Category Archives: Energy & Natural Resources

The Redford & Clark dispute: Who really benefits?

Posted on July 29, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

Question:  How did the regulatory process for the Enbridge pipeline go so badly off the rails?  I’m talking about the “no benefit/no pipe” rhetoric coming from the Alison Redford and Christy Clark camps which threatens to upend Enbridge’s Northern Gateway … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

There’s secrecy and then there’s secrecy: Bilderberg vs the Redford/Clark meeting

Posted on July 22, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

What’s up with Canadian premiers and their infatuation with secret meetings?   There are two types of secret meetings:  those that give the premiers an opportunity to test drive a contentious position to gauge political support (a “trial balloon”) and those … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Redford’s Throne Speech: Deja Vu All Over Again

Posted on May 27, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

At last, we have the Throne Speech setting out Redford’s agenda.  It was eagerly anticipated by all (okay by some…well maybe a few) and finally it’s here for all of us (okay, a few of us) to dissect and discover … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Budget 2012 – The “Hockey Stick” Budget

Posted on February 12, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

Don’t you just love accountants?  I’m serious.  Every year accountants are given the thankless task of preparing “The Budget” and every year, bless their little number crunching hearts, they deliver—only to see their hard work go off the rails and … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , | 2 Comments

“Follow the Money” – The Coles Notes Version

Posted on January 29, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

Government is all about money—finding it, spending it and saving it.  Politics is all about where you find the money, who you spend it on and how much, if any, you save.  The trifecta for any political party is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , | 20 Comments

The Keystone XL Pipeline: Trapped in Silly Season

Posted on January 22, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

TCPL’s Keystone XL pipeline may not be dead, but it is mortally wounded thanks to President Obama’s refusal to grant a presidential permit allowing XL to proceed.  Many blame Alberta’s Conservative government for not doing enough to ensure that Keystone … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | 13 Comments

What Do Alison Redford and George Orwell Have in Common?

Posted on January 15, 2012 by susanonthesoapbox

Premier Redford and the novelist George Orwell have one thing in common—they recognize the value of euphemisms in political discourse. A euphemism is a mild or indirect word or expression used in place of one that is too harsh or … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Blue Moon And Its Impact on Oil Sands Development

Posted on July 24, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

Once in a blue moon something remarkable happens in the world of politics—disparate opinions begin to align.  Last week the Federal government, the Alberta Federation of Labour, Greenpeace and Environmental Defence agreed with former Premier Peter Lougheed:  the pace oil … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Russian Stacking Dolls

Posted on June 26, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

We’ve all seen Matryoshka dolls, those wooden Russian stacking dolls that open up to reveal a smaller doll nestled inside.  You keep opening the dolls one by one until eventually you find the smallest innermost doll—a baby doll carved from … Continue reading →

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Keys to the Kingdom

Posted on May 29, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

Let me tell you a secret.  The key to Alberta’s future prosperity was discovered 65 years ago—by the Alberta Post-War Reconstruction Committee.  The Committee was created by the Social Credit government in the twilight of the war years in order … Continue reading →

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