Rural Equalization?

[cowman]

Very soon the feds and provinces are going to sit down and talk about equalization payments? Now Ralph is talking pretty tough, which is understandable seein how we have an election coming up! Whether he is tough will be seen later after he is safely back in control? Martin is making some noise about a "new deal that is more fair"! Read that as he wants some more money from Alberta!
Here is a novel idea: instead of sending all that money down to Ottawa to be dispensed to all the various incompetent provincial governments, why not keep it here and improve the lot of Albertans? After all isn't it our money? Maybe even get the roads out in the boondocks up to snuff? Maybe throw a few bucks into some infra structure out in the rural areas? Maybe help fund a few regional packing plants and other processing plants...such as malt, alphalfa dehydrators, bio gas etc.?
And maybe we could even afford to build some shelters for the poor so they wouldn't have to freeze in the winter? Or help our young people get an education or a hand up in business?
Martin needs to isolate Alberta and set up this fight over equalization payments? He needs to suck Harper and the Conservatives into defending the west. That way he can call an election and be assured of the rest of Canada getting behind him in ripping off Alberta! He's going to play dirty politics to stay in power.
I actually hope he does play this card and ****s Alberta once again? Hopefully then the people of Alberta will wake up to the fact that it is time to go!

[cowman]

The Province does inject millions annually into infrastructure projects in rural Alberta. Sure, they can do more, but what they do is significant. The resource road program for instance, has upgraded many local roads that are utilized by the resource industry, and those are a benefit to all who travel them.
The Province has also injected millions into sewage and water facilities in hamlets, towns and villages which is necessary, as many of them have very old infrastructure in that area.
Rural municipalities lobby the Province for dollars for local infrastrucure projects, however, it is up to the local politicians to decide what those priorities are. Sometimes local politics gets in the way of common sense in those areas.......

[carebear300]

I am always interested in your postings cowman they are most times including this one thought provoking. Being from the wrong side of the border in Saskatchewan, wish I had as many troubles as my friends to the west. I was hoping you could find a way to annex a little bit of Saskatchewan into Alberta, my farm. I am kind of serious about this, wonder if there is anyway that rural sask could secede from Saskatchewan and join Alberta. We have lots to offer to someone, our heirarcy in Regina and Saskatoon have forgotten that we exist. Just a thought on a very cold morning, snow flakes last night. BRRRRRRRRRR

[jensend]

one more crop failure out here and sask will be bankrupt and maybe then the feds can convince alberta to run the place.

[cakadu]

I agree with emrald - we DO have a great deal to be thankful for in this province and I sometimes believe that we overlook what we do have in favor of what we feel we may be entitled to. Yes, there is always room for improvement and I think it is terrible that in this province we do have a growing number of homeless people, folks going hungry, an ever increasing need for detox centres, emergency shelters and the list goes on.

I will play devil's advocate here and ask what right do we have to exclusive use of the money that is generated from the exploitation of our natural resources? Other than being born in the "right" province, what makes us feel as though this is all ours and ours alone?

In Canada - and yes I'm sure we are guilty of this in Alberta - we leave behind the 3rd largest ecological footprint in the world. If countries like China, India and such - who currently consume less than 1 gallon of oil per year per capita - started using oil like the civilized world does, then we would be out of oil and gas in no time. Then what would we do?

How much long term damage are we doing to have lots of wealth in the short term?
We should be grateful everyday for the things that we have, which many in the world do not have. I can't imagine for a moment what it must feel like waking up and wondering if today is the day I'm going to get hit by a stray bullet or bomb, or my children get hurt. I don't think one could ever get used to that sort of feeling.

[cowman]

Well Linda as far as the stray bullet thing goes...that is life! It is fleeting to say the least!
Why do we deserve what we have? ...because we basically elected the right people and I guess because we had the right attitude? And I'm not necessarily talking about the last forty years! The framework was laid a long time before these provincial morons came into power?
When I speak of Albertan rights I am not talking strictly Alberta! Our brothers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and BC are included. We are one people and we do not need the "colonizers" anymore?
Had just about enough of getting screwed to keep up a socialist corrupt regime from Ontario and Quebec?

[cowman]

And Linda, sorry to have to post this as an extra....the oil age is just about over! We need to capitalize on our resources while they are still worth something?
The world fifty years from now will be nothing like it is today(if we survive)? You know that and I know that. Lets make hay while the sun shines?

[cowman]

Resource Based Rural municipalities have faced the same line of questioning from those that don't have the same assessment. One thing that we need to remember is that although the Province is home to an industry that provides lots of cash for the Provincial coffers, that industry also places huge demands on provincial infrastructure. All you need to do is travel the highways of this province and you can see first hand the deterioration of all of them. The continued construction and maintenance can't begin to keep up with the demand . Industry in Alberta travels on wheels, and it comes with a hefty price tag.....so if we SHARE THE WEALTH where are the funds going to come from to keep industry on the move ?
This same holds true for resource based municipalities, the demands industry makes on their infrastructure is significant, and roads require a lot more maintenance than those that only see agricultural traffic.
We know that this windfall from industry isn't long term, so in my opinion we need to put this money back into investing in the province, and put a significant portion away for a RAINY DAY.

[cakadu]

It seems to me this is like a chicken and egg thing then. If we didn't have all this exploration and extraction of our natural resources - and I'm including things like logging and such here as well - then all the heavy equipment wouldn't need to move around, thereby relieving pressure on the infrastructure. All one needs to do is travel highway 22 by Caroline to see the huge numbers of logging trucks coming out of the bush. So it would stand to reason if we didn't need to get it before it was all gone then we wouldn't need to put as much pressure on the infrastructure.

I would also say that in some areas, like down in feedlot alley or where there are other really intensive livestock concentrations, that the damage from all of those B-trains etc., causes considerable damage to the infrastructure.

I'm sure we could all agree on the fact that the public purse is sometimes spent in ways that don't seem to exactly make sense.

Roads are a huge concern and a lot of money goes into them. Not being a road builder, do we need to look at upgrading the roads to standards that will accommodate the machinery, equipment and vehicles of today? Many of us - especially in the rural areas - are dealing with roads that were built 20, 30 or even 50 years ago with no comprehension of the machinery, equipment and vehicular traffic that takes place now and more importantly, into the future? Have their been improvements in road building technology and standards that should be implemented in outlying areas? I'm sure our frost situation doesn't help either.

I'm not advocating giving it all away, but how much will be enough in the piggy bank?

[cakadu]

If we repaired all the highways in the Province, upgraded all the old bridges, and twinned highways that need twinning as well as helped the major cities get the infrastructure they need in place to keep up with the demands of an ever increasing population, a huge chunk of our piggy banks contents would be gone.
We do have to remember that the industries that put pressure on our roads, logging and agricluture included, provide jobs for a large portion of our workforce in this Province. The pressure on municipal roads from industry has been addressed in part by the Resource Road progam which allows municipalities to request that certain local roads be designated as Resource Roads. The Province picks up 75% of the cost of upgrading and in some cases paving those roads to industry standards. Resources, whatever they may be from logs to hogs must be able to access markets, which means being transported, on roads and highways that must be shared with the travelling public.

I agree that the we in rural Alberta would like to have better roads, particularly those of us who live on rough gravel roads that are full of potholes most of the time. Depending on the municipality, industry does pay a significant amount of the local tax base, and needs adequate infrastructure to move in a safe manner.

[cakadu]

Where does one get more information on this Resource Road program? I'd like to see what the criteria would be in order to have a road designated.

Is it something that the municipalities would know about and be able to have the roads designated with relative ease?

[cakadu]

All rural municipalities in the Province are well aware of the Resource Road Program. Municipalities first must decide what if any roads within their jurisdiction meet the requirements for designation as Resource Roads. Then, they must decide if they have the wherewithall within their budget to cover their share of the costs.
After doing that, they have to apply to the Province to have the roads designated as Resource Roads. Alberta Transportation is the Ministry that will approve or deny requests for designation of rural roads as Resource Roads. I am sure that they too, must ensure that the designation is based on actual compliance with criteria and the availability of budget funds to pay the Province's share.
The Canada Alberta Resource Road program used to be available to municipalities to upgrade roads that went from one municipality to another and utilized local municipal roads as a connector road, for the purpose of transporting agricultural commodities. I am not sure if that program is still in effect.
You could find out more about the program by meeting with the Director of Public Works within your local municipality or by speaking with the Regional Office of Alberta Transportation.

[cakadu]

Correction to my last posting. The program that was both Federal and Provincial was referred to as the Canada/Alberta Agriculture Infrastructure program, not to be confused with the Provincial Resource Road Program.
Sorry if I caused any confusion cakadu.

[gwynplaine]

For a self-professed socialist, It's interesting, Cowman, to see you critisize the Corrupt socialists.

I think we need to ask ourselves are we Albertan, or Canadian? Every taxpayer in Canada is on the same tax grid and is subject to the same programmes, as I understand it... Albertans make more money, snd so pay more money. Isn't it 'fair' that way? I mean, for an industry that requires cash injections from time to time to remain sustainable, wouldn't we, here, understand that as CANADIANS we have a duty to help those less fortunate... regardless of their geography? Or demographic?

Again, playing Devil's Advocate here... I'm looking for some consistancy between some of the postings above, and having a hard time finding it. My opinion, is keep the money in Alberta, and keep more money in my pocket... we'd ALL be better off if we helped each other out one-on-one instead of relying on Corrupt socialist policy and institution to care for us - all the while complaining we haven't got our fair share either.

Imagine the opinion of an Ontario Professional, reading the paper and seeing another couple hundred million tax dollars going out to Farmers... does he control the weather? And, does he know that that money never really does get there, in enough time or enough quantity? All he sees in the Globe and Mail is his tax dollars bailing out yet another "unprofitable business".

I know the value of agriculture, and insist to all who'll listen that a healthy Ag industry is the foundation of a healthy national Economy... but the people who complain about us are saying the same things a lot of us are. And, it seems to me, we're both as informed.

[gwynplaine]

I am not afraid to say that I am an Albertan first, Canadian second. Alberta is where I live, make my living and have raised my family. I am not a separatist and never will be, but I think that Albertans pay their share into the coffers of this country. Ask any MLA in Alberta just what this province hasn't received back in transfer payments from the feds, and they will be pleased to tell you it is one heck of a lot. That in my opinion is paying our share and more....