Once Big Oil...

We've all heard the buzz around Alberta Premier Redford and the leaps and bounds she is taking to get the Keystone Pipeline moving forward.  Those of us who live in "oil country" know how reliant our economy is on oil extraction.  We've been pretty lucky here because they just keep finding ways to make our oil work.  But what happens when it runs out?  Will Suncor stay and provide jobs in Alberta?  Will Flint?  The bottom line is that once the oil is gone, the economy will be too.  But wait; Premier Redford knows that.

     “We cannot continue to rely on oil and gas revenue to the extent that we do,” Jan 29. 2013

So why is she spending so much time and money doing just that?  Perhaps she is building her resume for retirement from public service.  Maybe she is interested in providing sales support to further damage Alberta's ( and the rest of the world) environment. Well, not maybe, that's the role she has taken now.  Under the guise of economic development however, you could say she is doing a fine job of trying to ship work out of the country in general and Alberta specifically.

The oilfield supports us now; me personally as well as many people I know.  I am concerned about what is going to happen when that ends.  And what will be the state of this province when that happens?  Premier Redford certainly won't be around to see it and most likely neither will I.  That does not mean I have nothing to worry about.  I have children, nieces and nephews, and friends whose children will be left to deal with the havoc we will have created for them. (picture courtesy of Meanwhile in Alberta)

But this is old news.  There is a problem and it's not going away.  I would rather talk solutions.  Alberta's carbon footprint is immense.  According to Environment Canada, Alberta and Ontario combined are responsible for almost 60% of our country's total emissions.  And I kind of feel bad for Ontario getting roped into that because their emissions are still much less than Alberta's.  (table Environment Canada 2013)

Thanks to technological advances, we have not only been given the opportunity to dessimate our environment but also to make changes to the way we live, work and build so that we can reduce our reliance on resources that will not be coming back anytime soon.  Sure the pipelines will create a few new jobs here but it will also help reduce the resource a lot faster.  And how many jobs will be lost once these pipelines are built?

Alberta needs to find ways, and more support from Redford, to go green.  The wind turbines are a great start and I see them popping up all over the beautiful green countryside.  Why not put a tax on builders who don't go green?  Why not lighten the tax on those who do?  We have the technology to lessen our carbon footprint and the work in Northern Alberta is too valuable to lose.  But changes have to be made and Redford claims to know this as well.  In the end though,  actions speak louder than words.