Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[FlameOn]

Looks like we are going back to regional health administrations. Smith has given the health minister the mandate to "decentralize" AHS, after just centralizing EMS services. I guess it's easier to privatize individual clinics and hospitals when they are part of individual regional boards.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9840222/a...andate-letter/

[Fuzz]

What the Conservatives doth, the Conservatives undoth.

[powderjunkie]

Easier to make more absurd patronage appointments with more board seats all over, too.


There is no perfect way to organize the governance of a healthcare system like this. Changing it every 15 years is definitely the worst way.

[Fuzz]

Also, by breaking it into parts, not just by regions, but by what part of AHS is being managed, it's much easier to privatize smaller pieces, bit by bit until there is nothing of value left owned by government. You hate Dynalife? Wait until all of AHS has gone that way.


Thanks again, UCP voters.

[calf]

Decentralized AHS services
Alberta Revenue Agency
Alberta Pension Plan
Alberta Police Service


Additional capital spend
Additional beaurocracy
I fail to see how any of this is a wise spend of taxpayer dollars.

I get the "firewall/sovereignty" angle, but ultimately, don't believe any of that will actually make a lick of difference in achieving their goals (and we will all be worse off for it)

[belsarius]

Originally Posted by calf

Decentralized AHS services
Alberta Revenue Agency
Alberta Pension Plan
Alberta Police Service


Additional capital spend
Additional beaurocracy
I fail to see how any of this is a wise spend of taxpayer dollars.

I get the "firewall/sovereignty" angle, but ultimately, don't believe any of that will actually make a lick of difference in achieving their goals (and we will all be worse off for it)

Not all of us. Those board member patronage positions will be much much better off because of it.

[GullFoss]

Seems like there's substantial rural concerns with ahs and has been since it was centralized in 2008.

There are governance and accountability issues with RCMP that could be solved by a more expensive local police force that better responds to community needs in rural areas.

An Alberta pension plan results in better entitlements for Albertans because CPP includes a demographic subsidy of older people, and Alberta has younger demographics. I also have concerns with the anti-western Canadian bias of cppib. I'd be interested to know how much money cppib has invested into venture capital and private assets in central Canada vs western Canada. Has never been disclosed, but given they hire most of their finance professionals from Toronto and Montreal, I'm sure there's a bias to investing there and being susceptible to all the ESG nonsense, which further penalizes western Canadian companies in favor of complete clown investments like crypto

The tax collection issue is odd. It's a waste of money and seems connected to autonomy, but seems a little far fetched.

[Faust]

A life-sized donair costume has bidders offering top dollar, and some spicy responses

https://globalnews.ca/news/9842471/l...x-lettuce/amp/

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

the ESG nonsense

Please elaborate on this.

ESG isn't nonsense. It's a risk mitigation tool that has been coopted into some sort of "woke" v "anti-woke" agenda. But realistically it's the idea that if you act a certain way, people are less likely to protest/sue you. This is good if you're a corporation with creditors or insurance.

Do you want your pension funds to be invested in a company with no real governance structure? One that has no limits on nepotism?
What about one who acts contrary to most regulatory practices in an effort to save money at the onset of a project?
What about a company that knowingly pollutes a river system betting that it either won't get caught or that the punishment will not outweigh the benefit?

That's essentially what ESG controls protect investors from. They're not even formalized, it's not a regulatory regime or some bull####. It's created by bankers/ risk auditors who are trying to assess the risk profile of businesses in the current economic/social climate.

[timun]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

An Alberta pension plan results in better entitlements for Albertans because CPP includes a demographic subsidy of older people, and Alberta has younger demographics.

CPP by definition is "a demographic subsidy of older people": it's a pension plan.

I also have concerns with the anti-western Canadian bias of cppib. I'd be interested to know how much money cppib has invested into venture capital and private assets in central Canada vs western Canada. Has never been disclosed, but given they hire most of their finance professionals from Toronto and Montreal, I'm sure there's a bias to investing there and being susceptible to all the ESG nonsense, which further penalizes western Canadian companies in favor of complete clown investments like crypto

I have concerns that an Alberta Pension Plan will invest into Albertan/Western Canadian assets for ideological reasons rather than looking for the best returns. AIMCo is notorious for doing so. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec are bad for it too. Whereas the CPPIB has a far more diversified mix of assets, and their returns are far better than AIMCo and CDPQ's.

[Fuzz]

I'm a Canadian first and foremost, so any attempt to weaken the rest of Canada for a few years of benefits to Alberta is a pretty big non-starter for me, as it should be to anyone who considers themselves Canadians, cares for the rest of the country, and doesn't buy into bull#### separatists principles.

[woob]

OK, I admittedly know nothing about what I'm about to comment on, but perhaps someone else can offer insight: Why do medical gowns expire? Risk of the fabric breaking down?

https://surplus.gov.ab.ca/OA/ItemDet...turedAuction=Y

[FacePaint]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Please elaborate on this.

ESG isn't nonsense. It's a risk mitigation tool that has been coopted into some sort of "woke" v "anti-woke" agenda. But realistically it's the idea that if you act a certain way, people are less likely to protest/sue you. This is good if you're a corporation with creditors or insurance.

Do you want your pension funds to be invested in a company with no real governance structure? One that has no limits on nepotism?
What about one who acts contrary to most regulatory practices in an effort to save money at the onset of a project?
What about a company that knowingly pollutes a river system betting that it either won't get caught or that the punishment will not outweigh the benefit?

That's essentially what ESG controls protect investors from. They're not even formalized, it's not a regulatory regime or some bull####. It's created by bankers/ risk auditors who are trying to assess the risk profile of businesses in the current economic/social climate.

There was a good Freakanomics podcast last month about this. Around 50% is based on environmental assessment but by punishing Brown companies and rewarding green companies it's not helping the environment.

ESG is definitely not BS and will only continue to grow but solutions need to be found for brown companies to access capital to become more green rather than losing capital and cutting corners to become more brown.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by timun

CPP by definition is "a demographic subsidy of older people": it's a pension plan.

CPP is more specifically a subsidy than the average plan though. Any service earned before the changes in the early 90s was massively undercontributed, so that specific demographic is getting a subsidy from everyone who comes afterward.

It doesn't actually matter if Alberta aged faster than other provinces subsequently to the math here- we'd have a lower burden of folks who didn't pay their own way.

Now, as it happens I don't trust either the province or Aimco to run this, but the subsidy from Alberta to the rest of Canada is real and significant here.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

You can bid for a Donair costume on the Alberta government auction website....

Spoiler!

https://surplus.gov.ab.ca/OA/ItemDet...3F8qRJThMbGk8A

Your tax dollars at work...

Let me know when we can bid on this…

[DownInFlames]

Donair shops have been in a bidding war and it's over $5500 now. At this rate we'll be able to fund the new arena with this sale.

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Donair shops have been in a bidding war and it's over $5500 now. At this rate we'll be able to fund the new arena with this sale.

That kind of emotional bidding is the reason auctions were invented. Fun to watch but I wouldn’t want to be the winner.

[Slava]

I still want to know why the province has this?

[GordonBlue]

Affordability and utilities minister tasked to review Alberta's electricity system and pricing

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...cing-1.6911741

Alberta's premier says the affordability and utilities minister needs to improve power prices for consumers who are getting zapped in the pocketbook.

Minister Nathan Neudorf's marching orders, spelled out in a Wednesday mandate letter, ask him to study phasing out the default electricity rate that is driving up the cost of some consumer bills.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Slava

I still want to know why the province has this?

To attract East coasters and lebanese people to Alberta?