Dave Yadallee's personal blog

February 29, 2008



Alberta Liberal government will get Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo the

representation it deserves in the Legislature



Fort McMurray - Kevin Taft committed today to increasing representation in

Alberta's legislature for the people of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo.



Taft made the announcement as he finished off a day-long visit to northern

Alberta communities today.



Taft said the Alberta Liberals will ensure Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo

get the number of MLAs they deserve, whether that is two or three.



"This region needs voices in the legislature that represent the scale and

strength of the area," said Taft.



"Fort McMurray has been struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of growth

for years," said Taft. "Schools are deteriorating, highway driving

conditions are unsafe, a major shortage of health professionals is causing a

strain on health services, and the shortage of affordable housing has

reached a crisis. A pipeline goes out of this region, and a garden hose

brings government services back."



"Fort McMurray is a thriving economic hub of this province, and residents

deserve to be represented," said Taft.



Taft said the strains on the public services and on the infrastructure of

Fort McMurray are caused by the government's failure to plan for the

economic boom.



"This region is a prime example of how the Tories' lack of planning has let

Albertans down," said Taft. "Because the Tories didn't properly plan for

development, we have a region that is bursting at the seams and playing

catch up on all major infrastructure projects."



Earlier in the day, Taft also visited the Wabasca-Desmarais area, where he

talked to residents about Alberta Liberal plans to address shortages of

health care professionals, to expand Friendship Centres and re-instate a

provincial government department dedicated to Aboriginal Affairs, among

other initiatives.



Throughout the day, Taft spoke to northern Alberta residents about the need

for better planning and predictable, sustainable funding to allow

communities to keep up with the pace of growth.



Taft said increased representation for Fort McMurray in the provincial

Legislature will allow the region to address critical, long-neglected needs,

and will ensure that the area can be better equipped to keep up with the

pace of growth.



Taft said the Alberta Liberals will improve the quality of life for Northern

Albertans by also:



Responsibly managing the pace of oil sands development, based on a

cumulative environmental impacts framework.

Supporting value added growth in Alberta to a sustainable level.

Instead of sending bitumen out of the country like Ed Stelmach's government,

the Alberta Liberals will partner with neighbouring provinces for upgrading.

Ensuring adequate funding for rural health services to reflect the

special challenges and higher costs of delivering those services in sparsely

population regions.

Implementing a comprehensive baseline health study of the residents

of Fort Chipewyan and surrounding areas to assess the extent and cause of

any environment-based health concerns.

Conducting health impact assessments for all new major developments.



Requiring mandatory watershed management planning and creating a

provincial inventory of water.

Increasing the number of affordable housing units and protecting

renters from exorbitant increases.

Creating a land-use strategy to balance industrial interests with

those of communities and the environment.

Reinstating a government ministry devoted to Aboriginal Affairs and

doubling provincial funding for Friendship Centres.

Super-charging post-secondary institutions, including Fort

McMurray's Keyano College.



"This government has had the gas pedal to the floor for 10 years, and it is

time to ease up a bit and deal with the problems that Albertans are facing

due to this overheated economy," said Taft. "It's not a matter of touching

the brakes - it's about driving the speed limit, to enable healthy,

productive communities to keep up with and benefit from this growth."



"Fort McMurray residents shouldn't have to suffer any longer for this

government's failure to plan," said Taft. "It's time for a new government.

We need a new government."

February 29, 2008



Now it's time for Albertans to decide who they trust



"Now it's time for Albertans to decide who they trust to manage Alberta's

growth, and make the most of this unique moment in our history."



-- Ed Stelmach, Edmonton Journal, Feb. 5, 2008



"After the election is over we want to make sure that every area has an

equal opportunity to cast their ballots."



- Ed Stelmach, Edmonton Journal, Feb. 29, 2008



Edmonton - Ed Stelmach says this election is about trust. Okay, then. Let's

talk about trust.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to show up and meet his own constituents. The PC

Leader wouldn't attend a public forum in his Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville

constituents.



"The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, Premier

Stelmach, will debate only other party leaders in provincial forums."

(Stelmach's local campaign manager George Sebest, Sturgeon Creek Post,

February 20, 2008)



Even Ralph Klein attended local constituency forums in three of his four

elections as PC leader.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to tell the truth about climate change. Stelmach

accused the Alberta Liberals of being determined to kill 335,000 jobs in the

Alberta energy sector with their climate change action plan.



Then he was asked to back up the charge. He couldn't do it, and had to admit

in the last week of the campaign that he made it all up and he didn't know

what he was talking about.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to run an impartial election. When confronted

early in the campaign with evidence that partisan PC activists were

appointed as constituency returning officers.



First, he said Elections Alberta appointed the rogue returning officers and

the PCs had nothing to do with it. Then his spokesman had to admit that

Elections Alberta hired the returning officers based on instructions and

lists from the PCs.



Then he said he wouldn't do anything about it because there was already an

election on.



Then he said this: "After the election is over we want to make sure that

every area has an equal opportunity to cast their ballots." (Edmonton

Journal, Feb. 29, 2008)



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to let First Nations and Metis citizens vote.

Polling stations are not being established in the Piikani and Blood Reserves

in southern Alberta, effectively disenfranchising 3,500 eligible voters.



In Grand Cache, about 200 eligible Metis voters living near Grand Cache

co-op were initially told they can't vote because their drivers' licences

indicate a post office box address, not a traditional street address.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to let Drumheller seniors vote. In the

Drumheller-Stettler constituency, six mobile polling stations are available

in Stettler, but only three in the much larger city of Drumheller. In the

2007 byelection, the Alberta Liberals beat the PCs in the city of

Drumheller.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to proclaim the legislation enabling the

long-awaited Lobbyist Registry. The enabling legislation has passed the

legislature, but has not been proclaimed by the Lieutenant-Governor. Since

this is one of Stelmach's cornerstone promises from his first Throne Speech,

you'd think he'd want to get that taken care of.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to make his retiring and soon-to-be-defeated PC

cronies and PC aides observe tougher, long-awaited conflict of interest

rules.



Hours before calling the election, the PC cabinet passed an order-in-council

to have tougher conflict of interest rules take effect on April 1, 2008.

That would exempt all the insiders who leave government before that date.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to release the names of his leadership campaign

contributors. More than a year after he won the PC leadership, he still has

not told Albertans who paid more than $160,000 of his bills.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to tell the truth about Enron. Stelmach accused

the Alberta Liberals of Enron-style accounting in their election platform

costing. The PCs cozied up to the disgraced energy trading firm after they

contributed thousands of dollars to the party over several years up to 2001,

when they went bankrupt after committing accounting fraud on a massive

scale. Enron was also close to the PC government prior to the implementation

of Alberta's disastrous electricity deregulation.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to be transparent about Marie Lake and missing

federal child-care funds. Data requested under Freedom of Information rules

were due to be released during the election campaign dealing with PC

government mismanagement that would have allowed seismic blasting under an

ecologically sensitive lake, and with over $25-million in federal funds

designated for early-childhood education that mysteriously went missing.

Both requests were delayed.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to release a thorough and comprehensive costing

of his massive spending platform. The PCs applied dollar figures to only 28

of their 70 election promises. They ignored costing out any of their

clean-energy, carbon-capture, water-monitoring or a promise Emissions

Management Fund.



You can't even trust Ed Stelmach to stand up and explain his platform

costing. The PCs released it two hours before the televised leaders' debate,

guaranteeing it would get no media coverage, leaving him to pretend he has a

responsible plan despite increased spending, no plans for reallocation and

no plan for regular saving.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to listen to the people about climate change.

According to recent polls, 57 per cent of Albertans think the government

isn't doing enough to reduce CO2 emissions. But the PCs aren't going to rein

in emissions for another 12 years.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to stand up for Albertans' rights, or against

insurance companies making record profits. The PCs automatically appealed a

court decision striking down the government's illegal soft-tissue injury

compensation cap after the industry threatened to hike auto insurance

premiums.



You can't trust Ed Stelmach to stand up for transparency and the public

interest. In the final days of the fall session, the PC government used

closure to ram through Bill 46, the Alberta Utilities Commission Act,

enabling the newly created commission to make decisions without any public

input.



You can't trust the Stelmach PCs not to use their positions of

government-appointed influence to abuse their power.



Herb Der, Red Deer College's Chairman of the Board of Governors, used his

position to raise funds for Red Deer South PC Cal Dallas, violating the

public service's code of conduct and ethics.



Chinook Health Board member Donna Bier took out a newspaper ad using her

position to endorse Lethbridge East PC Jason Herasemluk.



University of Lethbridge political scientist Peter McCormick said "It proves

what the Liberals are saying, that after 37 years in office they've lost

track of the boundary between what's the Conservative party and what's the

Government of Alberta."



It's time for a leader you can trust. It's time for a change. Alberta needs

a new government.

February 29, 2008



You can't trust the Stelmach PCs to simply just show up



Tired Tory Debate Dodgers - Class of 2008



Edmonton - It wouldn't be an election without all-candidates forums and

debates and other opportunities to talk about the issues and connect with

voters.



And it wouldn't be an Alberta election without PC candidates blowing them

off.



Here's the first crop:



All Calgary PC candidates: Conservation Voters of Alberta held a water forum

in Calgary on Feb. 25, and no one showed up to represent the PCs.



Also, no Calgary-area PC candidates showed up for the Arts and Cities Forum

at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Feb. 26.



After Ron Stevens dodged the Public Interest Alberta forum Feb. 25 (see

below), all Calgary-area PC candidates were invited to see if someone - any

one - would represent their party's views. No takers.



All Edmonton PC candidates: No PCs showed up to a forum held by the Alberta

College of Social Workers in Edmonton on Feb. 25.



Cal Dallas, Red Deer South: Asked to attend Public Interest Alberta forum on

Feb. 28 and refused.



Wayne Drysdale, Grande Prairie-Wapati: Didn't show up to participate in

environmental forum at Army, Navy, Air Force Veteran's Building on Feb. 27.



Heather Forsythe, Calgary-Fish Creek: Forsythe bailed on the Deer Run

Community Association forum on Feb. 27.



Heather Klimchuk, Edmonton-Glenora: ducked out of Public Interest Alberta

forum at the Royal Alberta Museum on Feb. 25. This is AFTER she agreed to

attend last week. Furthermore, the PCs were invited to send a replacement.

No response.



Mary Anne Jablonski, Red Deer North: Asked to attend Public Interest Alberta

forum on Feb. 28 and refused.



Mel Knight, Grande Prairie-Smoky: Didn't show up to participate in

environmental forum at Army Navy Air Force Veteran's Building on Feb. 27.



Peter Sandhu, Edmonton-Manning: Told constituents he couldn't make it to a

forum sponsored by McClure United Church on Feb. 27 because he was going

door-knocking with Ed Stelmach. Fine, except that Stelmach was in

Lethbridge.



Ed Stelmach, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville: The PC Leader, setting the

example for the rest of his party, declared he would not participate in a

local public forum on Feb. 27, hosted by the Fort Saskatchewan Chamber of

Commerce.



"The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, Premier

Stelmach, will debate only other party leaders in provincial forums." So

said Stelmach's local campaign manager George Sebest in the Feb. 20 Sturgeon

Creek Post.



This makes us nostalgic for Ralph Klein, who at least showed up to local

forums in his own constituency in three of the four elections he was PC

leader.



Ron Stevens, Calgary-Glenmore: dodged the Feb. 25 Public Interest Alberta

forum in Calgary.



Janis Tarchuk, Banff-Cochrane: dodged the Canmore Environmental Forum on

Feb. 26.



David Xiao, Edmonton McClung: skipped out of the Alberta Association for

Community Living forum held this week in his constituency.



Stay tuned.more to come.

From http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/features/albertavotes/story.htm...



At least Monday might be exciting

Undecided voters could turn the end of this boring campaign into a real nail-biter

Graham Thomson, The Edmonton Journal

Published: Thursday, February 28



They're starting to droop, beginning to fall over on their faces.



You can see them as you drive along the road -- election campaign signs sliding into the gutter.



The snowbanks that once held them firmly in place are starting to melt. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because even the election signs grow tired of this campaign.



They, like many Albertans, seem to have given up.



Or at the very least they don't know what to make of this campaign.



There is no big ballot issue, no outstanding leader.



We have four, or five, middle-aged guys in suits promising more help for, among other things, seniors, teachers, students, parents, children, police, farmers, renters, homeowners, the homeless, drivers, Calgarians, Edmontonians, farmers, and, in the case of the Green Party, people who make mead.



It doesn't seem to matter that there are real policy differences over issues such as the oilsands.



The Liberals and New Democrats, for example, want to slow down the pace of development; the Conservatives and



Alliance don't. Liberals want to put tighter restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions; the Conservatives don't. The NDP wants public auto insurance; the Conservatives don't.



There are dozens of issues but no big issue that is swaying great numbers of people one way or another.



In this election campaign the public's imagination hasn't been grabbed, sparked or engaged. It, too, seems to be sliding into the gutter.



Consequently, people are falling back on their old biases and political bigotry.



"Liberal" is still a four-letter word for many Albertans even though the party is separate from the federal party and takes great pains to preface itself with "Alberta."



Conservatives say Liberals are free spenders who will rack up budget deficits immediately. The Wildrose Alliance says Conservatives are free spenders who will be racking up budget deficits within a year.



Liberals say Conservatives are arrogant and out of touch after running the province for 37 years. New Democrats say Liberals are out of touch with average Albertans. All of them say the New Democrats are simply out of touch.



There's been a fair amount of ridiculous finger pointing.



The Liberals, for example, put out a news release last week describing a "bumbling" Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach who "unravelled" during the leaders debate.



Stelmach may not have set the house on fire but he was competent. He didn't bumble and he didn't unravel.



Stelmach, for his part, is playing to political prejudices with his repeated claim that, if elected, the Liberals would kill 335,000 jobs with their proposed reductions on greenhouse gas emissions from the oilsands.



JOB-LOSS CLAIM FOUND LACKING



Stelmach has never been clear where that number comes from. It certainly is not coming from the Liberals.



At first Stelmach said those jobs would be lost in Alberta alone. Now, he's backed off a bit, saying the job losses would be spread across the country.



But he still can't seem to explain where that number came from.



Stelmach is twisting the facts, insisting the Liberals would impose Kyoto-style reductions.



The Liberals are not saying that at all. They want a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, true, but not to the extent Stelmach is talking about.



Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are issues Albertans care about. The environment is a major concern. And, according to a recent Leger Marketing poll, the government is failing on this issue.



When asked if the government was doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 57 per cent said no.



Not only that, 62 per cent of those surveyed said the government should reduce emissions even if it means delaying or cancelling some oilsands projects.



Almost half of respondents said they would prefer a change in government -- but the Conservatives still lead in voter preference.



If there is one big overriding issue, it might be leadership and/or trust. On that, Stelmach comes out on top, according to the Leger poll.



It's all relative, though.



Take, for example, this question: "If an election was held today, which political party would you vote for?"



Ed Stelmach's Conservatives: 40 per cent.



Kevin Taft's Liberal Party: 18 per cent.



Brian Mason's New Democratic Party: 5 per cent.



George Read's Green Party: 5 per cent.



Paul Hinman's Wildrose Alliance: 6 per cent.



"I don't know": 27 per cent.



Nobody is the odds-on favourite. The majority of Albertans want somebody else, even if they don't know who that is.



On the question of who has run the best campaign so far, Stelmach gets the highest rating of any leader with 32 per cent. But the absolute winner is "None of the above/I don't know" at 40 per cent.



If the Liberals are indeed being held back because of their name, they should change it to the "I Don't Know/None of the Above Party." They'd probably win on Monday.



I hasten to add that a boring campaign doesn't mean a boring election night.



During the 2004 election campaign, the polls indicated another 70-plus-seat government for the Tories.



Instead, they lost a dozen seats. Not because a significant number of people switched to the opposition, but because a significant number of traditional Tory supporters stayed home.



What has been a boring election campaign might yet turn out to be an interesting election night.



gthom...@thejournal.canwest.com



GRAHAM THOMSON



Off the Ledge



In Graham's blog, he digs through the political rhetoric.



To read Graham's blog go to http://www.edmontonjournal.com and click on blogs



© The Edmonton Journal 2008

February 28, 2008



New Report from C.D. Howe Highlights Tories' Free-Spending Ways



Edmonton - A report released yesterday by the CD Howe Institute provides

further indications that the Tories are frittering away Alberta's future,

said Alberta Liberal Campaign Manager Kieran Leblanc in Edmonton earlier

today.



According to the C.D. Howe Institute report, After the Oil Rush: A Blueprint

for Alberta's Long-term Happiness:



Of particular concern for Alberta is that high energy prices and rapidly

flowing resource revenues mask the province's underlying fiscal position,

undercut attempts at spending restraint, and risk leaving the province

unprepared, either for market downturns or for an inevitable, eventual

slowing of resource production.



With regards to the Tories' past spending patterns, the report goes on to

highlight that:



In the last five years, total spending increased above planned spending

growth by an average of 6.3 percent annually. Not surprisingly, overall

spending in the last 10 years has nearly doubled.



Ed Stelmach's only plan is a surplus plan, meaning that they wait until they

have extra money before setting any of it aside for savings. Any personal

financial advisor will tell you that this is the worst way to plan for the

future.



And the financials on Stelmach's election platform costing confirms the

Tories have no plan. Despite making promises totaling over $7 billion, the

Tories provide no indication of how they plan to pay for their promises.

"Where's the money coming from? It sounds like the Tories believe surpluses

will last forever," noted Leblanc.



Leblanc emphasized that the Alberta Liberals expect the Tories to continue

their tradition of mismanagement and ad-hoc policy making when they announce

further details of some new royalty scheme during the last days of the

campaign.



"Hopefully, Stelmach will finally come clean with Albertans about the

unintended consequences of his new royalty regime. That Stelmach is expected

to come out with details in the campaign's final days highlights the lack of

any fiscal prudence, foresight, or management skill on the part of the

Tories," said Leblanc.



The Alberta Liberals have been clear on royalties. Albertans deserve their

fair share. That is why royalties will increase by the 20% recommended by

the Royalty Review Panel. Sectors of the oil and gas industry that can more

easily afford increased royalties will pay more, while struggling sectors

will get a break.



The Alberta Liberals are also the only party in this campaign with a

comprehensive, sustainable and fiscally responsible savings plan. Under the

Alberta Liberal's Funding Alberta Future plan, an Alberta Liberal Government

would immediately pay Albertans first by channeling 30% of resource revenue

collected into four endowment funds.



If our plan was implemented when first introduced, fiscal stability could

have been assured through a vibrant Heritage Fund worth well over $100

billion by 2020.



It's time to get the job done right. It's time for a change.