David Swann MD, MLA and Leader of the Official Opposition of Alberta since 2008 for Calgary Mountain View Constituency, delivers some dire warnings to the citizens of Alberta about Bill 50.
Briefly, the legislation of Bill 50 will strip the authority of an independent panel to hear the opinions, concerns and queries of Albertans regarding infrastructure changes that will be made in their communities. It takes away their right to voice their concerns by having a public hearing before the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC).
“This Government intends to move on this Bill quickly in the coming few days. There is not enough time to debate such an important piece of legislation, and the Government will certainly look to ram it through quickly. I urge all Albertans who care about putting checks and balances on government, who value an independent regulatory process for these billions of dollars of transmission lines to call their MLAs and make their voices heard.”
The dispute that surrounds Bill 50 hastens a massive transmission project that involves the installation of two sets of parallel high voltage lines (500 kV AC and 500 kV DC) traversing our province from the northern to southern boundaries. There will be an additional 1-240 kV HV AC line added and lateral lines as well which will bring the price tag of this project to 20 billion dollars, an expense that will be dumped on the taxpayers of Alberta. It is rumored that the primary purpose of this huge project is to export nuclear energy to the United States.
“Our understanding at this time is that the only location being considered for a nuclear plant is the Peace River area. One of the potential transmission lines connects into Saskatchewan, to the possible site of a nuclear plant there,” explains Swann.
It has not been revealed that these transmission lines will deliver nuclear energy to the US at the expense of Albertans but the truth will eventually emerge. Swann admits, “We can’t be sure on this point. It is certainly a concern. We’ve heard from a number of people and it is a concern we will raise in debate. But what is clear is that consumers should not be shouldered with the entire cost of these lines without a full regulatory assessment of their need.”
Bill 50 will affect a broad spectrum of citizens in Alberta: homeowners, farmers, large institutions like hospitals, schools, universities, and businesses of all sizes from independent to small, medium and large companies. “All of the costs from these lines will be passed on to consumers. Those costs will work their way down to all Albertans over time – hockey rinks will pass on the costs, ice-cream manufacturers will pass on the costs, etc. Businesses that face these additional costs will find it harder to compete on the national and international stage. Business will be impacted,” explains Swann.
There are definite winners and losers in Alberta if Bill 50 gets rammed through legislation without fair debate. Follow the money trail and ask who benefits when civil liberties are glossed over. Swann exposes the real winners in this deal at the taxpayers’ expense. “Big transmission line constructors and operators – like Altalink and ATCO – stand to get billions in contracts from these lines. Alberta consumers will lose – as always with this government, the little guy loses.”
The reason why consumers are being forced to pay 14 - 20 billion dollar price tag without the corporations contributing financially is obvious. “The Government set up the electricity system to force consumers to pay for the entire cost of new transmission lines. That was a decision by a Tory Minister of Energy. That means that there is no incentive for power companies to do anything other than strongly support new power line construction. This Government is not thinking about energy for the 21st century and does not care about the burden this kind of development imposes on Albertans,” insists Swann.
Albertans can stop Bill 50 from passing the way it appears now by contacting government officials in your area. “We are always concerned about the government spending Albertans’ money without ensuring fair representation. We urge Albertans to make their voices heard to their MLAs, telling them not to go ahead with this bill,” declares Swann.
As the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, Swann wants to promote greener, safer and more cost effective technologies now and in the future. Money will not be delegated to greener technologies if it is primarily funneled into this project at the taxpayers’ expense. “We want to see more energy efficiency to reduce demand and costs and implement renewable energy as soon as possible. We don’t believe the government is doing enough. Other provinces are much more supportive of these technologies, and they will take industries away from us. We will be left behind if we don’t act decisively to draw clean power companies and jobs to this province soon.”
Swann’s advice is firm as he encourages Albertans to act decisively. “Be loud, be heard, and keep pushing on these issues – the time is now, and the public’s concerns can change this Bill – it is not an inevitable result.”
See previous article Bill 50 compromises the rights of all Albertans for the sake of corporate profit here:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-27218-Calgary-Environmental-News-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Bill-C50-compromises-the-rights-of-all-Albertans-for-the-sake-of-corporate-profit
Comments
People think this is a done deal. It is not. Many predict the 3rd vote will be the final nail on the coffin of the PC reign. Let's hope they're gone long before the economy and our fellow citizens suffer the consequences.
Interesting Farmer.
Power use is down all over North America and this trend can easily continue with more effective energy conservation initiatives. Continued growth is not sustainable to society or desirable to the average person' s quality of life, as costs for essential services are inflated to serve big business's blind ambitions. I never thought deregulation was intended to create an export business for provincial electricity producers. Or did I miss something?
Wow Chris. That was a good point about deregulation. Maybe at some point big business will see the light. It reminds of a powerful Cree prophecy: Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.
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