Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[powderjunkie]

We know Gondek is cooked...I'd kinda like to see her ride out her term performatively blaming the Danielle Smith and David Parker alliance for every single thing that happens from here on out. Which would actually be fairly close to the truth.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Media framing this budget as increases in funding when it really isnt really not helpful. Not taking population growth or inflation into account is poor journalism.

That's nothing though. We're borrowing a bunch of money and they're trying to tell everyone we have a surplus and no deficit. I mean, it's completely preposterous! Misinformation is one thing, but this is just flat-out lying. "We borrowed enough money to make it to a surplus" isn't a fataing surplus. And how the media goes along with that is just completely amazing to me.

But there are so many transgressions here. They project the CAD at $0.80 by the end of the year against the USD. What are the odds of that? Then you look at their inflationary projections for 2025 and beyond and it's just plain dumb.

Don't get me wrong, I work in a field where I get asked to prognosticate and predict all the time. It's virtually impossible, and I fee their pain. But I also think that they're just foolish to give a firm target for some of these things that is reliant on a very specific scenario to actually happen. Unless they just based this on a pure shot-in-the-dark which wouldn't surprise me given most of their choices here, but I just hope that isn't the case.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...130522?cmp=rss


LOL, so they snuck in a tax increase that's going to get pinned on municipalities. Good ol' Conservatives. Amazing people fall for this #### every time. But voters aren't stupid, right!?!

Yes and no. Tax rate did not increase but the amount collected rises by 12% due to the rise in property values if I understood Gondek this morning when CBC interviewed her (I stand to be corrected).

But yes it is sneaky and yes it will get pinned on the municipalities.

Overall I'm not a fan of this budget.

[puffnstuff]

Looks like the Dynalife fiasco cost the province about 31 million. The 25 year deal that was supposed to save between 18 and 36 million ended after just one year.
I mean its not fake tylenol money but still.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Looks like the Dynalife fiasco cost the province about 31 million. The 25 year deal that was supposed to save between 18 and 36 million ended after just one year.
I mean its not fake tylenol money but still.

Conservatives, tearfully clapping after moments before frothing at the mouth about the Federal government being poor financial stewards: “But done with the best intentions!!!”

[undercoverbrother]

Is there a website or repository of the UCP's financial #### ups?

From Pipelines to Tylenol to Labs

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Slava

That's nothing though. We're borrowing a bunch of money and they're trying to tell everyone we have a surplus and no deficit. I mean, it's completely preposterous! Misinformation is one thing, but this is just flat-out lying. "We borrowed enough money to make it to a surplus" isn't a fataing surplus. And how the media goes along with that is just completely amazing to me.

But there are so many transgressions here. They project the CAD at $0.80 by the end of the year against the USD. What are the odds of that? Then you look at their inflationary projections for 2025 and beyond and it's just plain dumb.

Don't get me wrong, I work in a field where I get asked to prognosticate and predict all the time. It's virtually impossible, and I fee their pain. But I also think that they're just foolish to give a firm target for some of these things that is reliant on a very specific scenario to actually happen. Unless they just based this on a pure shot-in-the-dark which wouldn't surprise me given most of their choices here, but I just hope that isn't the case.

Can we count on you to remind us all about this borrowing to fund operations [in relatively stable economic times] as many times as you reminded us about the NDP doing it [in the midst of a precipitous economic decline that was completely out of their control]?

I'll help you keep track...this makes 1, so you probably gotta do it about 49 more times over the next 8 years.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Looks like the Dynalife fiasco cost the province about 31 million. The 25 year deal that was supposed to save between 18 and 36 million ended after just one year.
I mean its not fake tylenol money but still.

It's probably tough to measure the actual failure costs of their policies. Cancelling the provincial lab and the costs associated with that, as well as the unknown future savings and benefits a lab like that could have brought to Alberta are loses we'll never really know. That, and how brutal it was on the staff and patients.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Can we count on you to remind us all about this borrowing to fund operations [in relatively stable economic times] as many times as you reminded us about the NDP doing it [in the midst of a precipitous economic decline that was completely out of their control]?

I'll help you keep track...this makes 1, so you probably gotta do it about 49 more times over the next 8 years.

I don't need you to grind me about this. I think its insanely stupid. But it's nice of you to acknowledge that I was right even if it's only because it's the other team doing it now.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

It's probably tough to measure the actual failure costs of their policies. Cancelling the provincial lab and the costs associated with that, as well as the unknown future savings and benefits a lab like that could have brought to Alberta are loses we'll never really know. That, and how brutal it was on the staff and patients.

This stuff is unforgiveable. As a "fiscal conservative" like myself, health and education are everything, everything. Want to save some money, lets explore it, lets try it, but to not put in basic performance measures that if they fail to live up to so badly that WE have to pay them to F off. Bullet in the head type stuff.

I don't care about all the other moronic things she does as a self promoting hag, but making people wait a month for a blood test? Fata you Danielle, hand in your Canadian card and fist yourself. I think that is the most important part of being Canadian, that if all things go south, at least you will have reasonable health care.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by fotze2

This stuff is unforgiveable. As a "fiscal conservative" like myself, health and education are everything, everything. Want to save some money, lets explore it, lets try it, but to not put in basic performance measures that if they fail to live up to so badly that WE have to pay them to F off. Bullet in the head type stuff.

I don't care about all the other moronic things she does as a self promoting hag, but making people wait a month for a blood test? Fata you Danielle, hand in your Canadian card and fist yourself. I think that is the most important part of being Canadian, that if all things go south, at least you will have reasonable health care.

Self quote.

Do we know who is the head of these dynalabs? Like Arrivescan I think we need to know who is actively stealing money?

surely they have to have an company officer, bla bla.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Slava

That's nothing though. We're borrowing a bunch of money and they're trying to tell everyone we have a surplus and no deficit. I mean, it's completely preposterous! Misinformation is one thing, but this is just flat-out lying. "We borrowed enough money to make it to a surplus" isn't a fataing surplus. And how the media goes along with that is just completely amazing to me.

But there are so many transgressions here. They project the CAD at $0.80 by the end of the year against the USD. What are the odds of that? Then you look at their inflationary projections for 2025 and beyond and it's just plain dumb.

Don't get me wrong, I work in a field where I get asked to prognosticate and predict all the time. It's virtually impossible, and I fee their pain. But I also think that they're just foolish to give a firm target for some of these things that is reliant on a very specific scenario to actually happen. Unless they just based this on a pure shot-in-the-dark which wouldn't surprise me given most of their choices here, but I just hope that isn't the case.

Also the whole televised "we're going to get off oil and gas revenues and fund the heritage fund!" - and then send out a budget that's even more reliant on oil and gas revenues.

[Monahammer]

The former CEO of Dynalife is now working for a lobbying group in AB.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Self quote.

Do we know who is the head of these dynalabs? Like Arrivescan I think we need to know who is actively stealing money?

surely they have to have an company officer, bla bla.

Looks like the Americans?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DynaLife#Ownership


The appropriately named sinister LabCorp.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Torture

Also the whole televised "we're going to get off oil and gas revenues and fund the heritage fund!" - and then send out a budget that's even more reliant on oil and gas revenues.

The truth is, someone could hold an hour long presentation explaining all the holes and issues in this budget. And seriously, it's not even partisan. It's just pure "this is so stupid regardless of what party you support of what kind of policies you want to see implemented".

I watched Horner talk to CTV last night and I was just gob smacked. This is the finance minister and he's explaining that they're borrowing money and at the end of the day, this is a surplus budget. I don't even know if you can consider it stunning incompetence, because it's just pure fantasy.

And I'm not even sure who I find more upsetting at that point. Like Horner and Marlaina are morons, which is clear from that tact. But the media just accepts it and has their "$367m surplus" headline. Where is the integrity of these people?

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Slava

And I'm not even sure who I find more upsetting at that point. Like Horner and Marlaina are morons, which is clear from that tact. But the media just accepts it and has their "$367m surplus" headline. Where is the integrity of these people?

Yup. Media doesn't have the time or resources to do much more than report the headline the government gives them unfortunately.

Exact same thing with all the media headlines about "increasing healthcare/education by x%" but then account for inflation and population growth and it's a decrease. But hey, we're spending 4% more than last year!

[Muta]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is there a website or repository of the UCP's financial #### ups?

From Pipelines to Tylenol to Labs

Here's a link to a Google Sheets doc that tracks all of the UCP ####ups (with source links) from 2019-2023; this was compiled by a Reddit user. There's some whoppers in there! The list is so long it's tiring:

UCP Decisions and Impacts 2019 - 2023 by Bailrs

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...z2M/edit#gid=0

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't need you to grind me about this. I think its insanely stupid. But it's nice of you to acknowledge that I was right even if it's only because it's the other team doing it now.

I acknowledge nothing. When you lose your job (or face a 2015 oil crash) it may make sense to incur some debt for a while instead of rashly selling all your belongings (which will just cost you more in the long run when you go to replace them).

There is no such excuse here, and the rationale is far worse.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Looks like the Dynalife fiasco cost the province about 31 million. The 25 year deal that was supposed to save between 18 and 36 million ended after just one year.
I mean its not fake tylenol money but still.

The whole Dynalife thing has such an interesting history. They have been involved since the mid 90s and lab testing has gone so many different ways. Dynalife really only survived because the folks in Edmonton actually really liked the services and testing that Dynalife provided in comparison to the hospital services from AHS.

I'm 2013, the government decided it wanted to centralized lab services and build a superlab in Edmonton and in 2014 they gave a 15 year contract to Sonic Healthcare to build that lab and take over services. Dynalife was given the booted by the PCs.

Then the NDP came along and cancelled the PC plan and brought Dynalife back into the mix. This decision cost about $3M in sunk costs and penalties. A few years later the NDP decided they want to build a superlab and it would include a buyout of Dynalife in the amount of $50M.

Then the UCP came along and cancelled the NDP superlab and we saw what happened with the expansion of lab services to Dynalife a couple years later.

This whole thing has been such a mess and political football for about 30 years now.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Remember that time in Alberta when the powerful Oat Growers lobby group petitioned the government to put a special fuel tax on horseless carriages?