Syncrude made a mistake that tragically resulted in the death of up to 500 ducks. Since this happened, a lot of people have been painting the entire oilsands industry as evil. I'm here to tell you that we are all in this together. The oil companies honestly do their best to minimize environmental impact, keep people safe, and contribute to the community. Oil companies are filling a vital role in OUR society. We all live a lifestyle that requires large amounts of energy and oil companies supply that energy. Wind and solar energy combined could not meet the current energy demands of society, even if used extensively. On that note, have any tipsters called Greenpeace to let them know about the dead birds under the wind turbines?
The best way to further reduce the environmental impact from the oilsands is to radically change our way of life. I encourage you to try life without support from the oilsands. To start with, oilsands oil is pipelined all over Canada and the northern United States (southern states and western Pacific coming soon). The first step in an oilsands boycott is to stop using fuels produced at these refineries. In Alberta, that means you can't use any gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. No car rides, no buses, no flights. If you are okay with bird-killing wind turbines, you can still ride the C-train in Calgary. But keep in mind the train cars themselves may have been made using energy from the oilsands.
Okay, so it's back to the bicycle. Please remember to use vegetable oil to lubricate your chain. Oh, and the bearings are all packed with petroleum based oil that may have a smidgen of oilsands in them. If your bicycle was manufactured after about 1980, it's possible that oilsands energy was used to build the frame and any components made in North America. Don't worry about the parts made in China - we haven't shipped oilsands product there yet. Those parts are probably made from dirty coal energy. If you think Alberta's environmental laws leave something to be desired, I suggest you check out what's going on in China.
Boycotters get off easy on electricity. In Alberta most of the electricity is generated from coal, with some from natural gas. Some electricity is generated from oilsands fuels, but most of that is used by the oilsands. So you can have electricity, provided that your appliances, light bulbs, wiring etc were not manufactured in North America after 1980. Once again, there's a good chance some oilsands energy was used to make these things. It occurs to me that you have to be very careful thinking you are safe with goods from other continents. Those Nike running shoes don't just walk to your house on their own. Where are the ships, trucks, and trains fueled up?
I think we've established that in the new oilsands free lifestyle you can't go anywhere unless you walk there in your made in China shoes that you brought home in your handmade wooden rowboat. What about food? Food is pretty important. You can only eat food that is grown within walking distance (or biking distance for those of you with made in China, vegetable oil lubricated bikes). The food must be grown and harvested by hand, without the aid of machinery. Did you know that a byproduct of oilsands upgrading is sulphur? Over the last few years, sulphur prices have been high enough that it is worth selling the oilsands sulphur instead of storing it. Why is this in the food paragraph? Sulphur is used to make fertilizers, which are used to grow food and crops used for ethanol, biodiesel, and all kinds of tasty alcoholic beverages. If you want to be a puritan in the adoption of the oilsands free lifestyle, you'll have to stop eating and drinking, unless you are sure that no fuel, machines, or fertilizer were used in the production of your food and drink.
I think I've covered the basics of how to adopt an oilsands free lifestyle. Remember, we are all in this together and it will take teamwork to pull off a complete boycott. Please let me know if there is anything I haven't covered (remember that your computer was shipped within North America using oilsands fuels so walk over and tell me instead of emailing). Also, put the word out on the grapevine if you know of anyone in North America that can actually survive the oilsands free lifestyle.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A Badly Planned Earth Hour Sheds More Light
March 29, 2008 I had plans for the evening. I was supposed to be on a course but the course was cancelled and I didn't manage to come up with substitute plans. I found myself marking Earth Hour at home alone.
Earth Hour is a global event initiated by the World Wildlife Foundation. People around the world are asked to turn off all lights and electrical appliances for one hour between 8 and 9pm. Their intention is to bring awareness to the issue of climate change and our ability to take action.
The advantage of living in Calgary is that it isn't actually dark outside at 8pm. In fact, sunset is just after 8 with twilight ending at 8:40pm. I began Earth Hour by eating dinner and reading the newspaper in the fading light. I then attended to some Earthy household chores like pruning plants. After this was finished, I was at a loss for things to do. Understand that batteries and candles also consume energy and generate emissions indirectly and directly so I had resolved not to use them. The light filtering in from the street lamps was not enough to do anything useful by. Reading, watching TV, playing on the computer were not possible. My room mate arrived home and I explained Earth Hour to her. She went upstairs in the dark to make a phone call. I was left to sit and think in the dark.
I thought about Carol in Nepal with rotating blackouts. I wondered what life would be like here if we lived with blackouts every evening. I propose that life would be better. With power we entertain ourselves and the need for other people is reduced. Spending an hour without power would have been a lot more fun in the company of other people. There would have been games to play, stories to tell, and friendship to share. Faced with endless powerless evenings people would either build community or choose to go mad in the dark. Power brings us news from around the world over the internet and gives us the commmon experience of movies. We believe this creates a global community. Darkness will strengthen the local community. Perhaps we need to find a better balance.
Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22nd I wonder if we can last the day without power, without gasoline, without computers and actually talk to each other.
Earth Hour is a global event initiated by the World Wildlife Foundation. People around the world are asked to turn off all lights and electrical appliances for one hour between 8 and 9pm. Their intention is to bring awareness to the issue of climate change and our ability to take action.
The advantage of living in Calgary is that it isn't actually dark outside at 8pm. In fact, sunset is just after 8 with twilight ending at 8:40pm. I began Earth Hour by eating dinner and reading the newspaper in the fading light. I then attended to some Earthy household chores like pruning plants. After this was finished, I was at a loss for things to do. Understand that batteries and candles also consume energy and generate emissions indirectly and directly so I had resolved not to use them. The light filtering in from the street lamps was not enough to do anything useful by. Reading, watching TV, playing on the computer were not possible. My room mate arrived home and I explained Earth Hour to her. She went upstairs in the dark to make a phone call. I was left to sit and think in the dark.
I thought about Carol in Nepal with rotating blackouts. I wondered what life would be like here if we lived with blackouts every evening. I propose that life would be better. With power we entertain ourselves and the need for other people is reduced. Spending an hour without power would have been a lot more fun in the company of other people. There would have been games to play, stories to tell, and friendship to share. Faced with endless powerless evenings people would either build community or choose to go mad in the dark. Power brings us news from around the world over the internet and gives us the commmon experience of movies. We believe this creates a global community. Darkness will strengthen the local community. Perhaps we need to find a better balance.
Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22nd I wonder if we can last the day without power, without gasoline, without computers and actually talk to each other.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Dragon Boats
Honestly, all I know about this issue is what I read in the CBC article (see below). If the article reports correctly, then I'll side with the City on this one. I do like the Dragon Boat races - they draw a crowd and it's fun to sail with all that cheering in the background. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to ride a dragon in an ice cold river without a lifejacket. If the organizers can't deal with very basic safety concerns, they deserve to lose their licence. I'm also not in favour of cutting down hundreds of trees for a temporary viewing area. This could lead to erosion problems and seems totally unnecessary. There are plenty of places to watch the races from. As for the motorboat request, I think the Dragon Boat folks are just wimpy. Sailing schools across the country are in awe of the fact that Glenmore Sailing School has managed to teach sailing to hundreds of people each year without giving the instructors motor boats. Yes, that's right, one instructor, 5-10 boats with students and the instructor sails around and teaches. I say if GSS can do it, then the Dragon Boat guys should have no difficulty running things without motor boats. I mean they are on a fixed race course in a very small area. How hard can it be?
City safety concerns dock dragon boat races
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 | 5:59 PM MT
CBC News
The city has revoked the permit for the annual Calgary Dragon Boat Festival, throwing the annual event into uncertainty.
Citing safety and environmental concerns, the city's recreation department pulled the permit for the Alberta Dragon Boat Race Foundation that has organized the races on the Glenmore reservoir since 1992.
The Alberta Dragon Boat Race Foundation has organized the races on the Glenmore reservoir since 1992.
(CBC)
"Things like not having enough life jackets for the participants that were in the race. Things like ambulance services not being able to get access to the reservoir if there was an accident," said Karen Young, a manager in the recreation department, Wednesday.
"We had unmanned lost-children's tents and first-aid tents, and we had some security issues with the beer gardens."
Young said the foundation also pushed for increased motorboat use on the water, as well as for the removal of 200 trees for a temporary viewing area.
The city has been trying to work out the issues with the foundation for the last two years, she said.
The city has given the foundation 60 days to remove its equipment and dragon boats from the reservoir.
(CBC)
Shawn Samol, head of the dragon boat foundation, accused the city of caving in to pressure from other groups.
"There's push-backs, maybe by other user groups saying that well, we don't think there's enough room for our endeavours and therefore we maybe don't want dragon boating around there," he said.
The cancellation of the permit means the foundation can no longer use the reservoir for racing or practising. Samol said he received news of the city's decision earlier this month and was given 60 days to remove about a dozen boats from the reservoir.
Teams raise money for charity
The event draws 50,000 spectators and 3,000 competitors every year, according to the foundation's website.
Several dragon boats in the annual event raise money for charity, including the Children's Wish Foundation, which received $40,000 from racers in 2007.
"In addition to the funds that were raised in 2007, these teams have been engaged with us for a number of years and we have seen significant windfall of revenue as a result of that support," said the charity's chapter director Jason Evanson.
The city said other community groups could take over running the dragon boat races, while Samol said he's working on finding a different venue.
City safety concerns dock dragon boat races
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 | 5:59 PM MT
CBC News
The city has revoked the permit for the annual Calgary Dragon Boat Festival, throwing the annual event into uncertainty.
Citing safety and environmental concerns, the city's recreation department pulled the permit for the Alberta Dragon Boat Race Foundation that has organized the races on the Glenmore reservoir since 1992.
The Alberta Dragon Boat Race Foundation has organized the races on the Glenmore reservoir since 1992.
(CBC)
"Things like not having enough life jackets for the participants that were in the race. Things like ambulance services not being able to get access to the reservoir if there was an accident," said Karen Young, a manager in the recreation department, Wednesday.
"We had unmanned lost-children's tents and first-aid tents, and we had some security issues with the beer gardens."
Young said the foundation also pushed for increased motorboat use on the water, as well as for the removal of 200 trees for a temporary viewing area.
The city has been trying to work out the issues with the foundation for the last two years, she said.
The city has given the foundation 60 days to remove its equipment and dragon boats from the reservoir.
(CBC)
Shawn Samol, head of the dragon boat foundation, accused the city of caving in to pressure from other groups.
"There's push-backs, maybe by other user groups saying that well, we don't think there's enough room for our endeavours and therefore we maybe don't want dragon boating around there," he said.
The cancellation of the permit means the foundation can no longer use the reservoir for racing or practising. Samol said he received news of the city's decision earlier this month and was given 60 days to remove about a dozen boats from the reservoir.
Teams raise money for charity
The event draws 50,000 spectators and 3,000 competitors every year, according to the foundation's website.
Several dragon boats in the annual event raise money for charity, including the Children's Wish Foundation, which received $40,000 from racers in 2007.
"In addition to the funds that were raised in 2007, these teams have been engaged with us for a number of years and we have seen significant windfall of revenue as a result of that support," said the charity's chapter director Jason Evanson.
The city said other community groups could take over running the dragon boat races, while Samol said he's working on finding a different venue.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The Price of Sugar
Last night I saw a film called "The Price of Sugar". I have to say that I was disappointed with it. I was hoping for something that would touch on the social, environmental, and health "price" of sugar. Something that would really motivate me to desert sugar. Instead, this film focussed solely on the social cost of sugar cane harvesting in the Dominican Republic. That's very specific.
So specific, in fact, that up here in the Canadian boonies we have no direct impact on sugar production in the Dominican Republic. It is just those crazy Americans who buy sugar from the Dominican Republic. In Western Canada, Rogers Sugar refines 90% of our sugar desires. Rogers has two plants: Vancouver and Taber. Here in Alberta, the Taber plant uses sugar beets as the source of raw sugar 50% of the year. The rest of the time they import raw sugar from asia as Vancouver does. Wow, that's 50% locally produced! Of course, the film doesn't tell you any of this. My source: www.rogerssugar.com .
The film focussed in on one man: Christopher Hartley. He is working hard to improve conditions for sugar cane harvesters in the Dominican Republic. In fact, this priest came from a very priviledged family and is devoting his life to this cause. For me, this is the main source of motivation in this film. If one man is willing to devote his life, surely the rest of us can take some small action for a more sustainable way of life.
With regard to sugar, that action is simple: reduce sugar consumption. The main impact of this will be health, with some impact on the environment that is difficult to quantify. I would be interested to find out more about the production of raw sugar in the countries we do import it from. What is the environmental impact of creating great fields of sugar cane or sugar beets?
If you do want to see the film, Movies That Matter is doing an encore presentation on Thursday, January 24th at 7:00 PM in Murray Fraser Hall Room 160 on the U of C campus.
So specific, in fact, that up here in the Canadian boonies we have no direct impact on sugar production in the Dominican Republic. It is just those crazy Americans who buy sugar from the Dominican Republic. In Western Canada, Rogers Sugar refines 90% of our sugar desires. Rogers has two plants: Vancouver and Taber. Here in Alberta, the Taber plant uses sugar beets as the source of raw sugar 50% of the year. The rest of the time they import raw sugar from asia as Vancouver does. Wow, that's 50% locally produced! Of course, the film doesn't tell you any of this. My source: www.rogerssugar.com .
The film focussed in on one man: Christopher Hartley. He is working hard to improve conditions for sugar cane harvesters in the Dominican Republic. In fact, this priest came from a very priviledged family and is devoting his life to this cause. For me, this is the main source of motivation in this film. If one man is willing to devote his life, surely the rest of us can take some small action for a more sustainable way of life.
With regard to sugar, that action is simple: reduce sugar consumption. The main impact of this will be health, with some impact on the environment that is difficult to quantify. I would be interested to find out more about the production of raw sugar in the countries we do import it from. What is the environmental impact of creating great fields of sugar cane or sugar beets?
If you do want to see the film, Movies That Matter is doing an encore presentation on Thursday, January 24th at 7:00 PM in Murray Fraser Hall Room 160 on the U of C campus.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
2007 Holiday Letter
January is the most flexible month of the year for me. No sailing, no vacations, lots of time for whatever I want to do. This year I spent the time x-country skiing, spending time with friends, and planning the Calgary launch of Canada 25's last policy report.
February marks the start of sailing season for me. Everything was iced over in Alberta so the Alberta Sailing Association teamed up with the Royal Victoria Yacht Club to put on a 5 day training camp over family day weekend. Coach Peter MacDougal kindly hauled our boats out there on the ASA trailer. I travelled in style with WestJet buddy passes (thanks, Lisa!). The sailing was so incredible, it sent chills down my spine (or was that just spray going down the back of my wetsuit?). Check out my sailing blog for details and a few pics. I was accomodated in luxury at the Miraloma in nearby Sidney by the sea (thanks Mom and Dad). After 5 days of training, I took 3 days off sailing for some R&R, wrapping that up by seeing RVYC sailing coach Jenn Braem's play about the Kelowna forest fire and sailing. I practiced on Friday with Phil Round and entered the Frozen Assests regatta on the weekend. Saturday was wildly challenging with winds gusting to 35 knots (that's just strong enough to call a gale) and big rolling waves. Although the conditions weren't quite as bad as our keelboat trip on the west coast of Scotland a few years back, I had never sailed a Laser in anything like it. I'll be back for more in 2008.
I returned to Calgary to find that I had been elected Vice-Commodore of the Glenmore Sailing Club. It's a pleasure to be involved in such a wonderful club. In March I took a real business trip (i.e. a trip somewhere other than Fort McMurray). 5 nights, 4 days, 3 cities. We spent a record 7 hours in Calgary International Airport just trying to get on a plane after Continental Airlines delayed and then cancelled our flight to Houston. We did eventually make it to Houston and spent a sleepy day and a half meeting some of ConocoPhillips technical experts. We saw the tallest NBA player play the shortest NBA player with the Houston Rockets running away with the game. Then off to Oklahoma to visit ConocoPhillips R&D facilities in Bartlesville and Ponca City. Although not top holiday destinations, it was a fascinating trip. March also brought a visit from Carol who brought the Queen's gang together for her birthday dinner.
I was only back in Calgary a few days before heading back to Victoria for April's Easter training camp. A little warmer this time, but still a few days of exciting winds. Back in Alberta, Little Bow Reservoir thawed out at the end of April and we drove through snow to find a wonderful sunny day of sailing to open the Alberta season. We plan to return in 2008.
I spent May, June, and July sailing all over Alberta in my little Laser Radial. Weekend regattas, Wednesday night racing, and Monday night practices made for a busy summer.
At the end of August, I took break from sailing and spent a week in beautiful Fort McMurray for the Surmont Pilot Plant turnaround. After a safe and successful turnaround, I returned to Calgary tired and grumpy. Labour day weekend I drove up to Edmonton Yacht Club for the provincial regatta. Light, spotty winds, numerous fouls, and some very unsportsmanlike conduct from a competitor made for a very unpleasant time on the water. I filed (and won) my first two protests to salvage some educational value from the regatta. Fortunately, fellow Glenmore Sailing Club members were camping out with me at the club for the weekend and were fantastic and entertaining company in the evenings.
I then took a holiday from Laser sailing and headed back to Victoria for a week's vacation. My parents chartered a beautiful C&C 115 and we were joined by long time family friends the Gears as we cruised the Gulf Islands with a brief jaunt to Gibson's Landing. A few pictures and tales of the trip on the trip website, which will be available on the sailing section of my website.
It might be hard to imagine, but I returned from my sailing vacation rested and ready for more sailing! Glenmore Sailing Club hosted the Frostbite Regatta and Dick Degner Memorial Laser Reunion. I finally reached this year's goal of beating Coach Peter in just one race. Peter easily took first in the regatta and I squeaked into second place - a wonderful way to end the racing season.
It ain't over til it's over - although racing was finished, for the truly insane, the best was yet to come. We finished off September with a trip to Waterton to sail on Waterton Lake. Waterton is known for strong, shifty, gusty winds and we weren't disappointed. Upwind tacking was hard work and the downwind runs were positively frightening. It wasn't warm either and we awoke in our tents on Sunday morning to a winter wonderland. A few of us cleared the snow off our boats and went for a sail. I came in after half an hour shivering with frozen hands and feet. I probably won't try that again without a drysuit.
In October, I cut back to the occasional recreational sail on the weekend. This freed up some time to volunteer for my aldermanic candidate in the municipal election campaign. I went to Ontario for Queen's Homecoming as it was my 10 year reunion. I visited Dad's cousins Dave & Vickey and Stan & Anja and had a late night chat with Maya in Toronto before driving out to Kingston with Carol. I stayed with Syncrude friend Susan, who is in Kingston doing her MBA, for the first few days and then enjoyed the hospitality of Meg and her family. We had a great time reuniting with people and then Carol went back to Toronto and I hung out with Meg and Colin and my Godson Angus and his new baby brother Ewan. To finish up the trip, I took a train to Ottawa to visit Bryndis. We celebrated Person's Day and met a few politicians. The fall colours were beautiful and we took a drive to Mont Tremblant in Quebec.
I don't remember much about Novemeber - probably spent repairing the trailer, packing up boats for the winter and working.
December has been terrific. My sister, Helen and her boyfriend, Francois came to visit for Christmas. I can't believe it's been two years since I last saw Helen!
That is the old year in a nutshell. I'm looking forward to good times with friends and family in 2008. I plan to have sailing holidays in Victoria (several times), Vancouver (July), and Kingston (August) in 2008 - let me know if you are going to be in or near these places and we can plan to get together. I'm also hoping to take some friends coastal cruising - possibly in Washington state's San Juan Islands where we can take advantage of the high Canadian dollar. Let me know if you are interested in coming on that trip.
Best wishes to all for a Happy New Year!
Kate
February marks the start of sailing season for me. Everything was iced over in Alberta so the Alberta Sailing Association teamed up with the Royal Victoria Yacht Club to put on a 5 day training camp over family day weekend. Coach Peter MacDougal kindly hauled our boats out there on the ASA trailer. I travelled in style with WestJet buddy passes (thanks, Lisa!). The sailing was so incredible, it sent chills down my spine (or was that just spray going down the back of my wetsuit?). Check out my sailing blog for details and a few pics. I was accomodated in luxury at the Miraloma in nearby Sidney by the sea (thanks Mom and Dad). After 5 days of training, I took 3 days off sailing for some R&R, wrapping that up by seeing RVYC sailing coach Jenn Braem's play about the Kelowna forest fire and sailing. I practiced on Friday with Phil Round and entered the Frozen Assests regatta on the weekend. Saturday was wildly challenging with winds gusting to 35 knots (that's just strong enough to call a gale) and big rolling waves. Although the conditions weren't quite as bad as our keelboat trip on the west coast of Scotland a few years back, I had never sailed a Laser in anything like it. I'll be back for more in 2008.
I returned to Calgary to find that I had been elected Vice-Commodore of the Glenmore Sailing Club. It's a pleasure to be involved in such a wonderful club. In March I took a real business trip (i.e. a trip somewhere other than Fort McMurray). 5 nights, 4 days, 3 cities. We spent a record 7 hours in Calgary International Airport just trying to get on a plane after Continental Airlines delayed and then cancelled our flight to Houston. We did eventually make it to Houston and spent a sleepy day and a half meeting some of ConocoPhillips technical experts. We saw the tallest NBA player play the shortest NBA player with the Houston Rockets running away with the game. Then off to Oklahoma to visit ConocoPhillips R&D facilities in Bartlesville and Ponca City. Although not top holiday destinations, it was a fascinating trip. March also brought a visit from Carol who brought the Queen's gang together for her birthday dinner.
I was only back in Calgary a few days before heading back to Victoria for April's Easter training camp. A little warmer this time, but still a few days of exciting winds. Back in Alberta, Little Bow Reservoir thawed out at the end of April and we drove through snow to find a wonderful sunny day of sailing to open the Alberta season. We plan to return in 2008.
I spent May, June, and July sailing all over Alberta in my little Laser Radial. Weekend regattas, Wednesday night racing, and Monday night practices made for a busy summer.
At the end of August, I took break from sailing and spent a week in beautiful Fort McMurray for the Surmont Pilot Plant turnaround. After a safe and successful turnaround, I returned to Calgary tired and grumpy. Labour day weekend I drove up to Edmonton Yacht Club for the provincial regatta. Light, spotty winds, numerous fouls, and some very unsportsmanlike conduct from a competitor made for a very unpleasant time on the water. I filed (and won) my first two protests to salvage some educational value from the regatta. Fortunately, fellow Glenmore Sailing Club members were camping out with me at the club for the weekend and were fantastic and entertaining company in the evenings.
I then took a holiday from Laser sailing and headed back to Victoria for a week's vacation. My parents chartered a beautiful C&C 115 and we were joined by long time family friends the Gears as we cruised the Gulf Islands with a brief jaunt to Gibson's Landing. A few pictures and tales of the trip on the trip website, which will be available on the sailing section of my website.
It might be hard to imagine, but I returned from my sailing vacation rested and ready for more sailing! Glenmore Sailing Club hosted the Frostbite Regatta and Dick Degner Memorial Laser Reunion. I finally reached this year's goal of beating Coach Peter in just one race. Peter easily took first in the regatta and I squeaked into second place - a wonderful way to end the racing season.
It ain't over til it's over - although racing was finished, for the truly insane, the best was yet to come. We finished off September with a trip to Waterton to sail on Waterton Lake. Waterton is known for strong, shifty, gusty winds and we weren't disappointed. Upwind tacking was hard work and the downwind runs were positively frightening. It wasn't warm either and we awoke in our tents on Sunday morning to a winter wonderland. A few of us cleared the snow off our boats and went for a sail. I came in after half an hour shivering with frozen hands and feet. I probably won't try that again without a drysuit.
In October, I cut back to the occasional recreational sail on the weekend. This freed up some time to volunteer for my aldermanic candidate in the municipal election campaign. I went to Ontario for Queen's Homecoming as it was my 10 year reunion. I visited Dad's cousins Dave & Vickey and Stan & Anja and had a late night chat with Maya in Toronto before driving out to Kingston with Carol. I stayed with Syncrude friend Susan, who is in Kingston doing her MBA, for the first few days and then enjoyed the hospitality of Meg and her family. We had a great time reuniting with people and then Carol went back to Toronto and I hung out with Meg and Colin and my Godson Angus and his new baby brother Ewan. To finish up the trip, I took a train to Ottawa to visit Bryndis. We celebrated Person's Day and met a few politicians. The fall colours were beautiful and we took a drive to Mont Tremblant in Quebec.
I don't remember much about Novemeber - probably spent repairing the trailer, packing up boats for the winter and working.
December has been terrific. My sister, Helen and her boyfriend, Francois came to visit for Christmas. I can't believe it's been two years since I last saw Helen!
That is the old year in a nutshell. I'm looking forward to good times with friends and family in 2008. I plan to have sailing holidays in Victoria (several times), Vancouver (July), and Kingston (August) in 2008 - let me know if you are going to be in or near these places and we can plan to get together. I'm also hoping to take some friends coastal cruising - possibly in Washington state's San Juan Islands where we can take advantage of the high Canadian dollar. Let me know if you are interested in coming on that trip.
Best wishes to all for a Happy New Year!
Kate
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Balance
Please protect the green grass,
Please protect the sky,
but don't give away my economic pie!
(thanks to Canadian Poet Dennis Lee for Alligator Pie!)
Please protect the sky,
but don't give away my economic pie!
(thanks to Canadian Poet Dennis Lee for Alligator Pie!)
Submission to the Government of Alberta's Royalty Review website
I am writing to express concerns about the report on royalties titled "Our Fair Share." Numerous errors and the lack of understanding of the oil sands business shown in the report mislead all who read it. It would be irresponsible of the Government to make a decision on this flawed basis. I ask that you delay implementation of all of the recommendations until industry has been properly consulted. I know that the Report's recommendations, if fully implemented, will threaten continuing investment in the Province, and lead to a substantial loss of jobs in Alberta.
The report demonstrates a lack of understanding of the forces affecting the bitumen market (pages 79 and 80). It seems to suggest that producers can somehow control the prices and deliberately "spike" the price down to decrease royalty payments. Perhaps you could let the authors know that the bitumen price tends to drop in the winter because of a decrease in demand. The demand decreases because it is hard to pave roads when the ground is frozen. Bitumen is used to make asphalt for roads. It is my understanding that bitumen is often produced at a loss in the winter.
Setting the Oil Sands Severance Tax on the WTI price is not a reasonable proposition. Examine the figure on page 80 of the report. It should be apparent that the price differential between WTI and various heavy oils is far from constant. The market for WTI is different than the market for heavy oil. Would you tax oil sands bitumen based on the price of natural gas? Probably not. Taxing bitumen based on the WTI price is no more reasonable. Taxing gross revenue in a low margin business is a harsh proposition even if the tax rate were tied to the correct price. Trying to justify this tax based on administration and compliance issues with the Revenue minus Cost royalty scheme is ludicrous. If, in fact, the Alberta Government does have problems administering and enforcing the royalty scheme, fix the problem instead of penalizing the people who pay the bills. OSST equals no future investment in oil sands.
When comparing Alberta with other jurisdictions, the authors of the report fail to consider the relative returns of the projects in these areas. While oil sands projects don't have a high exploration risk, they have enormous capital and market risks. The project costs used in the report are unrealistically low. Not only have the costs risen significantly since the data used in the report was generated, but changes in regulations have added additional future cost burdens. The federal action on climate change will have a significant impact on the feasibility of oil sands projects. Significant investment in technology development is required over the next 2 decades to meet the GHG reductions. It is safe to say that implementation of GHG reduction technology, should it be developed, will come with a high capital and operating cost. The Alberta "Water Conservation for Oilfield Injection" policy is a good tool for conserving Alberta's fresh water resources. The royalty report fails to recognize that the continuously increasing water recycle requirements will have a significant impact on project costs. As an Albertan, I would rather see revenue from the oil sands being spent on water conservation measures and greenhouse gas reduction than on royalty payments.
The future of Alberta rests on this decision. I urge the Government to take the time to fully understand the facts so that there will be no doubt that they make a reasonable decision. Convicting the oil and gas companies without fair trial will serve no one. Would a good judge allow a trial to be decided by public opinion without hearing the facts from both sides?
Sincerely,
Kate Easton
Calgary - Elbow
The report demonstrates a lack of understanding of the forces affecting the bitumen market (pages 79 and 80). It seems to suggest that producers can somehow control the prices and deliberately "spike" the price down to decrease royalty payments. Perhaps you could let the authors know that the bitumen price tends to drop in the winter because of a decrease in demand. The demand decreases because it is hard to pave roads when the ground is frozen. Bitumen is used to make asphalt for roads. It is my understanding that bitumen is often produced at a loss in the winter.
Setting the Oil Sands Severance Tax on the WTI price is not a reasonable proposition. Examine the figure on page 80 of the report. It should be apparent that the price differential between WTI and various heavy oils is far from constant. The market for WTI is different than the market for heavy oil. Would you tax oil sands bitumen based on the price of natural gas? Probably not. Taxing bitumen based on the WTI price is no more reasonable. Taxing gross revenue in a low margin business is a harsh proposition even if the tax rate were tied to the correct price. Trying to justify this tax based on administration and compliance issues with the Revenue minus Cost royalty scheme is ludicrous. If, in fact, the Alberta Government does have problems administering and enforcing the royalty scheme, fix the problem instead of penalizing the people who pay the bills. OSST equals no future investment in oil sands.
When comparing Alberta with other jurisdictions, the authors of the report fail to consider the relative returns of the projects in these areas. While oil sands projects don't have a high exploration risk, they have enormous capital and market risks. The project costs used in the report are unrealistically low. Not only have the costs risen significantly since the data used in the report was generated, but changes in regulations have added additional future cost burdens. The federal action on climate change will have a significant impact on the feasibility of oil sands projects. Significant investment in technology development is required over the next 2 decades to meet the GHG reductions. It is safe to say that implementation of GHG reduction technology, should it be developed, will come with a high capital and operating cost. The Alberta "Water Conservation for Oilfield Injection" policy is a good tool for conserving Alberta's fresh water resources. The royalty report fails to recognize that the continuously increasing water recycle requirements will have a significant impact on project costs. As an Albertan, I would rather see revenue from the oil sands being spent on water conservation measures and greenhouse gas reduction than on royalty payments.
The future of Alberta rests on this decision. I urge the Government to take the time to fully understand the facts so that there will be no doubt that they make a reasonable decision. Convicting the oil and gas companies without fair trial will serve no one. Would a good judge allow a trial to be decided by public opinion without hearing the facts from both sides?
Sincerely,
Kate Easton
Calgary - Elbow
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