What to Hell Happened to Alberta

[forage]

Just got backf from our honeymoon in Aussie Land. Arrived home last Sat. and it is -24C,a foot of snow, quite a difference from green grass and 28C. Now for the issues while we were gone :
#1
XL meat fiasco even made news headlines in Australia ie. may improve Aussie beef exports to replace Cdn. beef exports.Can't believe how the N.brothers have swindled 100'S millions of dollars from the Alberta government in loans and loan guarntees.
#2
Bill 2 Property Rights Invasion-all Albertans really should sit up and take notice of this one. What to hell as per the title of this post.What is behind this lastest introduction of this bill?
Are all you followers on this site absolutely a SLEEP. I do see ASRG woke up but the rest ????
I have a close friend at the U of C law centre and the information he has sent me regarding this Bill 2 is eye opening of just what is going on in this province.The question I have for everyone, are you willing to just bury your head up your butt and let this proceed to take all landowner rights from you.Everyone should go to the U of C law blog site and read what the professors are saying. I would supply the post if requested but why waste my time if really don't care enough about your own rights.

[ASRG]

Welcome back forage and congratulations on your marriage.....now you will really start to get an education!

Bill 2 was sprung on everyone pretty fast and it always takes some time to poke the bear awake! The farm and ranch community is slow to get rolling....but I believe they will..... it just takes some time.

The law proffesors know this is bad legislation and are out in front of it. When the head of the law faculty at the U of C, Nigel Bankes, says it is bad......you know it is really bad!

Between this bill and the clear indication by Minister Dianna McQueen that the Surface Rights Act will be opened up for amendments in the 2013 spring session, it looks like there is going to be an all out assault on our property rights!

Good to have you back.....I was starting to feel like a voice crying in the wilderness!

[grassfarmer]

I'm well aware of what's in Bill 2 forage as I'm sure a
lot of the other aware people that post on this site
are. What are we going to do about it more to the
point? We are in a substantially weaker position than
we were with the previous land bills given that the
people of this province have re-elected the Con
government since then. Even as a vocal minority on
this issue how do we overturn the wishes of the
majority who are seemingly OK with this type of
legislation? Talk is cheap - what's the solution?

[per]

Forage it is not that we are not paying attention and in fact those of us that are affiliated with organizations that care about these things are engaged and aware. It is just hard to voice these things out here sometimes.

[forage]

Thanks for replying to my rant.
What can we do ? Don't lay down and play dead. I did media searches on the topic of bill 2 and the only organization I can see so far is the
ASRG. Nothing from anyone else. Press releases are a great method. Do it.

PER I know I have been away for awhile and dad wants me to get involved with the South Sask. development plans , this government has everyone going around in circles. Bill 202 Bill 2 South
Sask. The question is the organizatios you are involved with well have step up to the plate and educate other.Get united,go as a common front. There are lot good intention people out it is just to reach out but when only one organization Alberta Surface Rights Group trying to take the battle forward it is like pissing in the wind and know where we are from you only stand one direction to do the job.

I know if we lose this we can kiss all our water,property rights good bye.

To all our neighbors to north wake up and smell the coffee.

[ASRG]

forage: Believe me, we are all talking, including the group per belongs to. We do have a rough plan in place. The whole Bill 2 thing is kind of fluid right now....let me explain?
Energy Minister Ken Hughes seems to be a fairly reasonable man. He was out at Vulcan on the 16th talking to landowners about the bill and reports are it was a pretty good meeting, with Ken Hughes simple answering questions and not trying to play the big heavyweight government type. Hopefully he will delay implementation of this bill until meaningful landowner input can be heard?
You might check out a couple of postings on Bill 2 over in the commodity section (Nov 11).
It is a pretty bad bill without a doubt, but right now we need to keep our powder dry and see if Ken Hughes can convince the cabinet that it needs some changes. Hughes deserves a lot of credit for coming to Vulcan and being diplomatic (he acted like a real gentleman)......much better than the arrogant, ignorant attitude displayed by the Deputy Premier, Thomas Lukaszik, at Sylvan Lake two days before!

[forage]

ASRG No powder should be left dry and idle for to long as in time it well rendered useless just like the silent ones on this bill. I can believe you are talking but those talks better have a real quick action plan behind it. Don't minch words with this one. Just read a Edm.Journal article where Don Bester(ASRG) was spelling out your groups concerns. Everyone should have a read. I wonder if there are any young ranchers out there that have even the least bit of awareness just how serious this bill 2 is going to impact them in the future.Wait till they have the oil and gas come for all their water supplies to feed the thirst for hyd.fracking and they cann't do a dam(no pun intended) thing about it.There needs to be a war chest of money to take this challenge to the highest level of the courts. Just rambling now.What are the different ranching organization doing they should be all over the minister of ag,srd,env,energy.

[forage]

ASRG just got the comment,now you well really get educated,sort of flew over my head at first. Already got my marching orders 3 seconds after "I do"
she already had a pen and paper making out my honey to do list.Just joking ,I wear the pants in family but just found out they don't fit.

[ASRG]

forage: Just wait until the babies start coming......then you will get a REAL education!

[ASRG]

forage: You really want to be vigilant as well on the South Saskatchewan river thing as well? We are trying to keep aware of that one as well.......and bill 202(hopefully that one won't make it through)! Lots of stuff to keep you guys busy.......wasn't it a hell of a lot easier when the government just left us alone to raise our cows?

[grassfarmer]

Forage, I'm pleased to see eager young activists like
yourself. I've always considered myself one too but
I'm starting to doubt how much we can achieve with
the populace we have in AB. Problem is rural
landowners are a tiny minority of the Province's
population. Democracy functions at minimal levels by
Government supplying what the majority want (or are
happy to go along with).
To achieve the result wanted by the minority (even if
their cause is just) they must punch far above their
weight which in this era means reaching mainstream
media attention on a regular basis to get the chance
to tell their story. It has to become a media "burning
issue".
To do that you need something dramatic. I have a
good friend up here who is also an activist in all these
issues. After the BIG-C rally in Ponoka post BSE a
group of us were discussing the evenings events and
he said he would lead a march of 1000 producers to
blockade the Cargill plant at High River to get the
media attention we needed at the time but he
wouldn't lead a march of 200. Apart from him and I
we came up 998 volunteers short that night.

We organised a meeting on fraccing last spring and
had a room full of folks drink our coffee, eat the
cookies and nod their heads in agreement with the
speakers. When we moved to formulating a plan of
action my friend again volunteered to take his tractor
and lead a blockade of a well site as long as 200
would follow him - he wouldn't do it with 20 people
behind him. Again there were no volunteers. We have
had confidential talks with between 10-20 people in
this area that have lost their water wells or had them
contaminated due to fraccing and not one is prepared
to allow their story to become public.

As I said before talk is cheap - unless people are
prepared to actually stand up for themselves nothing
will change. This Government knows that and will
continue to walk all over our rights until we
collectively grow a spine and do something.

Even if we get the property rights issues into the
mainstream medias eye that still doesn't guarantee
that a lot of the population will take up our cause. As
long as most guys get paid as much as they do in our
oil economy they aren't going to rock the boat. Only
when their water is contaminated or their kids water
runs dry will they realize and by then it's too late.
I'm mighty disillusioned at trying to change things in
AB. Maybe like HT likes to tell me you were all
managing just fine before us smart outsiders came
along and we should maybe just go home?

[ASRG]

grassfarmer: Jan said the same thing about blocking the Cargill gate at Innisfail......and yea I think I was one of the very few who put his hand up.....and I meant it!
We very well might be fighting a losing battle.....I know at times everyone in our group gets discouraged. Sometimes I get so disgusted with apathetic people I just want to scream....and I wonder why in the hell am I doing this? These guys don't give a rip....why am I fighting their battles when they don't seem to care?
At the end of the day I figure....well when the day comes when I meet my maker...at least I can say I tried?
.......hopefully that will be enough to get this old sinner a favourful nod!

[forage]

Grassfarmer , I don't know where you are from but it is hard to convince ranchers to stand up an fight unless they are in a bar and had a few beer under their belts. Landowner in the central and southern part of province spent endless hours convincing people to vote out the old PC hacks , including contacting friends and relatives that live in the urban sitting. This is the campaign we need to proceed with again. Everone has to be convinced to write letters to editor in every newspaper in the provie. Our northern counterparts need to do the same. Head to MLAs that are in PC ridings and convince them this is a Bill that has to be completely removed or completely re written with input from landowners . Lets stop relying a select few to carry the load. Short of getting a horse again and riding into Calgary we may have to take Redford's bull shit fork away and concentrate on her riding office for media events.

ASRG there isn't any offspring planned for a while, may have to move to Quebec to educate them how to stand up against government.

[per]

Forage, you are welcome to attend our board meeting in Pincher Creek on the 26th and I assure you Bill 2 will be a topic of conversation. I too was in Vulcan and hold out a remote amount of hope the Energy Minister heard some of what we had to say. At least he answers our questions. This Bill was introduced to the leg this session. It takes time for us volunteer organizations to get saddled up and going down the correct trail.

[smcgrath76]

Just an additional note - often a direct
message to your MLA will carry more
impact than relying strictly on a group
like ABP or WSG (even in Northern AB).
It is very important to work through
groups like this as well, but make sure
you don't abdicate your personal
responsibility. It is often easier to
skirt a group as the group doesn't
physically vote, but it is hard to get
around individual members of the group.