the right person is conducting the review.” One potential answer is police involvement in bail hearings.

The comprehensive bail process review that will be launched by Alberta will be designed to help improve on the current system and process. Brent Rathgeber, the Edmonton-St. Albert Independent MP, has currently tabled Dave Wynn’s law. This law, also known as Bill C-686, would close current loopholes that the bail process contains with the requirement that any past failure to appeal incidents and any outstanding convictions are part of full disclosure during this process. After the review is complete areas where there are problems can be addressed so that the bail process is more effective.