David Swann: Blog

Dr. David Swann is the elected member of the Alberta Legislature for Calgary Mountain View and the Liberal critic for the Health and Wellness, Human Services, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Aboriginal Relations.

David Swann: Blog - Dr. David Swann is the elected member of the Alberta Legislature for Calgary Mountain View and the Liberal critic for the Health and Wellness, Human Services, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Aboriginal Relations.

Monthly Archives: September 2007

A Government Priority: Provincial Hunting Day???

Here is a great letter from a resident that I wanted to make public on Minister Morton’s Hunting Day.  I would love to see some feedback on this.

Dear Dr Swann:
 
The Alberta Government advertised its inaugural Provincial Hunting Day (September 22) under the banner “Improving Albertans’ quality of life”. Aren’t bears and moose Albertans?
I gave Provincial Hunting Day a miss this year. I was too busy pulling the wings off flies. Wing pulling is a time-honoured tradition in my family. At least, it will be if I can teach my grandchildren how to do it. It will instil in them a greater appreciation for nature and a new respect for wildlife. I call it an act of mercy–most of the flies would not live through the winter, anyway.
Ted Morton, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, prefers to “build greater respect for wildlife” at the point of a gun, but each to his own. This is Alberta, after all.
“Hunting also helps with reducing vehicle collisions.” The number of flies smearing car windshields has dropped significantly since I started taking their wings away. We mustn’t have nasty pests soiling our precious cars, after all.
“Big game hunting contributes more than $100 million annually to the provincial economy.” My phone is already ringing off the hook. American sportsmen are just itching to come up here and catch flies. Call it a growth industry.
“Hunting and hunters play an important role in wildlife management and conservation.” Who can argue? Buffalo once roamed the western plains in their millions. Passenger pigeons darkened the skies. Hats off to hunters for reducing their numbers to something more manageable.
“Hunters and hunting organizations work very hard to preserve natural areas and important wildlife habitat.” Just think of all the lead shot water fowl ingest, and what a world of good it does them. Look at all the trash our noble sportsmen leave behind. If you could unsnarl all the fishing line that’s out there and stretch it out end to end, we could reach the stars. If there are any extra-terrestrial creatures in the great beyond, watch out! Mr Morton has set his sights on you too.
Just one question, Mr Morton. If every Albertan goes out this weekend and bags a moose, how many does that leave?
If there are too many deer, perhaps it’s because we killed off their predators. If the government wants to address chronic wasting disease, put an end to game farming. If it wants to protect wildlife, stop destroying their habitats.
Trophy hunting, in particular, is fundamentally contrary to nature. It weakens the species. Disease and predators take the sick and the weak. Trophy hunters take the biggest and strongest.
Human beings are now presiding over the greatest extinction in earth history. The hunting lobby, now front and centre in the Legislature, would have us believe that wildlife cannot flourish without their aid.
Are we stewards of the earth or mere tyrants?

Sincerely,

Geoffrey Pounder

Why Lie?

The Royalty Review has highlighted, once again, the unwillingness of the Alberta Conservative government to do its job. Most Albertans knew the royalty regime in Alberta was far below what other jurisdictions are returning to the public purse. Their report puts the lie to former Energy Minister Greg Melchin’s assertion in the Legislature last year that he did a review of the royalty rates and found they were fair to Albertans. Mr Melchin owes Albertans an apology.

Two basic questions arise – “ Whose interest is the Minister supporting and what competence did he have to make this statement?”

A Taft government will ensure that all Albertans benefit from this one-time resource, not just corporations and their share-holders!

Read the Royalty Review Final Report:
Read some of today’s articles:
Edmonton Journal: Royalty Review Puts Lie to Pablum Ralph Fed Us
Globe and Mail: Report Urges Higher Oil-sands Royalties, Says Province Missing Out on Billions

Press Conference Video

Here is the video from the press conference I held on September 6th. I wanted to bring up the issue of the Eastern Irrigation District’s application to make amendments to their water license. This raises an array of issues with water management in the province.

Patronage Destroys Public Trust

The ‘revelation’ of patronage appointments to boards across Alberta in yesterday’s Herald story “Party faithful often rewarded” is not a revelation at all. Most engaged people in Alberta in the past 15 years have, however, watched this with a mixture of cynicism and silence. This excellent overview does present a timely and powerful opportunity to highlight a key message about the Klein years – a loss of public trust – recently highlighted also in the EUB spying scandal.

Virtually all of the patronage appointments made by the Conservative government of Alberta serve four purposes, all contrary to the public good:

1) Rewarding Conservative friends / donors
2) Promoting Conservative ideology
3) Discouraging dissent and
4) Excluding dissenters (including my termination as Medical Officer in Palliser Health Region in 2002 over support for environmental health)

The article did contain an error that most people recognized – I was fired after influence from then-Minister of Environment Lorne Taylor on the Health Board Chairman Len Mitzel (then Constituency President for Lorne Taylor) for speaking out in FAVOUR of the Kyoto Protocol (not against as the article indicated).
In essence, was fired for doing my job: warning the government and the public about the significant threats implicit in climate change (i.e. expressing the connection between our environment and our health)

The science since a federal report in 1991 was clear: warming temperatures were already significantly impacting the range and impact of diseases and parasites like malaria, west nile virus, equine encephalitis, and extreme weather events including flooding and droughts held significant risk to public health. In short I was wrongly fired by mostly appointed Tories for disagreeing with the Minister on health and environmental policy. I was told NOT to meddle in politics at a later Board meeting. I followed what I believe was my ethical and professional responsibility, warning of the threat, and supporting the interest of public by curtailing climate change through measures like the Kyoto Accord.

Public trust must be earned by governments of all stripe. A Taft government will ensure merit-based appointments to public boards, or election, are the norm in Alberta, not party affiliation,.

Read Articles:
Calgary Herald: Party Faithful Often Rewarded
Edmonton Journal: Nothing Wrong with Tory Appointments to Boards…

EUB Spies and Bill 46

The recent scandal in which the Energy and Utilities Board has been spying on citizens who have concerns with new power lines from Edmonton to Calgary shows how far this government is prepared to go to interfere with our democracy. It has been clear for some time that the EUB – the regulator of all energy development in the province – will not stand in the way of development. The Energy Department sets the rules for the EUB so, again, the real responsibility for this violation of people’s rights lies with the Conservative government. Fortunately a courageous group of citizens has been willing to endure the lengthy hearings and now court cases which have found the EUB to be at fault.

Related to this is Bill 46, now before the Legislature, in which the Conservative government wants to divide up the EUB and form a separate Utilities Board and make it more difficult for citizens to raise objections on various developments.

The Premier and the Energy Minister (Mel Knight) need to hear from Albertans who want public access and accountability of their elected bodies.

Read the Call-to-Action sent out by Joe Anglin Vice-Chair Lavesta Area Group and join up to tell the government what you think:
Contact the Energy Minister and the Premier about Bill 46

Read recent articles on the subject:
Calgary Herald: Tories Urged to Fix Spy Scandal
Edmonton Sun: Premier’s Feeling the Heat
Canadian Press: Utility Regulator Breaches Privacy with Spies at Public Hearings

Federal Minister Promotes Nuclear Energy for Alberta

Yesterday I went to see the federal Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn (from Vancouver Island) speak at a Calgary Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Among other comments he promoted nuclear energy for Alberta as free of greenhouse gas emissions as well as better and safer technology than older Candu reactors. He glossed over the waste management liability which faces any nuclear user for thousands of years.

On the question of massive cost overruns in the Ontario nuclear industry (paid from the public purse) he assured the audience that nuclear power would only be supported if it was fully funded through private sources. Many questions remain unanswered however:

  • Who would insure such a facility and for what type of disasters?
  • Who would be the customers? I’ve heard of no oilsands operator that is interested.
  • Would nuclear energy contribute substantial and sustainable jobs? Evidence suggests that renewable energy (such as wind and solar and geo-thermal) would create far more jobs for the long term and a more diverse economy for the future.
  • Mr. Lunn said nothing about energy conservation measures which could reduce electricity demand up to 40% according to the National Roundtable on Energy and Environment.
  • Finally, what greenhouse gas emissions are associated with the mining, transportation, refining of uranium and the building of the nuclear plant? They are not insignificant.

    • The Minister finished up by reminding the audience (mostly fossil fuel industry folks) that fossil fuels were the mainstay of the Canadian economy for the foreseeable future and, while his government is committed to environmental health, they would protect the industry.

    All in all Mr Lunn’s speech was an acknowledgement that the federal Conservative government continues to ignore the wishes of the citizens of Canada who recognize the urgency of climate change and want real action on alternative energy.

    As I left the luncheon I wondered if Minister Lunn was as enthusiastic about nuclear energy for Vancouver Island as he is for Alberta.

    Visit Gary Lunn’s website and let him know what you think: Click Here

    Life in Alberta

    Below is an excellent letter to the Premier from Calgary Mountainview resident Jason Kubke. Thanks Jason!

    “Dear Premier Stelmach, honourable Rob Renner, Mel Knight and Dave Hancock, Dr. Swann,

    I have written to in the past to your predecessors to express my concerns on similar issues. I feel it is again time to express my thoughts and concerns.

    I’m a native Calgarian. I have lived in Calgary for 34 of my 36 years. Until recently I have very much enjoyed all of the riches and blessings that Alberta has. I feel I have done my part to make Alberta a better place to live and have been an ambassador for my city, province and country.

    I feel that life has gotten out of balance recently in Alberta. The only focus seems to be economic in nature with little regard for the other elements that are important in society. Despite our recent financial wealth, I feel society in general is degrading to the point that I’m questioning whether I want to live here anymore.

  • homeless populations and the nature of the homeless has changed over the past 5 years. I have commuted by bike and foot to work for the past 10 years and this necessitates me walking by the Calgary Drop in Centre. In these past 5 years I have gone from never being fearful for my health and safety, to having grave concern for the safety of myself and my family. Drugs and drug deals are so common on the Bow River pathway that I no longer am shocked to see drug deals occurring, or people passed out right in the middle of the pathway.
  • simultaneously, despite seeing a rise in the extreme poor, I have witnessed unprecedented consumerism. Many of my fellow citizens are buying vacation properties and new vehicles to race to their weekend homes. While lip service is paid to enjoying “getting away” and “enjoying nature”, these same people disregard speed limits that are designed to protect my safety, their safety, and the safety of our wild animals and have super-sized their vehicles to get them where they’re speeding to.
  • Development of almost any flavour is pushed to the brink.
  • Oil and Gas development seems to be being pushed at all costs. Please don’t let the opportunity to revise the Oil and Gas royalty regime slip away. We seem to be in a rush to use up all of the earths natural resources but I think it would serve Albertans well financially to increase the royalties so that future generations can benefit from the current thirst for energy as well. This might also slow down activity just enough so that working class people might once again be able to afford buying a house and so we could build hospitals and other infrastructure on time and on budget.
  • Please don’t let greed for resource dollars eclipse society’s need for a clean environment. The older I get the more I realize that everything requires balance. What good is a healthy economy if we have polluted waterways and if every acre of our province has a hole in it pumping out the last few drops of oil and gas? Who will come to visit Alberta when we’ve destroyed its beauty? What good have we done if we don’t want our kids to walk outside because smog warnings are in effect?
  • Housing developments are being built at breakneck speed, but little care or attention is paid to environmental or efficiency standards. With the exception of a few developments, community planning and design continues to encourage/demand automobile use for commuting or even buying groceries. We’re packing new communities into city limits as fast as we can and people are spending more time commuting as current infrastructure was never intended to accommodate a population of this size.

    • I’ll try to keep this to a readable length. My main message to you all is to please work together, please work towards goals that show vision beyond your immediate elected term, please value the idea of BALANCE when designing policies.
    I thank you for the work you’ve done and I hope you’ll take my words and concerns to heart. ”

    Water Should Belong to All Albertans

    An Alberta Liberal government would not sell Alberta’s water. The application by the Eastern Irrigation District – controlling 1/3 of the allocated water from the Bow River – to change their license to allow other uses than agricultural use is a serious step toward commodifying water. All water in Alberta is owned by the people of Alberta and licensed for specific purposes. Excess water should be returned to the province, especially now that we are at the limit of water supply in southern Alberta and are contemplating more water transfers from northern rivers. We believe that any transfer of water rights should be through a public process and priority given to human and ecological needs.

    Water is the lifeblood of the province and belongs to future generations as well.

    What do you think about an Irrigation District using water for other purposes or transferring un-used portions of its license?

    I held a press conference on this matter on Thursday September 6th, and hopefully there will be video clips soon. You can read the press release here: Give Albertans Say in Province’s Water Supply, Urge Alberta Liberals

    Change is in the Air!

    Today’s decision by Premier Ed Stelmach to halt the plan to allow seismic testing on Alberta’s Marie Lake can certainly be heralded as a triumph for the residents of the area! The community around Marie Lake did a fantastic job of organizing themselves to lobby the government to ensure the protection of Alberta’s bodies of water. Citizens are becoming increasingly fed up with a government that doesn’t listen to voters’ concerns they are sending clear signals that they won’t take it anymore! After posing numerous questions to the government in the Legislature, and working closely with the citizens’ action group of Marie Lake, I am pleased that the Premier has chosen this course. This really is democracy in action! I think that this victory is part of a larger movement by concerned citizens that will bring about change in Alberta towards more responsible management and stewardship of our land and water. As Don Savard of the Marie Lake Air and Watershed Society said, today is “a wonderful day for Albertans…..Maybe Albertans are getting the government back.‘‘ Change is in the air, and hope is on the horizon!

    Read about the announcement:
    Oilweek Magazine: Alberta Government Halts Plans to Allow Seismic Testing on Marie Lake