Alberta Bill 2 Responsible Energy Development Act

[Gofer]

Our MLA tells us it is a big improvement.
From reading Hansard it would seem so, with early notification of all projects. Then Landowners get to file notice of objection or concern before any hearings start. There are also 3 separate Quasi- courts to review the objection (I presume it has to get by the first 2 reviews to make it to the top one). I tried reading Bill 2 online but it is 120 pages and I glazedd over---but this is important !
Any thoughts ??

[ASRG]

Did your MLA also tell you that the four land theft bills, 19, 50, 36 and 24 were a big improvement?....You know the ones they changed or cancelled?

The debate on Bill 2 is before the house this week. The opposition parties and a lot of independent lawyers are saying "Whoa....this is really, really bad! This eliminates property rights!"

Personally I never believed anything my PC MLA told me. An MLA is basically a puppet. Maybe check out what the property rights lawyers are saying? A good place to start would be Keith Wilson......the lawyer the government called a fearmonger and a liar?.....The guy who sent bills 19 and 50 to the graveyard and got major changes in 36?

Or maybe not.......maybe you should just trust your MLA.

[Gofer]

ASRG I was attempting to start a discussion on the "points", good or bad in Bill 2, not a political rant.
The election is long over, for good or bad. Can you make any rational suggestions to improve the bill ?
BTW I appreciate Keith Wilson and all he is doing for our land rights.

[ASRG]

I don't think I was trying to be political, just pointing out that the three earlier bills were already complete failures....which the government has either amended or rescinded completely?
Bill 2 is just poorly thought out legislation. Is there a reason Hughes introduces 14 amendments yesterday......to a bill introduced 4 days ago......a bill that supposedly took two years to write!
Does that raise any flags?
It needs to be killed....as simple as that.
CAPP wrote this bill and it doesn't even have the support of a lot of small companies?
This bill is dangerous. Wait and see. You are going to see people get shot over this piece of garbage. It can't be fixed....it is trash.

[ASRG]

Gopher: I shouldn't be hard on you. I know how it is....you like to believe what your MLA is telling you....and that is okay. I am sure your MLA is an honorable person who is doing the best they can and relaying what they have been told by the higher ups.
I would point out though that seeing how you respect Mr. Wilson and what he has to say, you might be very interested in what he has to say about Bill 2? He calls it a train wreck, a Franken bill that destroys the rule of law!
I wish I could share the emails he's sent me. I wish I could share the phone calls.
I'm not sure what area you live in, but there will be public meetings.

[rockpile]

About 2 weeks ago I got a call from a major
resource company that they wanted to drill an oil
well. Buddy was asking for permission to go in and
do the survey and that they would be in touch with
a lease agreement once the survey was completed.
This morning another guy calls me that they are
spudding the well today. Did I have any concerns. I
replied nope, go ahead. The funny part is they don't
have a lease, and I can't wait until the red faced
land man shows up apologizing. This happened
once before and there is a financial payoff for the
blunder. Then I think about Bill 2 and I have an 'oh
shit' moment. Maybe now they can come and go
whenever it suits them! I have a long history with
this very reputable company so I'm not worried. But
Bill 2 is definitely outside the limits of acceptable
from a landowners perspective. It's a Bill contrived
by urbanites who can't even understand what the
problem is. It's got to go the way of the dodo bird.

[TOM4CWB]

FYI,

"Bill 2 is designed to create a new energy super-regulator, thereby making it easier for energy projects to be approved in a speedy fashion. A noble objective, but a key to the Bill’s inner-workings is that it eliminates Section 26 of the Energy Resources Conservation Act, which is the place in law that contains legal provisions that give landowners the right to be heard when an energy company wants to do something on private property.

Bill 2 as it is being proposed provides the new regulator with the power to say what can and cannot be done on private property, while at the same time, denying the landowner any role in the process including when he or she objects to the regulator’s decision.

U of A Law Professor Russ Brown says the government is removing procedural protections for landowners. He told the Calgary Herald that, “Under Bill 2, the consolidated regulator will be making decisions respecting the landowners land, but if the landowner has some objection or if there’s been something overlooked, they can’t appeal.”

Grande Prairie lawyer Darryl Carter says Bill 2 will extinguish the statutory right landowners previously had if they were adversely affected by a proposed project. Carter says that under the new legislation, “whether or not a landowner received a hearing would be subject to the whim of the regulator.”

Lawyer Keith Wilson, who formerly worked with the Office of the Farmers’ Advocate, says to dismiss the provisions in Section 26 of the ERCB Act would be a tragedy because this is the place, in law, that forces the regulator to give landowners appropriate opportunity to have their legitimate interests heard, and considered.
And because this provision is statute law, if the regulator ignores landowner interests, landowners have the right to appeal to the Courts.
Everyone should support streamlined development, but Bill 2 is terrible legislation because it deliberately gives the regulator the power to bulldoze people, especially landowners, ignoring their right to be heard when it comes to a regulatory decision affecting private property"

Kevin Avram

The FreedomTalk Coffee Room (FreedomTalk.ca) is a feature service of the Economic Education Association of Alberta (EEA).

[ASRG]

One of the things the opposition parties asked for was to send this legislation to the Resource Review committee so it could be debated and special stakeholder witnesses brought in.....maximum time two months. Sounds reasonable? Make sure everyone has the information to get this right?

The government turned them down flat. This bill will be rammed through using closure within days. Why? Because it can't see the light of day!

How is it about ten minutes after this 120 page bill was released......CAPP and SEPAC came right out and endorsed it as the next best thing since sliced bread? None of the opposition parties had even seen it!

Let's see.......just about every property rights lawyer in the province is saying this is really bad legislation that will slaughter property rights......while the government who brought you the land theft bills (19, 24, 36, 50), say, OH NO, this is a big improvement, we care, we're here to help you.....you decide?