Dear Mr. Stelmach,

I recently heard your views regarding the environment in that because you were a farmer ‘..you were an environmentalist before it was fashionable’.

I am also a former Ukrainian farmer from Manitoba. My ancestors on both side required clean air, soil, & water to survive. As such, their survival ensured my survival – similar to your story. They also fought for their land, crops, & their fair share.

The oil & gas multi-nationals do not care about the people’s land, proceeding it merely as a temporary factory to meet shareholder objectives. We seem to accept this as it gives existing and new Albertans temporary employment. The top 9 international oil companies in terms of reserves are state owned, and as such can control the extent of production. However, they do not have shareholders (the people & investors) to hold them accountable. As market shareholders hold all international companies to the fire, we as land shareholders must ensure they are accountable aswell. The international companies that are digging up our land must be forced as with energy policies of the 1920s, 1970s, and 1980s. There is no reason why they should make profits of hundreds of billions of dollars, funnel it out of the country, & not reinvest in producing oil in a green & responsible manner. I will not discuss the green initiatives, as most oil & gas companies already know what is involved.

As a farmer, you must understand the connection between land, water, & air. Use your farmer & environmentalist roots and ensure your land, my land, our water, & our air is available today & tomorrow.

Thank-you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jeff Shewchuk,P.Eng.