The last 10 years have been rough on the City of Calgary. Our most important industry was hobbled by low prices, pipeline constraints, a federal government bent on phasing it out, and finally the COVID pandemic. In the face of all that, Mayor Nenshi has spent his decade in power more concerned with virtue signaling nonsense like defunding the police and chasing expensive pet projects like the Olympic bid rather than confronting the serious issues facing our city. The effects have been felt [Read more]
Column: Trump is still the best choice for America (and Canada)
I realize in writing this as a Canadian some might wonder why I care so much about the politics of a foreign country. Well, as I wrote three years ago Donald Trump had delivered more positive results for the Alberta economy than our own leaders, and that has remained true today. The approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which is now under construction, is vital to the long term hopes of our oil industry, and Joe Biden has promised to kill it and leave us stranded. Americans need a strong [Read more]
Column: Leslyn Lewis is the clear choice to lead Canada’s Conservatives
Last fall, Canadian Conservatives learned a valuable lesson. That no matter how much Justin Trudeau damaged our nation’s finances and failed our industry, and despite every manner of misstep embarrassing Canada and himself, he can’t be relied on solely to beat himself. The Conservatives failed in 2019 to present a hopeful, positive alternative, and that failure was compounded by Andrew Scheer’s inability to give clear answers to difficult questions while still seeming overly scripted and [Read more]
Column: Another resource project, another window to the absurdity of modern Canada
Coastal Gas Link: A project supported by the elected leaders of all 20 First Nations along its route and by most of their people for the opportunities it will bring to an economically depressed region. It's even supported by 8 of the 13 hereditary Wet'suwet'en chiefs who some believe hold rights over traditional territory outside their reserves. A pipeline for natural gas, not oil (which should be obvious from the name), which means leaks/spills from it would be relatively harmless to the [Read more]
Column: For Alberta, This Election Means Everything
Much commentary around the current federal election has centered on the apparent lack of a focus on policy instead of arguing about who did the most embarrassing thing in their youth (or as a 29 year old school teacher). It makes it seem like this election is about nothing, but nothing is further from the truth for Alberta and for the oil industry. It’s no secret that we face a somewhat hostile environment in terms of public opinion outside our provincial borders these days. Partly this is [Read more]
Column: Calgary falls for a Siren’s call
About a year and a half ago I wrote that, whether you liked him or not, Donald Trump was the only elected political leader advancing Alberta's interests. Hopefully that will change in this year's Albertan and Canadian elections, but for now it's an opinion that still holds up well with the recent news that Premier Notley has appointed yet another fox to help supervise the chicken coop, by adding Ed Whittingham to the board of directors of the AER. Mr. Whittingham's prior life as head of the [Read more]
Column: Weather isn’t Climate, but…
Now of course we all know weather isn’t climate, but carbon tax proponents never miss using a heat wave to argue for the necessity of their “price” on carbon, so I don’t mind using a cold snap like this weekend to point out that a price on carbon is really a tax on staying alive since without fossil fuels thousands of people would be freezing to death right now. Last week as the polar vortex dipped deep into the Midwest US I heard a lot of smug Canadians joking about American reactions to the [Read more]
Column: Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is Alberta’s President
Some love Donald Trump, while others despise him. The main thing these two groups have in common is they are unlikely to be convinced the other is correct. This article is not about trying to change the mind of anyone on either side of that divide because that is a pointless endeavour. It is however about something that should be galling, frustrating and disappointing to Albertans in either camp. That is the indisputable fact that Donald Trump has delivered more positive results for the [Read more]
Kevin O’Leary is the choice for Canada’s oil and gas industry
The policies of the current provincial and federal governments are having a devastating effect on our industry and on Canada as a whole. Both levels of government are marching headlong into installing carbon taxes which will cause economic pain in Canada but have no effect globally at a time when the worlds major emitters are going the other way. The provincial NDP has added a coal phaseout and long term renewable contracts which will increase electricity prices, an oil sands emission cap [Read more]
The carbon tax isn’t about social license for pipelines, but the pipeline approvals are about social license for the carbon tax
In Stephen Harper's time as Prime Minister, four major pipeline projects were approved and built totalling over 1 million barrels per day of capacity (original Keystone, Line 9B Reversal, Trans Mountain Anchor Loop, and Alberta Clipper). All of these pipelines were approved and built without a carbon tax and with conservative governments provincially and federally. We also had Keystone XL approved within Canada and blocked only due to an anti-oil administration in the US. That project now [Read more]