I took part last week in a panel discussion on the meaning of environmental stewardship in Alberta.  The panel consisted of myself, Preston Manning, Environment Minister Rob Renner, Shelley Wilson of the Natural Capital Association and Barry Worbets of the Canada West Foundation.  It was a good opportunity to hear from different perspectives and a good chance for the public to comment and ask the environment minister some important questions.  The turnout was amazing - over 300 people in attendance and much media attention.

Some ideas thrown out were the idea of measuring and metering all water usage in the province by Preston Manning.  Renata D’Allesio of the Calgary Herald reports on it in today’s Herald: Universal Water Metering Overdue…  Another thought that Preston put forth was to not just measure GDP but also Gross Domestic Waste if we are ever to do anyting about it.  Barry Worbets has worked much on the idea of accounting for natural capital (the value of land left naturally rather than exploited) and he eloquently brought forth that idea.  The rationale of acounting for natural capital is that when we put a dollar value on the fescue grasslands for instance, as a carbon sink and a natural water filtration system, then we realize that to extract valuable oil and gas resources may not be economically beneficial in the long term if they jeopardize the ability of the land to perform these tasks – makes sense!

The Alberta Environmental Stewardship Coalition is a group of young professionals that want to increase public involvement for the environment.  Please visit their website and sign on to recieve more information and help shape an environmental agenda for the province.

Read my remarks here: Stewardship Lecture

In the National Post today the Premier’s plans to spend $200,000 on a brochure explaining his ideas for Alberta was exposed. Many skeptics have come forward to question the legitimacy of spending taxpayers money on what amounts to a personal promotion pamphlet.  The opposition parties don’t have access to an extra $200,000 to prop up their popularity.  The Alberta Liberal Caucus gets roughly 1 million a year to pay for staff, communications, promotion, events.  The Government spends over 14 million a year just for their Public Affairs bureau (read below for more info on the PAB).  Is this glaring inequality not a disservice to democracy? Can we trust that the information we’re receiving is unbiased and accurate?

Read the article here: National Post – Stelmach Brochure Costs $200 000

Kevin Taft’s new book, Democracy Derailed, also questions the legitimacy of the Public Affairs Bureau, its massive budget and its close ties with the Premier’s office.

“Of course, the Public Affairs Bureau would never publicly admit to performing a partisan function. They portray themselves as impartial servants of the public, enabling the efficient exchange of information between the government and the people. If their message fits seamlessly with Conservative priorities, it’s only because those policies are always correct. This attitude has earned the bureau its infamous nickname, the Ministry of Truth, which even its own employees occasionally embrace, though off the record, of course.”

“Today, the Public Affairs Bureau is all about politics. The final transformation took place in late 1992, when the premier’s right-hand man, Rod Love, brought all the Public Affairs Bureau’s reporting lines directly into the premier’s office…..The premier’s office is now the hub of a large, professional communication network that in 2006-07 spent $14.4 million on operations and employed the equivalent of 117 full-time staff”

In the Legislature on Thursday I had the chance to ask the Premier about water management in the province of Alberta.

I asked: “The pace and scope of development in this province, especially the oil sands, may be good for business in the short term but it is not responsible and it will not sustain our water into the future. The recent Rosenberg report, commissioned by this government, was very critical of the lack of knowledge and action on responsible water management in Alberta and identified real risks for the future, yet the Premier has said that he will not slow economic growth. To the Premier: how does the Premier explain to fellow farmers this uncontrolled growth and lack of water management?”

The Premier replied:
“As one that has grown various crops in this province of Alberta , we do depend on the good Lord to give us a sprinkle from time to time to grow our crops. I mean, without rain we don’t have any crops.”

And that was the end of his reply!

If you want to read the Hansard documentation of my questions on Thursday they’re available on my main page

An inspiring letter from Larry Harris of Wetaskiwin County:

Dear fellow seniors,

We have a looming global crisis and we seniors have the power and wisdom to have our voices heard for positive change. Do you want your grandchildren to hate you when they find out that you were warned about the effects of global warming and did nothing?

In Alberta we have not been given the real picture of what is happening to global climate and weather. A recent study found that 63% of Canadians believe that there is a very serious global problem already developing, but only 51% of Albertans so believe. This is the product of disinformation. The vast majority of climate scientists have been telling us that a dangerous problem is developing, and now with the Paris Conference on Climate Change, they have unequivocally stated that this is so. Further they went on to recommend immediate action on a grand scale.

What can you do? Much! Write to your MLA and insist that he or she speak in the legislature or in caucus, in favour of immediate action, and tell your elected representative that you will not support his or her re-election if there is no action. You can say further that you will do your best to make sure he or she is not re-elected. For the sake of our grandchildren, get proactive for government action. And if there is nothing forthcoming, then vote for someone who will do something positive.

In addition, in your home and your activities find ways to make a difference. Even changing light bulbs to compact fluorescents can make a tremendous difference, not only to your electricity bill, but to the amount of emissions put out by power plants. There are so many other ways to help out. Put the proper pressure in your tires, do not idle your car at all, buy a low emission car with fewer cylinders and less horsepower, caulk your windows, add insulation in your attic, the list goes on. In addition to ‘reuse’ and ‘recycle’ there are dozens of other R’s that you can do. Sit down and make your own list. Let it be a challenge to you. There are so many ways to help the environment and your grandchildren at the same time. Let our grey power be heard for the sake of all who come after us. The blessing will be ours, and theirs. Do an ‘R’ today.

Larry V. Harris,
Wetaskiwin County

Kevin Taft has put together a few radio ads. They will air until the 28 of March on QR77. Any comments?

Here are a few videos from Kevin Taft’s Alternative Throne Speech given a few weeks ago, right before the Legislature began sitting again.

Becoming a World Leader in Addressing Climate Change

Defining the Climate Change Issue

Building a Sustainable Economy

On Sunday March 11, the Canadians for Kyoto organized rallies across Canada to demonstrate to the governments of Alberta and Canada the failure of real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Canadians for Kyoto is a non-partisan coalition of individuals, businesses, labour unions, environmental agencies, and communities who support Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and challenge all levels of government to implement policies that will respect our international obligations.

At the rally in Calgary, hundreds of people from oil-rich Alberta demonstrated downtown outside the Harry Hays Federal Building in support of greenhouse gas reductions. I had the opportunity to speak and there were inspiring speeches from Brian Pincott with the Sierra Club of Canada, John Chan, federal NDP candidate for Calgary Centre North, George Read, the Green Party of Alberta Leader and Lindsay Luhnau with the Clean Calgary Association. The speeches addessed all sorts of ways in which greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced, from personal initiatives like riding your bike, to pressing the government for incentives for green building standards, more concrete laws restricting emissions. Grant Neufeld, an organizer with Gordon Christie (CDLC), led chants and calls-to-action: “One Planet, One Climate, One Chance”, “Go Kyoto, go Kyoto, go Kyoto go!” Near the end of the demonstration, the Raging Grannies of Calgary sang some creative songs, and encouraged people to join choruses of “Bring back my planet to me…” (to the tune of My Bonnie…} and Raffi’s new climate action song.

Overall, the rally was very lively, with colourful signs, singing, chanting, costumes and drums and it should send a clear message to the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta.
You can watch the CTV news reports from across the country here

If you’d like to read some more about the rallies, check out the following PDF news articles:
Calgary Sun on the Kyoto Rally
Calgary Sun on the Kyoto Rally

The tone in the ‘Leg’ is very energetic with some indications that the Premier is willing to make positive changes in the time spent (few evening sessions) and the quality of debate in QP (Question Period)

We are focusing questions on the Premier to demonstrate his commitment to openness and accountability.

I’d be interested to know how readers assess the Premier in his first 3 months of leadership? 

As expected, my Private Member’s Statement on government failure to do its job of governance was not warmly received. There was intermittent heckling and a dull roar when I failed to sit down promptly at my 2-minute limit. I had two more sentences to complete. As someone who has always been afraid of conflict, I am learning a different idea of courage. The issues are too important to be timid.

I have found my voice. 

Best from the house, D 

As I’m sure many of you have heard, there is a proposal for a new development a mere 80km from the City of Calgary. The Stoney-Moondance proposal for the 220-hectare site, known as the Horseshoe Lands, is for a town of 3,000 residences accommodating between 5,000 and 5,500 people on the delicate banks of the Bow River.

There is a recurrent theme in this government’s decisions, which fundamentally responds only to the market and business opportunities. Conscious Albertans want to know that sustainable environmental and social values are being represented in government decisions!

Some serious questions come to mind-
When is this government going to do its job?
Whose interests does this government represent?

It’s time for Albertans to demand more responsible development and real progress – not simply a jump in our Gross Domestic Product! Continue reading →

We’re officially back to the Legislature today for the Spring Sitting. I’ll try and keep the updates coming about what’s going on here in Edmonton. If anyone is interested, you can watch question period after 1:00pm by clicking here. I’ve decided to continue accepting questions for my questions in the Legislature contest, so keep submitting!
Also, I’d like to remind everyone about my Climate Change Town Hall Meeting tomorrow night at 7:30pm at Crescent Heights High School (1019 1st Street NW). Hope to see lots of people there!!