Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

does such a creature even exist?

There's probably a couple of closet PC's in there somewhere, but moderate and progressive are dirty words to Marlaina's ragtag band of convoy clowns.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I'm not saying that there is going to be, but if people did cross the floor, it wouldn't be to the NDP. it would be either a new conservative party, or the Alberta party.

Likely independent for the time being until they can figure out where to slot in on party affiliation.

[Monahammer]

It's not true- or at least if it is it's definitely not who you think or hope.

The disgruntled group has actually been the further right body of MLAs. Not sure they would leave the party. Smith represents the centrist views in Caucus.
If they were to leave, it would be to form a further right party.

[GGG]

Is this a trap for Nenshi?

You put out a rumour of UCP floor crossers to a bait the more centrist candidates into saying they would welcome them to join. This allows the Non Nenshi candidates to claim he doesn’t represent the party.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

There's probably a couple of closet PC's in there somewhere, but moderate and progressive are dirty words to Marlaina's ragtag band of convoy clowns.

It's crazy that the word 'progressive' is something the right hates now. It literally formed the name of the main conservative party here for years!

[Torture]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I'm not saying that there is going to be, but if people did cross the floor, it wouldn't be to the NDP. it would be either a new conservative party, or the Alberta party.

But even if they crossed the floor to be independents it would only take a handful before the NDP would have more seats.


That said - I'll believe it when I see it. The UCP MLAs haven't exactly demonstrated strong backbones...

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I'm not saying that there is going to be, but if people did cross the floor, it wouldn't be to the NDP. it would be either a new conservative party, or the Alberta party.

Either way, dillute the crazy. The formation of the Wild Rose party was a wonderful thing to put all the nuts in a corner.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Apparently the main reason why electricity is so expensive in Alberta is that people are too stupid to know that they don't have to use the regulated rate option. It's now being rebranded to the 'Rate of Last Resort' and utilities are mandated to confirm with customers that they want to be on it. 29% of consumers and 46% of farmers are on RRO. A little re-education and the problem is solved!

https://calgaryherald.com/business/a...of-last-resort

Regulated rates used to be the cheaper option if you could absorb the variability with "contracts" basically being scams perpetrated by door to door salespersons with unscrupulous business practices. I only recently switched over.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Regulated rates used to be the cheaper option if you could absorb the variability with "contracts" basically being scams perpetrated by door to door salespersons with unscrupulous business practices. I only recently switched over.

Ironically, I’ve seen people posting projections of the RRO coming down and possibly being cheaper again, despite the new doomy name. This was just ‘internet stuff’ so I wouldn’t put too much stock in it.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Ironically, I’ve seen people posting projections of the RRO coming down and possibly being cheaper again, despite the new doomy name. This was just ‘internet stuff’ so I wouldn’t put too much stock in it.

RRO is effectively floating electricity and was the vastly cheaper option for several years. Once the debt from the electricity cap is repaid, it will likely be the better option again.

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Ironically, I’ve seen people posting projections of the RRO coming down and possibly being cheaper again, despite the new doomy name. This was just ‘internet stuff’ so I wouldn’t put too much stock in it.

I just got a message from Direct energy indicating that although the province changed the name... the outlook for the RRO price of natural gas will be lower than the fixed contracts

[Fuzz]

The Alberta government is introducing changes to utility fees charged by municipalities with the aim of reducing electricity bills in Calgary.


The Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, tabled Monday in the legislature, will force Calgary to change how it calculates local access fees charged on Enmax utility bills, even though the city is already planning on making that change by 2027.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...181508?cmp=rss


Is this just the UCP trying to take credit for this? I don't get it. The city has already decided to fix this, so it seems a pretty big waste of time/money. Almost seems like pointless red tape?

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...181508?cmp=rss


Is this just the UCP trying to take credit for this? I don't get it. The city has already decided to fix this, so it seems a pretty big waste of time/money. Almost seems like pointless red tape?

Isn't the major difference that apparently the process for the city would not take effect until 2027 at the earliest while the Alberta government is able to make the change effective immediately?

Three years of savings is pretty significant.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...181508?cmp=rss


Is this just the UCP trying to take credit for this? I don't get it. The city has already decided to fix this, so it seems a pretty big waste of time/money. Almost seems like pointless red tape?

Completely pointless/d!ck move/solution looking for a problem. Not a Gondek fan, but in this case she's absolutely correct.

Every utility (gas and electric) sets their own rates in what's called a General Tarriff Application which goes through a public hearing process in front of the AUC.

IIRC Enmax (Calgary) opted to link their rates to the price of electricity. Other utilities (Fortis/EPCOR(?)) were on what's called Performance Based Regulation (PBR) where they had thresholds to meet to increase their costs/rates. There is also a cost recovery mechanism that ATCO and AltaLink use where they have to justify their ops and maintenance budget on a 2 year (or 3 year) cycle.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Isn't the major difference that apparently the process for the city would not take effect until 2027 at the earliest while the Alberta government is able to make the change effective immediately?

Three years of savings is pretty significant.

Yay for retroactive ratemaking! That makes the rating agencies super happy and comfortable in figuring out what your debt is worth.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

RRO is effectively floating electricity and was the vastly cheaper option for several years. Once the debt from the electricity cap is repaid, it will likely be the better option again.

Especially now with all the new generation coming on line.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...181508?cmp=rss


Is this just the UCP trying to take credit for this? I don't get it. The city has already decided to fix this, so it seems a pretty big waste of time/money. Almost seems like pointless red tape?

It's either how they do things... spend all their time picking fights with the feds and the cities or part of their plan to force "parties" into civic elections, to get more UCP people elected.

[Charcot]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cana...-of-spreading/

The Alberta government funds a task force of clinicians to review the provincial response to Covid 19.

“Alberta review of COVID-19 led by doctors who challenged vaccine policies expected next month
Premier Danielle Smith is expecting a report next month on the integrity of Alberta’s COVID-19 data and decision-making from a little-known task force led by a physician who, at the height of the pandemic, claimed the government manipulated statistics to usher in restrictions.”

This is separate from the Preston Manning review and an additional $2,000,000.

It’ll be interesting to see the result and how it is received.

[surferguy]

I became a member of the NDP last night so I could vote for Nenshi. First time being a member of a political party. I’m tired of the bull#### being fed to Albertans via fire hose from the UCP.

My kids deserve a better province to grow up in

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Charcot

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cana...-of-spreading/



The Alberta government funds a task force of clinicians to review the provincial response to Covid 19.

“Alberta review of COVID-19 led by doctors who challenged vaccine policies expected next month

Premier Danielle Smith is expecting a report next month on the integrity of Alberta’s COVID-19 data and decision-making from a little-known task force led by a physician who, at the height of the pandemic, claimed the government manipulated statistics to usher in restrictions.”

This is separate from the Preston Manning review and an additional $2,000,000.



It’ll be interesting to see the result and how it is received.

"AB government finds additional ways to grift money."