ECA Review 2021-03-11

6 March 11'21 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. Eca REVIEW
OPINION
The opinions expressed are not necessarily
the opinions of this newspaper.
EDITORIAL
Going to be
left behind
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Published by
Coronation
Review
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Brenda Schimke
ECA Review
It was scientists at the publiclyfunded
universities of Saskatchewan
and Alberta and the Alberta Research
Council who were instrumental in
developing the technology to economically
extract oil from the oil sands.
It was a government-owned airline,
Pacific Western Airlines, that provided
critical transport between Edmonton,
Calgary and Fort McMurray during
the early stages of oil sands development
when it wasn’t yet economically
viable for the private sector.
The provincial government under
Peter Lougheed made strategic investments
in the oil sands and provincial
infrastructure as Alberta’s conventional
oil production was waning.
That’s what growth-focussed governments
do. They invest in research and
development (R&D)
for large scientific
projects that are
too expensive and
risky for private
sector investment.
In Canada much of
that government
investment is made
through
universities.
The universities
of Alberta and
Calgary have been
instrumental in
moving Alberta’s
economic future forward because of
their world-renowned research and
development expertise and accomplishments.
Yet the provincial
government continues to slash their
budgets to unsustainable levels at a
time when their contribution to the
future is so critical.
Norway, a country with an abundance
of oil and gas, and Denmark, a
country with none, are Lougheed-type
examples. We all know about, and
many of us are envious of, the Norway
story—assets of $1.1 trillion in their
Sovereign Wealth fund and over a billion
dollars of earnings each
year—wealth built on fossil-fuel, but
now being invested in the green energy
economy of the future.
Denmark’s foresight is even more
amazing. They actually started
changing their view on energy after
the oil crisis created by OPEC in the
1970s. Being dependent on OPEC was
not an option for the Danes. In the
1970s, its government started to invest
a lot of money into wind energy R&D.
Today half the country’s electricity
comes from wind energy, and it is the
largest exporter of wind turbines in
the world. The Danish government is
now investing in the largest off-shore
Subscriptions:
$52.50 in Canada; $98.70 in US;
$183.75 Overseas.
wind farm in the world, that when
completed will meet all of Denmark’s
energy needs with surplus for export.
The Canadian government is
encouraging Alberta and
Saskatchewan to be our Norway or
Denmark and they are more than
willing to invest to see this happen.
Alberta has so much to offer in
terms of a highly skilled and educated
workforce, good infrastructure,
enlightened executives running our
Canadian-owned energy giants, and
highly respected research universities
in Calgary and Edmonton.
We only lack a provincial government
willing to use its next 20- to
30-year window of hydrocarbon revenues
to invest in R&D and jumpstart
new and exciting energy projects of the
future.
Tomorrow’s growth industries are
clean electricity, carbon capture and
storage, carbon
utilization,
“
Alberta is on the cusp.
Either we harness our
human capital and
aggressively start to move
into a green economy or
we cling to the soon-to-be
‘horse and buggy’ days of
coal and heavy oil.
hydrogen,
carbon transportation
solutions, battery
capacity,
geo-terminal,
advanced biofuels,
nuclear
energy and
electricity
storage.
Wind and
solar energy
are already
financially doable in the private sector
after initial investments and incentives
by governments, particularly by
those in Europe and China.
Alberta is on the cusp. Either we
harness our human capital and
aggressively start to move into a green
economy or we cling to the soon-to-be
‘horse and buggy’ days of coal and
heavy oil.
Premier Kenney and his government
are afraid of the future. Their fear
affects all of us as they discredit and
attack scientists and educators at every
turn and underfund R&D and public
universities.
Kenney’s wallowing in fear, will
eventually stagnate the potential
future of our younger generations. It
will inevitably lead to our smartest
and brightest leaving the province to
seek their fortunes in jurisdictions
that are unafraid to face future challenges
head on and forge new and
exciting opportunities.
Schimke worked for Syncrude
Canada Inc. as Executive Assistant to
the Vice President of Finance during
its construction and startup phases
when direct government investment in
the project was essential to secure
future success.
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MEMBER OF:
MAIL BAG
Creating money
Dear Editor,
Biden just wrote a cheque for about a
Money has generally been created two trillion dollars and he probably
on the backs of the hard working will have to write a few more before
people but now it seems there are the pandemic is over.
many ways to create money.
Trudeau is just a small player, as he
Of course, Banks have been the has only written a few billion so far.
main way because they could always Now people are worried that it’s going
lend out many times the amount of to be our grandchildren’s grandchildren
that will have to pay this off.
money they had in their coffers and
charge interest for it.
Why should anybody have to pay off
Now we have the Bitcoin currency something that was created out of
which is valued at one trillion dollars “thin air”? Pay it back with the same
plus and of course, there are a half “thin air”?
dozen other Crypto currencies that Maybe if we are able to get some
have started up.
smarter people in Ottawa, they will
Then we have the Stock Market that figure out that they need to print the
can make billions overnight and sometimes
lose just as fast.
Robert Blagen
money to run our infrastructure on!
Now Trudeau and Biden have
Youngstown, Alta.
learned that you can print money
when you need it.
Muppets under the Dome?
Dear Editor,
Our once proud country, whose
brave men and women fought for
freedom in two World Wars, is now
governed by Muppets.
Like Miss Piggy of “Muppet Show”
fame, each province’s Medical Health
Officer preens for the cameras, trying
to justify their six-figure salaries by
keeping the public living in fear.
The “Frog” Premiers are easily
mesmerized by statistics and everchanging
“science”, incapable of
rational thought or standing up to
their respective “Miss Piggy”, and
have totally forgotten that they are to
represent their constituents.
Muppet Health Ministers also fear
the Miss Piggys and try to out-do each
other in appearing knowledgeable and
“concerned”.
However, most Albertans have had
enough of the fear and lock-downs.
For the sake of our youth and seniors,
we need to return to a normal
lifestyle.
The neglect forced upon our seniors
has been criminal. Once they’ve been
vaccinated, must they still be left
JOYCE WEBSTER
Publisher/Editor
publisher@ECAreview.com
YVONNE THULIEN
Marketing/Digital 403-575-9474
digital@ECAreview.com
alone to die of something else?
Families need to freely get together,
hug the grand-kids and simply enjoy
the inter-generational love and
learning that we all value.
Young people need to be free to hang
out with friends and experience life.
We have learned the value of personal
hygiene and staying home if
you’re sick, but for most of us, COVID
is behind us. We are ready to face
death when it comes, but we want to
LIVE the life we have left.
For those who can’t face the fear of
death, by all means stay in hiding, and
we will respect your right to do so.
Like Texas, it’s time to open up – at
least in rural Alberta.
Our MLA is doing the best he can to
represent us as a first term MLA, but
he could use a little help. Wheatland
lifted any lock-down measures in their
county. How about joining them –
Special Areas, County of Paintearth,
County of Stettler...?
Are you men or Muppets?
Pat Holloway
Castor, Alta.
BRENDA SCHIMKE
Editorial Writer
JUDY WALGENBACH
Marketing 403-740-2492
marketing@ECAreview.com
TERRI HUXLEY
Reporter 587-321-0030
news1@ECAreview.com
NIAOMI DYCK
Circulation
STU SALKELD
LJI Reporter 403-741-2615
reporter@ECAreview.com
LISA MYERS-SORTLAND
Graphic Artist
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