Foreign Ownership

[grassfarmer]

nicolaas this is what it looks like to me too:

"Not a lot of thought for the future, just me, me, me
and now now now!! This attitude is why we still have a
rotten governing party in ALberta....... As long as the
sheep can buy their toyhaulers and beer for the
weekend, everything is ok though?

[sumdumguy]

At some point, the governments will have to
decide if it is good to sell farmland and resources
to Chinese non-farmers.

Sovereignty will be the issue.

[ColevilleH2S]

OK ASRG I'm really splitting hairs here but I still
contend the do not own it. A company which holds
a mineral lease for oil in the ground does not know
from year to year what potion of it is theirs free and
clear and what portion is the governments. Any
provincial government can change that at their
whim. They tell the producer what the producer can
keep. Didn't the Alberta government screw around
with royalty rates like that, five or six years ago?

If the producers truly owned the resource they
would pay an up front price for it and then be free to
produce and sell free from government oversight.

As for grassys comment, I always find it
disconcerting how some people pay so much
attention to what the neighbours own and do.

[ASRG]

Coleville: Good point.
I would also point out this government cancelled quite a few oil sand leases in the lower Athabasca region. It will be interesting how they deal with compensation to the affected companies? This cancellation of leases was done under Bill 36 (Land Stewardship Act) and will be a real test of the fairness of compensation for what amounts to an expropriation of private property?

[sumdumguy]

Could the governmenr charge higher royalty rates
on foreign-owned resource extraction just like
they differentiate foreign students at university
where they charge foreigners higher tuition?

[nicolaas]

I guess i do not have an issue with foreign ownership as long as they are paying for it. It is bad enough with the american companies, let alone the chinese. I like how Danny williams handled the problem in NFLD... he told them to pay or take a hike. After the expected temper tantrum of a year or so, the oil companies came back.... I wish our politicians could see beyond the next election cycle.

[Hopperbin]

My new potash lease is exactly the same as the Crown lease. And my royalty check may change from year to year on the amount of potash mined and as the royalty price can change, I am locked to the gov'ts rate as all others here also. A forigne company must prove that they are a net benefit to our country than a locally owned company.

[ASRG]

Hopper: A Question? Do you have to own the mineral rights under the land to get a potash royalty....or just own the land?

[ColevilleH2S]

You need the mineral rights to receive that kind of
cheque.