Synergy Group

[cowman]

The EUB office in Calgary is bursting at the seams with staff !!!

[cowman]

And I will tell you Emerald the EUB does have some very good people working for it! Jeff Stinson at Red Deer comes to mind?
Now without a doubt the EUB is there for one reason: GET THAT WELL DRILLED, but that doesn't mean they are out to pollute the world or something! They are dismayed by some of the tactics used by certain coalbed companies...especially when they first arrived on the scene from the USA!
Believe me when I tell you the EUB got these guys to clean up their act...in a big way!
You should also realize the EUB staff is not happy with the situation where they are all office jockeys? They know they need people in the field and the government has not allowed that to happen?

[wilagro]

cowman: Do you remember when Steve West practically destroyed The EUB in his reorganization? His shortsighted actions have come back to haunt this gov't many times over.

In my opinion, Ralph as his 'gang' had a willing but misguided agent in their restructuring. The same thing happened with Alberta Highways/Transportation where 2000 people were let go and privatization screwed up our highways maintenance.

[wilagro]

The spelling errors in the last message were the result of too much haste. Please feel free to correct them.

[wilagro]

wilagro you hit the nail on the head with the privatization of highway maintenance.My bet is that it, like health care is costing more since the restructuring.

Plus the fact that the Alberta Highways engineers formed their own company and are now making a killing working for municipalities, the government and anyone else that requires their services.

[cakadu]

I'm curious, cowman, what are all the "good cards in the game?"

There were many things done a few years ago that have to leave all of us scratching our heads and wondering what the plan was from the outset. When they were blowing up hospitals, did that help with the capacity challenge? How has road maintenance improved since it was privatized? Licensing and such may have improved somewhat but there are times when I'm standing in a very l-o-n-g line that I wonder about that too.

It will be interesting as you progress in both groups cowman to see if you can avoid the perception of a conflict somewhere along the line.

Are surface rights groups merely there to oppose or there to get the best deal for landowners that they can?

[cakadu]

Sometimes you really make me laugh cowman. I am not shouting that the environment should come first, but geez louise, could we at least consider it?

Think of a triangle with social, environmental and economic at each end. In order for things to really function well there has to be balance. Right now we are way, way, way out of whack on the environmental and social sides. Things have a way of finding an equilibrium.

It could be that one day all of the oil money will not be able to restore us to the qualities that make Alberta as wonderful as it is. (And I am not referring to money.)

If all we needed was to heat our homes and drive our cars, would we need to be digging up the natural resources at the pace that we are? I don't buy every plastic thing known to man and will actually not purchase things that come with excessive packaging. Not all of us want the toys, gadgets and gizmos.

[cakadu]

when you see what is planned for the oil sands area it is mind boggling. It will be the economic driver for the country, and the province will inject nothing but money into the area over the next few years.

Not only cash dollars but land being changed from public land to deeded lands and sold to developers, plus the plans to allow a huge tract of land to be used for stip mining with no thought for the wildlife or boreal forests.

I only hope that all this is worth the price in the long term. I haven't seen my costs of driving a vehicle go down, in fact the cost of gas is creeping up again.
Lont term projections are for increased natural gas costs next winter, anyone on a fixed income is going to have to budget for that through the summer.
My friend on an AISH pension pays 120.00 per month year round to heat her small moblie home.

[cowman]

Linda: I say the people who decide how this developement is going to happen hold all the good cards...because frankly they do! Think of the Indians dealing with the federal government 140 years ago? They had two options: Try to work with the government or go to war...and cease to exist! That is pretty well how it is, whether we like it or not? Now we can yell and scream and protest and maybe vote for some party that doesn't have a snowballs chance...or we can deal with reality and cut the best deal possible? Maybe you are just a rebel who likes to tilt at windmills! Hows it working so far?

[cowman]

Further on the cutting of services: I think Steve West did what he had to do at the time. I don't think the government has re-instated certain services with the changing times.
I guess I would say I agree with privatization, because it reduces costs. Now I know some people don't agree that happens and I can only rely on what the people in charge tell me? I'm not like the Pink Panther or something, investigating who is telling the truth and who is cooking the books?
So when the CAO of my local municipality tells me they saved $1.5 million a year by privatizing public works, I have to take that as the truth. Or is he a liar? When my councillor and the County reeve tell me the same thing, do I believe them? Or call them a liar? Are they all liars? Hmmm....and here I've always thought they were honorable people who I've known for decades!
Now I drive a fair bit in central Alberta? And I think Alberta Highways and Ledcor do a pretty good job, probably as good as the days of public maitenance? I assume it is costing less, but maybe I'm wrong? The experience in my municipality would suggest it probably is costing less...Alberta Highways is the main contractor in my county too? Or maybe that is a false assumption if everyone is lying!