Does this Bother you?

[ASRG]

Recently the Alberta government revealed they were scrapping some mineral lease contracts up in the lower Athabasca, arbitrarily under the Land Use Framework to create a "natural area".
Is it okay to rip up a contract for a percieved "public good"? The devil will be in the details.....but what they are proposing is compensation that doesn't reflect the true value....and no recourse to the courts by the contractees!
I think this unilateral action by the Alberta government is a clear indication of the coming assault on ALL our property rights? Today they rip up a contract and arbitrarily decide a level of compensation for real property owned by oil companies......how about you tommorrow? Revoke your water license, your grazing lease, your mineral rights....whatever they want....and you can't do a thing to stop it!
I suspect other governments are sitting back licking their lips like a bunch of hungry coyotes, waiting to see if Alberta gets away with it, before they make their own move!

[TOM4CWB]

ASRG,

I see in Montana that the state government is charging 'rent' on the land under the water that is used to generate electric hydro power.

That is before the Supreme Court now in the US. Alberta is following at a close distance... plain to see.

It truly does bother me. Growing food is a lower priority than the 'biodiversity' croud... which $millions are spent on... by those extracting the minerals from under our land... and wild life has more 'rights' than I have to produce food or people have to exist. C02 is no different.

Our Ag dept has many really good well meaning folks working in it. But it is almost like the CWB managers right now... they rule the roost and growers had better mind their politics... or they will PAY if they SAY something that offends the power brokers.

[grrrr]

The NDP ripped up the GRIP program here in Sask. in the early 90's because it was "for the public good"

[dalek]

Tom... in Ontario, every hydro bill has a $5.50 charge
built into it that goes to the province for "rent" on the
water used in hydroelectric generation.. because
apparently if the government didn't get their cut,
they'd just stop Niagara Falls from flowing or
something.