Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[calgarygeologist]

Well respected Trevor Tombe weighs in on the tariff issue. There is much to read in his analysis and below is only a brief snippet.
https://thehub.ca/2025/01/22/trevor-...better-option/

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has come under fire for rejecting this option, but she’s right to push back. Cutting off such a vital industry would be devastating for Canada’s economy and play directly into the U.S. administration’s hands by giving them a convenient scapegoat for rising energy prices.

“Rather than blaming Trump for rising prices, American consumers might blame Canada and become more supportive of Trump’s tariffs,” wrote my wise University of Calgary colleague Lisa Young.

It’s common for political leaders to say that “all options are on the table,” but bad ideas really shouldn’t be.

If retaliation must be done, it should be smart, targeting areas where the impact on Canadians is minimal but still sends a clear message—like consumer goods that are easy to replace, which Canada seems poised to focus on in its initial $37 billion response. That still costs Canadians—with potentially little effect on the U.S.—but the consequences are manageable. At least for now. As retaliation escalates, costs grow rapidly.

Even better than retaliatory tariffs and export restrictions would be a renewed focus on strengthening Canada’s economy so we’re less vulnerable to external shocks in the first place.

As an added bonus, getting our own economic house in order by improving the investment environment, easing regulatory barriers, modernizing our tax code, and so on, could potentially shrink or eliminate President Trump’s primary concern: the U.S. trade deficit with Canada.

[iggy_oi]

I don’t think most people(other than pure partisans) are opposed to pushing back on tariffs. Most of the criticism I’ve heard stems from the way she’s going about pushing back. At least that’s my issue with her handling of it. I think she squandered a rare opportunity to use leverage and good faith with the other provinces to our advantage.

[Fuzz]

Another disability advocacy organization says its funding has been cut by the Alberta government.

Trish Bowman, chief executive of Inclusion Alberta, said Wednesday the government informed her earlier this month it was cutting some of the grant funding that the group has received for decades.

She said the cut totals more than $500,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, and it comes halfway through Inclusion Alberta’s two-year government contract for the grant.

“The contracts being concluded are for funding that does not provide direct front-line services to persons with disabilities, and no front-line services are affected by this decision.”

Bowman said Inclusion Alberta was using the cut funding to provide services, including peer support programs for families of children with intellectual disabilities as well as help navigating government systems.

“These are, in our opinion, really direct supports to individuals and families to create the best life possible they can for their family member,” Bowman said.

“Those navigational and educational supports are really critical and really direct to providing opportunities for individuals to have a rich life.”

https://calgaryherald.com/news/polit...t-cut-province

Just needlessly cruel. You want to save $500k? lemme look at UCP spending on themselves for a year, I'm sure I can find you ####ers have a goddamn half million dollars before taking away supports from families dealing with their disabled loved ones.

Oh, right. The cruelty is the point.

[troutman]

If Trout[man] Could Talk: Coal and the Eastern Slopes

https://lethbridgeherald.com/comment...astern-slopes/

Hidden in the labyrinth of the Benga environmental impact assessment report for the proposed Grassy Mountain mine is a cryptic note on the analysis of selenium in the flesh of trout from Gold and Blairmore creeks. Selenium concentrations in the trout were significantly higher than those adopted by both B.C. and Alberta to protect fish populations from collapse. This is despite the fact selenium concentrations in these streams was lower than guidelines. This never came up in the Joint Review Panel hearing although there was evidence enough to damn the project.

Contamination of fish isn’t restricted to the Crowsnest watershed. Evidence from other watersheds with coal strip mines show similar results for elevated selenium concentrations in fish, including the coal industry’s much promoted reclaimed mine pit lakes.

This isn’t restricted to fish. Bighorn sheep living on reclaimed coal mines in the Coal Branch of Alberta have selenium concentrations in their tissue higher than any other place in North America.

[troutman]

Alberta ignoring advice it sought from citizens on Rocky Mountain coal policy, former committee member says

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/busi...mountain-coal/

The committee received 27,000 responses, Mr. Trafford said in an interview Tuesday, the majority of which expressed concerns about coal exploration and development.

But that feedback has been ignored by the government, despite the fact the province commissioned the committee’s work and accepted its recommendations, he said.

“You spend nine months of your life travelling around Alberta, talking to every Albertan you can get your hands on, and what you came up with was fully endorsed by the Premier of the province, the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Environment, every other minister and all the members of the caucus,’” Mr. Trafford said.

“And then to have [Energy Minister] Brian Jean … coming back and saying, ‘Well, I’m here sitting with my coal buddies, and we’re going to decide now how to mine coal on eastern slopes – and we’re going to ignore everything that’s happened in the past.’”

“There’s going to be an outcry of Albertans again. These slopes are just far too important to the province – the water supply, the air, all of those things – to risk it for some Australian coal mining companies.”

[Fuzz]

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s refusal to sign the joint statement in which all other provincial and territorial premiers agreed to a co-ordinated response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canadian exports significantly undermined Canada’s bargaining position, Canada’s former chief trade negotiator says.

Steve Verheul delivered that judgment during a 2025 financial outlook panel at the Empire Club of Canada in Toronto on Tuesday, a recording of which has been posted to the Internet by the 120-year-old Canadian political discussion forum.

“If we don’t retaliate, we’ll just keep paying and paying concessions, and we’ll never know where the end point is.” (Emphasis added.)

“I think we’re going to have to go through this whole process of retaliation and counter retaliation before we can move toward some kind of more normal negotiation,” Mr. Verheul told his Empire Club audience. “The whole process is going to be rocky and uncertain.”

https://albertapolitics.ca/2025/01/d...de-negotiator/

Expert agrees with Fuzz, news at 11. Good read though, explaining why it was dumb.

[BlackArcher101]

With all due respect to Mr Verheul, there is no "normal negotiation" with Trump.

[puffnstuff]

https://albertawilderness.ca/act-now...astern-slopes/

Perhaps consider adding your name and send a message about coal

[Harry Lime]

Didn't cancelling the oil rail agreement, that would have tided over the period before the pipeline went online, end up costing somewhere around $2.6B? That was a pure spite decision.

The Grassy Mountain coalmine would net Alberta $1.7B in royalties over the course of it's lifetime.

A similar coalmine, that was abandoned in BC, is going to cost that province $6B in cleanup.

The UCP are horrible stewards of anything, especially when it comes to resources.

[aaronck]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

https://albertawilderness.ca/act-now...astern-slopes/

Perhaps consider adding your name and send a message about coal

Done! Thanks for posting the link

[TheIronMaiden]

Keep fighting Troutman!

How can we help?

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Keep fighting Troutman!

How can we help?

Down with Troutman! Don't stop until he's swimming with the fishes.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Keep fighting Troutman!

How can we help?

Email your MLA. Tell a friend.
They need to hear the outrage - that's what pushed them to walk it back the first time.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Torture

Email your MLA. And cc an opposition MLA

Fixed that for you

[troutman]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Keep fighting Troutman!

How can we help?

Contact

Alberta Minister responsible for Energy and Minerals, including oil and gas, hydro-electric, and mining:
Honourable Brian Jean
Minister of Energy
#324 Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-3740
Fax: (780) 638-3506
Email: minister.energy@gov.ab.ca

[Fuzz]

Nice, an actual address to ship selenium impregnated fish directly to. We should start a fundraiser, and call it Fish for Brian.

[Torture]

Wine shipped direct from BC wineries now has an extra $3/bottle fee for AGLC. $36/case. Thanks "free market Smith"

[BlackArcher101]

So she's in favor for Tarrifs to protect the Alberta wine industry.

[Goriders]

Sounds like Sask and Que are aligning with Alberta.

Sask wasn’t surprising. But Quebec was.

Team Canada looking a little ragged.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Sounds like Sask and Que are aligning with Alberta.

Sask wasn’t surprising. But Quebec was.

Team Canada looking a little ragged.

Has Legault said this?