Your bet is covered Michelle N. But to the question of the benefits that Canada supposedly will accrue. It wasn't long ago that a $1000 check(bribe) would find its way into the pockets of every Albertan. Not anymore,(bribe worked!) which is odd considering the rising market price for oil and the expansion of strip mining taking place. Indeed royalties from tar sand mining are getting thinner, percent wise, while social expenses climb and in fact, the royalty windfall, has now become a deficit, on the ledger of Alberta's economy; get ready AB, I'm sure, that even if oil is +$100/B, a 13% or higher VAT is on the way. I put it to Albertans, that the resource you are so proud and protective of, is no longer really yours, nor even Canada's for that matter; you all have been cheaply bought off and ironically will be blamed for the havoc, that is gearing up to be unleashed. Benefit to Canada, zero; to Alberta, the hatred of the world.
Brian - 13 years ago
I think the money would be better invested in refineries, then we can sell America gas instead. Why give away our oil? But on the other hand, I do disagree with the oils sands existence, based on the lack of technology to do it without devastating the ecology. Maybe we should wait until we can get at that oil without making such a huge mess, and poluting such a vast area. Once the technology is there to perform the extraction safely, I would think oil would be worth signifiactly more, which would benefit Canada much more.
Bill - 13 years ago
I think Joe Oliver is drinking the kool-aid. I am sure the oil industry lobbyists are having a ball with this one. How can a minister of natural resources support such a potentially environmentally devastating project? We need to put our efforts, energy, and employment creation into renewable sources of energy. Don't let the oil companies dictate our actions and compromise our integrity as a nation.
Marie - 13 years ago
Russel Payne said it like it is and the process, will definitely create more jobs and more revenue for our country and less risk of spillage and environmental accidents that our current government is denying. We need to have refineries in our own country and also stabilize the price fixes going on in the whole of Canada.There is no need to pay $1.14 per liter in Alberta and $!.25.0 a liter in BC in the Okanogan Valley.
Something is definitely very wrong here and the federal Government is doing absolutely nothing to right the wrongs by not listening to the most western province in Canada areas out of Alberta. Yes Nestor , I believe most Canadians other than the Tar sand project in Alberta would agree with you.
Michelle Nestor - 13 years ago
When money is more important than the future of this increasingly fragile earth we live in then Canada is no better than Saudi Arabia and unethical oil money that finances Al-Qaida. I would bet most Canadians are against the whole Tar Sands messy unethical oil exploitation.
russell payne - 13 years ago
I support the pipeline but think we should build a refinery close to tar sands,and export finished product instead of always shipping our raw materials. This would create thousands of jobs in Canada and a tremendous amount of revenue for the country.
James - 13 years ago
Of course there are some risks to the enviroment which should be minimized as much as possible and the pipeline needs to be inspected very often, but people would complain a lot more if we did'nt have money in Canada for hospitals and social programs. Our tax base mostly comes from minerals and oil and not manufacturing, so it's great to be an idealist, but it won't pay the bills for all the high standard of living programs we get in Canada.
Your bet is covered Michelle N. But to the question of the benefits that Canada supposedly will accrue. It wasn't long ago that a $1000 check(bribe) would find its way into the pockets of every Albertan. Not anymore,(bribe worked!) which is odd considering the rising market price for oil and the expansion of strip mining taking place. Indeed royalties from tar sand mining are getting thinner, percent wise, while social expenses climb and in fact, the royalty windfall, has now become a deficit, on the ledger of Alberta's economy; get ready AB, I'm sure, that even if oil is +$100/B, a 13% or higher VAT is on the way. I put it to Albertans, that the resource you are so proud and protective of, is no longer really yours, nor even Canada's for that matter; you all have been cheaply bought off and ironically will be blamed for the havoc, that is gearing up to be unleashed. Benefit to Canada, zero; to Alberta, the hatred of the world.
I think the money would be better invested in refineries, then we can sell America gas instead. Why give away our oil? But on the other hand, I do disagree with the oils sands existence, based on the lack of technology to do it without devastating the ecology. Maybe we should wait until we can get at that oil without making such a huge mess, and poluting such a vast area. Once the technology is there to perform the extraction safely, I would think oil would be worth signifiactly more, which would benefit Canada much more.
I think Joe Oliver is drinking the kool-aid. I am sure the oil industry lobbyists are having a ball with this one. How can a minister of natural resources support such a potentially environmentally devastating project? We need to put our efforts, energy, and employment creation into renewable sources of energy. Don't let the oil companies dictate our actions and compromise our integrity as a nation.
Russel Payne said it like it is and the process, will definitely create more jobs and more revenue for our country and less risk of spillage and environmental accidents that our current government is denying. We need to have refineries in our own country and also stabilize the price fixes going on in the whole of Canada.There is no need to pay $1.14 per liter in Alberta and $!.25.0 a liter in BC in the Okanogan Valley.
Something is definitely very wrong here and the federal Government is doing absolutely nothing to right the wrongs by not listening to the most western province in Canada areas out of Alberta. Yes Nestor , I believe most Canadians other than the Tar sand project in Alberta would agree with you.
When money is more important than the future of this increasingly fragile earth we live in then Canada is no better than Saudi Arabia and unethical oil money that finances Al-Qaida. I would bet most Canadians are against the whole Tar Sands messy unethical oil exploitation.
I support the pipeline but think we should build a refinery close to tar sands,and export finished product instead of always shipping our raw materials. This would create thousands of jobs in Canada and a tremendous amount of revenue for the country.
Of course there are some risks to the enviroment which should be minimized as much as possible and the pipeline needs to be inspected very often, but people would complain a lot more if we did'nt have money in Canada for hospitals and social programs. Our tax base mostly comes from minerals and oil and not manufacturing, so it's great to be an idealist, but it won't pay the bills for all the high standard of living programs we get in Canada.