LMT May 21 2018

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4 Monday, May 21, 2018 • Last Mountain Times Pipeline obstructionism costing Canada billions Lack of pipeline capacity will cost Canadian oil producers $15.8 billion this year Canada’s need for new pipelines is critical. The recent decision by Kinder Morgan, one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America, to halt all “non-essential spending” on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion - which would run from Alberta, through British Columbia, to the coast - made headlines across the country. Stories have focused on interprovincial rivalries and trade wars. But an often ignored or misunderstood aspect of the pipeline debate is how much Canadians lose by not having sufficient pipeline capacity to deliver our oil to market. According to a recent Fraser Institute study, Canadian oil producers will lose $15.8 billion in revenue this year. Despite increased oil production in recent years, Canada has been unable to build any new major pipelines due to the cancellation of the Northern Gateway and Energy East projects, and ongoing delays in the Trans Mountain expansion, Line 3 replacement project and Keystone XL. Take the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, for example. The B.C. government continues to oppose the project, despite regulatory approval, and is pursuing legal means to regulate the movement of diluted bitumen through the province. Such political opposition raises serious concerns about whether the pipeline will actually be built. So what are the consequences of all these delays? How is pipeline obstructionism affecting our energy industry? Consequences include an overdependence on the U.S. market, increased reliance on more costly modes of energy transportation and rising oil inventories in Western Canada. Because of Canada’s lack of pipeline capacity, oil producers have been shipping their crude by rail, a higher-cost mode of transportation. Higher rail rates mean Canadian oil producers absorb higher transportation costs, leading to lower prices for Canadian crude and a wider price differential. Moreover, rail transport is less safe than pipelines and that’s bad news for people and the environment. In fact, pipelines are 2.5 times safer (i.e. less likely to experience an oil spill) than rail transport. There’s always been a price difference between Western Canada Select (WCS) and U.S. crude (West Texas Intermediate) due to transportation costs and the difference in quality between the two products. Between 2009 and 2012, the difference was roughly 13 per cent (of the U.S. crude price). And that difference was seen by producers as one of the costs of doing business in Canada. But recently, this price difference has skyrocketed. In 2018, the average difference between Canadian oil (WCS) and U.S. oil (WTI) - based on first-quarter data - was US$26.30 per barrel, which represents a discount of 42 per cent. Consequently, Canadian heavy oil producers will lose $15.8 billion this year in revenues compared to what other producers of similar products receive. That’s roughly 0.7 per cent of our national economy lost because we can’t deliver our product to international markets to secure better prices. Finally, this loss of revenue has far-reaching effects. It means less investment in Can- CONTINUES on PAGE 6 EDITORIALS, LETTERS & OPINIONS Why marriage still matters From health to wealth, from personal happiness to better outcomes for children, the benefits of traditional relationships are many Canadian supporters of marriage are speaking up - and not a moment too soon. In a recent Angus Reid Institute survey, about 56 per cent of Canadians said, “marriage is simply not necessary” to form a lifelong relationship. Almost the same proportion (57 per cent) went on to say that when an unmarried couple has children, it’s not important that the couple get married. The response to this came from many corners, none of which were predictably socially conservative or religious. Robert Fulford wrote in the National Post on May 11 that “[a] marriage creates a kind of mini-state, a midget republic with its own rules, its own secrets and its own history. Children, as citizens of the ministate, learn from it their first notions about hierarchy, finance, responsibility and ambition.” Peter Shawn Taylor wrote in Maclean’s that marriage makes you happier and richer, citing many sources to support his argument. Finally, Brian Lee Crowley and Sean Speer also preached the virtues and importance of marriage, writing in the Toronto Sun on May 10, “The evidence shows that family structure is a key determinant of one’s economic and social success. In fact, it’s among the most important.” Given the expert testimony and the availability of scholarship on the matter, what the survey results show is that a majority of Canadians hold views about marriage that are at odds with the research. Research overwhelmingly points to significant benefits of marriage. Marriage is an important wealth aggregator; it overwhelmingly helps improve the lives of lower income people. Research published by think-tank Cardus shows happily married couples fare better on a host of health outcomes, like heart health and combatting cancer. These are but a few of the research outcomes that are largely uncontested across the political spectrum in the United States. In Canada, the marriage research environment is less robust. Nonetheless, we know much about the benefits of marriage even from Canadian scholars. For example, we learn that children from married parent homes perceive that they can do better at school, as compared with kids from stable cohabiting homes. We also learn about the improved finances of married couples, not only from our own research but also from university scholars, whose research shows married couples are more likely to share financial resources in contrast with cohabiters. A Canadian study based on longitudinal data found that the portion of children born to married parents who experience a parent’s separation by age 10 were about three times lower compared to kids born to cohabiting parents who subsequently did not marry. The lack of stability hurts children. There are many reasons for the waning interest in marriage. The personal experience of broken homes might be one. Our divorce rates speak to the fact that not all marriages thrive and survive. Another is that we hesitate to speak to what we think are moral decisions, and private ones at that. In spite of the fact that marriage is still the most stable relationship choice, we hesitate to encourage it for fear of telling people what to do. Certainly, marriage is not for everyone, but a society that is ambivalent about marriage loses multiple benefits. Marriage binds sex, intimacy, parenthood and economic collaboration into a permanent relationship. It marks an entry into adulthood. Young adults are less likely than previous generations to follow the sequence of graduation, marriage and then kids. Surveys say it’s more difficult starting out these days, and with declining marriage, it means more young people are doing this difficult task alone. For decades, Canadians have heard that health, wealth and stability had little to do with marriage. Canada’s rising family breakdown and the prevalence of lone parent poverty point to the need for a healthy marriage culture. It might be easy to dismiss those advocating for marriage as moralistic religious types, but evidence shows marriage contributes to the welfare of society. One positive from the bleak survey results is that they are bringing marriage supporters out of the woodwork. We welcome this conversation and encourage a research-informed dialogue about the importance of marriage in a healthy society. -Andrea Mrozek is family program director and Peter Jon Mitchell is senior writer at the think-tank Cardus. www.troymedia.com. Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writers
RCMP REPORT Sudden death investigation On the evening of May 14, members from the Lumsden RCMP Detachment received a report of an assault at Regina Beach. Members attended to a residence on Fairchild Ave in Regina Beach and located a deceased adult male in the residence. An adult male suspect was been arrested and charged with 2nd Degree Murder. The RCMP Major Crimes Unit and Forensic Identification Unit were called to assist with the investigation, and on May 15 they announced that they have completed their analysis of the scene. The victim was identified as 58-yearold Robert Gardiner of Regina Beach and the man arrested and charged is the nephew of the victim, 32-year-old Clint Daniel Salminen. The Accused made his first court appearance on May 15 in Provincial Court in the Regina. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 29 in Regina Provincial Court. RCMP member dies in accident At 9:20 p.m. Tuesday May 15, Estevan RCMP responded to a single motor vehicle collision involving a car approximately 1.5 kilometers east of Lampman, SK on Highway #361. Initial investigation has revealed the car was travelling eastbound, left the road and rolled. The 55-year-old male driver of the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene. The 27-yearold male passenger of the vehicle was transported to hospital for medical treatment. Both males are from the Estevan area and are RCMP members at Estevan RCMP Detachment. They were not on duty and not driving an RCMP vehicle at the time of the collision. Their names were not released. RCMP collision reconstruction will conduct an investigation Monday, May 21, 2018 • Last Mountain Times into the cause of the collision. Preliminary investigation has indicated that alcohol is not a factor. RCMP pursuit leads to arrests Shortly after 8:00 a.m. on May 12th, Yorkton RCMP Detachment received a 911 call that a suspect wanted on multiple arrest warrants was seen in a vehicle at a local business. Members then received a second call that the same vehicle was observed traveling south on Highway 10. Members located the vehicle and attempted to it stop. The vehicle accelerated in an attempt to flee from police. A monitored pursuit was initiated involving several police vehicles along rural roads south of Yorkton. The suspect vehicle was soon stopped after colliding with a police vehicle. Two suspects were arrested without further incident. No injuries were reported to either suspect. One RCMP member was treated for what appeared to be minor injuries. Colton LaBelle (1998-12-07) is charged with 12 offences, including possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose – sec. 88(2) Criminal Code of Canada. Scott Mehling (1986-11-26) is charged with 4 offences, including Assault on a Peace Officer – sec. 270.01(2) CC. LaBelle remains in custody, and Mehling was released on conditions. Hwy #1 Eastbound Blocked at Pinky Road Last week, White Butte RCMP were advising the public that Hwy #1 at Pinky Road East Bound into Regina was blocked due to an Anhydrous Truck tipping into the ditch. West bound traffic is unaffected. No leaks occurred but the tanker was pumped dry and righted. The driver was uninjured. The traffic was delayed for more than 2 hours. NEW 306-731-1487 FOR 2018 OFFERING FULL SERVICE AND INSTALL. Water softeners, water purifiers, iron and manganese filters, taste and odor filters, water quality analysis, water, sewer and lift pumps, pressure systems and irrigation systems. Residential or commercial we have water treatment solutions for you! 5 SPORTS Paxton, the Big Maple, makes no-hit history There are 18 or 19 weeks to play in the Major League Baseball season but Seattle’s James Paxton won’t forget the first week in May. The Canadian-born (Ladner, B.C.) pitcher went seven innings and struck out a whopping 16 in a 3-2 Mariners’ loss to Oakland on May 2 and — with most observers saying ‘well, he can’t top that’ — he went out and topped it, throwing a no-hitter, in Toronto of all places, on May 8, stopping the Jay 5-0. He is the first Canadian to pitch a no-hitter on Canadian soil. A lefthander known as The Big Maple, Paxton is a proud Canadian, sporting a large tattoo of a maple leaf on his right forearm. For him to pitch a no-hitter in Toronto, MLB’s only Canadian city, couldn’t have been more maple-syrupy and beaver-tinged. The only other Canadian to pitch a no-hitter was Dick Fowler in 1945, a mere 73 years ago. No hits by the Blue Jays continued a woeful period of sporting life in Toronto. Two weeks before, the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round. The night before Paxton’s brilliance, basketball’s Toronto Raptors were eliminated by Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep after a season of championship chatter in the Big Smoke, costing coach-of-the-year favourite Dwane Casey his job. Then, the Jays suffer the ignominy of a no-hitter in front of their home fans, but Canadians take FROM THE SIDELINES BRUCE PENTON solace in the fact that it was one of their own who performed the feat, only the sixth no-hitter in Mariners’ history. Paxton is no out-of-nowhere phenom. He had a sensational 2017, finishing with a 12-5 record, a 2.98 earned-run-average and giving up only 113 hits in 136 innings. He also struck out 156, going 7-0 in July and August (1.60 E.R.A.), giving Mariners’ management one less pitching rotation worry in the off-season. So far, he has exceeded every expectation. After his no-hitter, he was fourth in the league in strikeouts with 67 in only 47 innings and has emerged as the Mariners’ No. 1 guy as their former ace, King Felix Hernandez, is on the downside of his career. Reportedly, Paxton has been a Mariners’ fan his whole life and bought an M’s tee-shirt as a youngster, wearing it until it wore out. Mariners management should do something similar with Paxton and a contract. Sign him to a long-term deal and take advantage of that pitching talent until it wears out. • NBC’s Jimmy Fallon: “A growing number of people are going to e-sport arenas to watch other people play video games. It combines the thrill of going to a live sporting event with the thrill of having an unemployed roommate.” • Bob Molinaro of pilotonline.com (Hampton, Va.) “What a relief to know that the Angels’ Albert Pujols received a $3 million bonus for joining the 3,000- hit club. Now he won’t have to scrape by just on his season’s salary of $27 million.” Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@ yahoo.ca For all your collision repairs, glass repairs, and replacements, contact – We do Light Mechanical LORNE’S Collision Center Raymore, SK. SGI Accredited. Call Lorne Huber at 306-746-5800 or 306-746-5805 Open Monday thru Friday Advanced DENTURE CLINIC Kerry Rodgers, D.D. Denturist Tel: 525-5200 1-888-723-1110 Fax: 525-3271 Email: smile4me@sasktel.net 4306 Dewdney Avenue Regina, SK S4T 1A8 (Dewdney & Lewvan) 00074621
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LMT May 21 2018

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