ECA Review 2020-01-21

6 January 21'21 Hanna/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. ECA REVIEW
OPINION
The opinions expressed are not necessarily
the opinions of this newspaper.
EDITORIAL
Jason digs coal
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Brenda Schimke
ECA Review
He keeps doing it over and over
again and he’s unapologetic. Jason
Kenney, billed as the man of the
people, is either afraid to consult with
stakeholders and regular Albertans or
he is so arrogant that he believes only
he knows what’s best for Alberta.
Rumours have been coming out of
the Legislative Assembly since his
election suggesting a micro-manager
who controls everything, leaves little
room for his cabinet ministers to think
for themselves and hides behind
tweets,
Facebook
Q&As and conference
calls
where media
aren’t allowed
follow-up
questions.
His departmental
leaders
said public consultation
is
imperative
before
removing or
closing 175 provincial parks from the
park system. He did it anyway.
Kenney is now holding an auction to
sell oil and gas natural rights in the
Milk River Natural Area, a protected
zone where the majority of Alberta’s
native grasslands (prairie wool) grows.
Energy department officials implored
Kenney to seek public consultation
before opening the Rockies to coal
mining, yet he didn’t.
It’s hard to fathom that in 2021, we
have a government who thinks open
pit coal mines on the eastern slopes of
the Rocky Mountains is a good idea.
Not just because it threatens
Alberta’s iconic gem, the Rocky
Mountains, but if Kenney is so bent on
selling coal, there are shuttered coal
mines throughout the province that
could be mined instead.
The big advantage of coal mines on
the prairies is that they are easily and
successfully reclaimed back into productive
lands.
In 2016, Kenney’s Facebook page
proudly proclaimed “Jason Digs Coal”
and cursed environmental professional
activists as the enemy. I’d
suggest it wasn’t only activists, many
regular Albertans believe in climate
warming and saw the elimination of
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While we were fighting
COVID-19 and financial
survival, Kenney was busy
passing 50 pieces of
legislation and quietly
changing multiple policies
and regulations.
MAIL BAG
coal-burning power plants as a good
thing. But that is a topic for another
day.
While we were fighting COVID-19
and financial survival, Kenney was
busy passing 50 pieces of legislation
and quietly changing multiple policies
and regulations. His decision to
rescind the coal policy on the eastern
slopes, in place since 1976, and re-open
water allocation agreements in the
area was done in May.
Previously there were two provisions.
No development could take place
on the most sensitive land of the
eastern slopes, and a formula put
restrictions
around the
amount of industrial
activity
versus the environmental
value
of the land.
Kenney unilaterally
wiped out
the second provision
and in early
November sold
coal leases for
2,000 hectares on
the eastern slopes.
First Nations, ranchers, hunters,
anglers, tourist operators, environmentalists
and the majority of
Albertans are furious, and lawsuits
are starting to pile up. All because ‘it’s
Kenney’s way or the highway’.
His minions are racing to defend the
indefensible. An Alberta Environment
spokesperson declared no development
will occur in the parks—spouting provision
number one and ignoring the
significance of the recently discontinued
provision number two.
If Kenney’s coal plans for the eastern
slopes are allowed to proceed, favourite
spots such as Oldman North
provincial recreation area,
Livingstone Falls, Honeymoon Creek,
Dutch Creek and Racehorse will be
encircled by a series of open pit coal
mines and industrial infrastructure.
Then there’s the real danger of toxic
chemicals eventually seeping into the
Oldman watershed which provides
water to millions of people
downstream.
The moral of the story—political
leaders who make substantive policy
changes in secret, silence their caucus,
deny public consultation and hide from
the press are not serving their
constituents.
Alberta in crisis
Dear Editor,
Dr. Hinshaw continues to busily
Our out of touch representatives no count deaths and cases - but let’s take a
longer respond to e-mails or phone second look at those numbers.
calls.
The number of cases is NOT the
Thinking we have forgotten “Travelgate”,
the Premier is using the federal number who had a positive test – the
number who are actually sick, but the
government’s slow delivery of vaccines infamous test with many false
as his scapegoat.
positives.
Turn to What, Pg 9
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PRAIRIEVIEW
Does independence
mean sovereignty?
by Herman Schwenk
Again, we seem to have a big political
problem in Alberta.
A new poll out last week showed the
UCP under the leadership of Jason
Kenney to be close to 20 points behind
Rachel Notley and her NDP.
God help Alberta if they get in for
another term. We have an almost
insurmountable debt to overcome from
the last time that they governed.
Their idea of job creation was to
increase public sector jobs by the tens
of thousands while leaving private
sector jobs flat.
“
Socialists have
absolutely no idea
how new wealth
is created
through private
sector entrepreneurship.
Public
sector jobs consume
wealth,
they do not create
it.
What I am getting
too is that
the UCP lost its
way at the
founding convention
when the old
PC operatives took control of what was
supposed to be a united party.
Kenney allowed the party to continue
its progressive policies that are
simply adding to the accumulated debt
instead of charting a new direction for
Alberta.
If we continue with the UCP or the
NDP, Alberta will become irrelevant
in no time.
Alberta has been exploited by various
Federal Governments ever since it
was founded in 1905.
The closest Alberta came to be being
in control of its own destiny was when
the Social Credit government was
elected in 1935.
JOYCE WEBSTER
Publisher/Editor
publisher@ECAreview.com
YVONNE THULIEN
Marketing/Digital 403-575-9474
digital@ECAreview.com
That was a grassroots movement.
We came close again in 2012 when the
Wildrose Party lost the election in the
last week of the campaign due to
sloppy campaign management.
So, we are back to square one. The
only way we will get out of this mess is
for another grassroots movement to
garner enough support to form government
and make real fundamental
changes with the Canadian
Government.
Maybe we have made a start.
On June 29, 2020 at a founding convention
the
Wildrose
Independence
Party of Alberta
was founded.
Last week I had
a conversation
with its interim
leader Paul
Hinman.
He sent me a
link to the party’s
web site, and
I printed 16
pages off it to
study.
For the most
part, I would say
it is on the right track that if its beliefs
and principles were achieved it would
put Alberta in charge of its own
destiny.
However, I do have a concern with
one issue in the document.
The document has a strong
emphasis on sovereignty which means
becoming a separate country. Part of
the title has the word independence in
its name. To me independence does not
necessarily mean separation.
Included in its mission statement are
the principles that were listed in the
old firewall document that was circulated
when Stephen Harper was at the
head of the National Citizens Coalition.
Turn to Alberta, Pg 18
My concern is that
the new party when
campaigning must
emphasize independence
and not separation or it
will not get the support to
form government.
BRENDA SCHIMKE
Editorial Writer
JUDY WALGENBACH
Marketing 403-740-2492
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Reporter 587-321-0030
news1@ECAreview.com
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LISA MYERS-SORTLAND
Graphic Artist
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