ECA Review 2019-07-25

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6 J uly 25'19 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTl ER, AB. ECA REVIEW EDITORIAL Nothing charitable about mind manipulation B. Schimke ECA Review Premier Jason Kenney is right to question the activities of charitable organizations, he’s just wrong to focus on one small group of charities. Charitable organizations, with tax-free status and authority to issue tax deductible receipts, are privileged indeed. Yet charity laws are fraught with enforcement challenges and competing interests. Hunters, businesses and communities reap economic benefits from Ducks Unlimited even though there are other rural Albertans opposed to their water diversion schemes. Many environmentalists would applaud their commitment to wetland development but frown on foreign hunters coming to kill birds. “ under the guise of independent researchers, they pump out reports to sway public opinion and economic policy. Kenney is teaching us to hate environmental groups opposing the pipeline, yet Ducks Unlimited is also an environmental group. The same can be said for religious institutions. Few may dispute the right of Judeo-Christian churches to have charitable status, yet can the same be said for Muslim mosques or Jewish Synagogues? Throughout history, Jews have been hated as money grabbers and many believe mosques are incubators of terrorism. Even today some churches seem to promote right-wing politics as synonymous with Christian values, especially as witnessed in the United States. These examples are simply used to show how conflicted we are when discussing who is abusing their charitable status. Governments could eliminate charitable status altogether, but a better option might be to audit the donors—does their donation lead to personal financial gain? The obvious “ OPINION targets for such audits would be ‘think tanks’. Two think tanks most often quoted in Alberta are the Parkland Institute on the left and the Fraser Institute on the right. Under the guise of independent researchers, they pump out reports to sway public opinion and economic policy. Yet both can cherry-pick data to shape public perspective in line with their donor’s wishes. It’s hard to imagine how Parkland Institute donors would gain personal wealth, but the same cannot be said for the donors of the Fraser Institute. Right-wing ideology think tanks, founded by wealthy Americans, started to proliferate in the US in the 1970s. The Koch Brothers were the leaders in this movement and today they are the largest donor of foreign dollars to the Fraser Institute. The Koch Brothers wealth is oil and gas; their mantra is climate change denial and their investment in the Alberta oil sands is significant. Their large donations to right-wing think tanks, on both sides of the border, protects and grows their personal wealth and has been highly successful. Liberal and Conservative political parties and the Canadian public have bought into their mantra that low taxes, few regulations, small government and trickle-down economics benefit everyone. Nothing is further from the truth, but it is a testament to the power of money. Today, corporations run governments for the good of corporations, and in the United States they own the White House. As Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize winner said, “When you have a few people who are so wealthy that they can effectively buy the political system, the political system is going to tend to serve their interests”. Charitable organizations should face regular audits, but think tanks, not environmental groups, need our special attention. Think tanks, as the name implies, tries to influence our minds to their way of thinking. The Koch Brothers’ 35-year investment in think tanks has indeed been a financial windfall for the wealthiest one per cent of the one per cent. Today, right-wing think tanks are powerful political bodies of influence at our highest levels of government. Since there is nothing charitable about mind manipulation, all think tanks, including those on the left, need to be stripped of their charitable status, now. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of this newspaper. MAIL BAG Sick at heart Dear Editor, Here we go again, the Canadian media parroting all the left wing media of the United States. From the terrible Antifa organization to the Democratic so called freshmen, we are treated to not only hateful words but very vulgar potty language. Add to that the violent attacks by an organization that claims to be anti-fascist makes some of us sick at heart. What most individuals like these love to do is call everyone else by the very names that describe them. It shows they suffer from the lack of knowledge as to what these words even mean. What is it that disturbs most of society? Not the colour of one’s skin, not their gender and not their religion, or their race. It is their policies and their character! Definition of insanity Dear Editor, Well, here we go again! Round two begins of consultations with ATCO and AltaLink. Apparently, landowners provided too much input and it confused the companies, or so they would want you to believe. Remember the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing and expecting different results? In this round, both companies are pushing landowners to commit to accepting a route, with a ‘what can you live with’ scenario. I encourage those who have not yet done so to submit your concerns and route suggestions again. In the second package you received from ATCO or Altalink there is a form for you to complete and submit called ‘Shape the Conversation’. If mailing, please keep a copy. There will be no more open houses. Route Their policies because they are dangerous and insulting, their character because they don’t have one. Donald Trump is not running our country so why do Canadians think they have to hate him? What difference does it make to you what he says or does? We have our own problems in Canada and Alberta, so why, oh why, do we have to listen to our press trash the President of the United States on a regular basis? Investigative journalism is dead in most quarters of this country and when CBC has a budget of millions of dollars and then mimics CNN they should be docked a few month’s salary! Put on your gum boots reporters and find your own press items! Your rhetoric has become tiresome. Apologies to the Review. Faye Pearson Stettler, Alta. selections will be made and applied for at AUC. It’s unfortunate these companies are allowed to manipulate this process of consultation. How simple would it have been to present two routes in the very beginning, knowing the two routes would have allowed landowners to engage in meaningful dialogue? If landowners actually had property rights, these companies would be forced to consult and negotiate while respecting landowners’ rights, eliminating their divide and conquer strategy! I recently attended a Paintearth County Council meeting in response to a letter of concern with the CETO project, published in the East Central Alberta Review, regarding Paintearth Council’s position on Halkirk 1 and 2 wind turbine projects. Turn to Amazed, Pg 7 REast Central Alberta EVIEW Published by Coronation Review Limited LETTERS POLICY • Letters to the Editor are welcomed • Must be signed and a phone number included so the writer’s identity can be verified. • ECA Review reserves the right to edit letters for legal considerations, taste and brevity. Letters and columns submitted are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. MEMBER OF: JOYCE WEBSTER Publisher/Editor publisher@ECAreview.com BRENDA SCHIMKE Editorial Writer YVONNE THULIEN Manager office@ECAreview.com LISA MYERS-SORTLAND Graphic Artist Office Hours Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 5 pm Subscriptions: $42.00 in Canada; $74.20 in US; $135.15 Overseas. (All prices include GST) 4921 - Victoria Avenue Tel. (403) 578-4111 Mail: Box 70, Coronation, AB Canada, T0C 1C0 Website ECAreview.com BONNY WILLIAMS Circulation Manager TERRI HUXLEY Reporter 587-321-0030 news1@ECAreview.com GAYLE JARAWAY Marketing 403-578-4111 advertise@ECAreview.com JUDY WALGENBACH Marketing 403-740-2492 marketing@ECAreview.com
AGRICULTURE ECA REVIEW HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB JuL y 25'19 7 LEGISLATURE Legislature session ends by Nate Horner MLA Drumheller-Stettler The first session of Alberta’s 30th Legislature has concluded. For a first timer it seemed to drag-on and be a blur at the same time. It was a productive session passing 13 bills in total and fulfilling many campaign promises. It was also one for the record books as twice the record was broken for consecutive sitting hours, including a 46-hour marathon to end the session. After session, the majority of caucus rushed to Calgary for the Stampede. I had the pleasure of meeting a few Canadian political leaders, including Premier of Saskatchewan Scott Moe and the Premier of New Brunswick Blaine Higgs. It was quite a sight seeing five Canadian premiers flipping pancakes side by side. It is plain to see that they enjoyed being in Alberta and Horner seemed to have a great amount of respect and appreciation for Premier Kenney. I also had the chance to meet Andrew Scheer. I had never met him before and found him to be a really engaging person that made time for everyone. I had no idea he was that tall. He must be six-footfour. Stature aside, he was very impressive one-onone. He has a positive vision for Canada and sees Alberta as the economic engine. One of our campaign promises that I look forward to fulfilling is the repealing of Bill 6. We said that we would repeal the Bill and replace it with the Farm Freedom and Safety Act, but not before consulting with Albertans. We are in the planning stages of a Rural Crime Tour as well. It is looking like it will take place in September and will include the Minister of Justice, Doug Schweitzer. The Minister is well aware that our riding has been hit hard by rural crime and I expect we will be heavily involved. The Alberta Citizens on Patrol convention is in Drumheller this year, from Sept. 20 to 22. That seems like a natural fit for the tour, but if anyone has any other events or ideas please reach out. We have moved into our new office in Stettler and it should be up and running shortly, just waiting on internet and the security system from the Legislative Assembly Office. They have been swamped due to so many new MLA’s, new boundaries and many office changes. We have a new location in Drumheller coming soon as well. We are just working out some lease issues. Continue to reach out with issues or concerns at Drumheller.Stettler@ assembly.ab.ca. Your news is important Call or email it to us at news1@ ecareview.com or 1-587-321-0030 3” wide version 19074CB0 19074CB1 Amazed at council’s response Cont’d from Pg 6 Circle Square Ranch made a very good presentation regarding the proposed Halkirk 2 project and the proposed transmission route, outlining the negative effects which these projects will have on their operation. The transmission line crosses in front of the gateway to their ranch. I was amazed at council’s response to their presentation. They clearly showed lack of concern. They even doubted the impact of wind turbines and transmission lines on the Ranch. At the very least, council should have made a motion to send a letter of support stating the transmission line should not be routed anywhere near Circle Square. At a time when rural communities are struggling with revenue and population numbers, an organization such as Circle Square needs to be recognized as a valuable asset to the Paintearth County. Circle Square Ranch is a non-profit organization that has been operating in this area for 41 years. During peak season, they host around 5,000 guests and employ 60 staff and volunteers, so there are 220 people on the ranch each week. Since 1978, over 150,000 people Ironman Scrap Metal Recovery . . . is picking up scrap again! • farm machinery • vehicles • industrial worldwide have graced this area. Plus, Circle Square spends approximately $45,000. per month at local businesses. Their programs are specifically designed around the beautiful Paintearth coulees. People come to see rural Alberta, they come for the view. If the number of visitors decline due to visual pollution caused by the transmission line and wind turbines, Circle Square would be forced to sell and move elsewhere. Can Paintearth County afford to lose this organization and tourist attraction? Federal, provincial and municipal governments need to fully address the implications of the decisions they make. Brett Penosky Stettler, Alta. I M P O R T A N T N O T I C E Grain farmers As of July 11, 2019, the Canadian Grain Commission has suspended the licences of ILTA Grain Inc. of Surrey, British Columbia. If you are owed money by this company for grain deliveries, contact the Canadian Grain Commission immediately. If you do business with this company after July 11, 2019, you will not be protected by security under the Canada Grain Act. X19073CC0 1-800-853-6705 or 204-984-0506 TTY: 1-866-317-4289 www.grainscanada.gc.ca Jeff & Alison Southworth, bringing 17 years of experience • Water well drilling & servicing • Well pump installation and servicing • Pressure systems • Cost effective solar pasture watering system • Backhoe services for water lines and septic systems • Water well Chlorination • Ritchie waters Emergency services • 24 hr on call Serving the east central Alberta region Legacy Drilling Ltd 403-854-0172 • Hanna, AB legacydrillingltd@outlook.com 403-396-2254 • Delburne, AB Serving Central AB 403.318.4346
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