With all that supposedly extra surplus income as advertised in Alberta the local citizens were now to live better off than elsewhere, instead of now continually being gouged with extra costs, and the hidden taxes.. the electrical costs now included.. for Alberta really does not have cheap hydro generated electricity but relies mainly on polluting coal fired generating plants.. and what else next? The city of Calgary, Edmonton too, will be gouging its citizens. No discount on the downtown parking. The Big spenders at City hall need to keep the tax increases up after they spend the kitty, some of it for their useless out of town travelling expenses too.
Calgary and Edmonton are the two main and largest cities, both nearly the same size too, in the Province of Alberta, Canada. There are no other significantly large towns in this province as well. The main economy of Alberta is cattle farming and the oil industry. The provincial government has never been able to diversify the economy. Oil which was first discovered in Alberta in 1902 did not become a significant industry in the province until 1947 Alberta’s quickly found itself at the centre of the ensuing oil boom and grew when oil prices increased with the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. The population increased significantly in the years between 1971 and today. Mainly bcause of the governmental misleading spins that Alberta was a place to get rich fast, but this is not at all true. Few people got rich in Alberta, many went broke though. Alberta’s economy is so closely tied to the oil industry that the subsequent drop in oil prices were cited by industry as reasons for a collapse in the oil industry and consequently the overall Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton economy. This is still mainly a one horse economy, province.
The rapid population growth associated with the oil boom meant a need to build new houses and roads, and related services.. these were costly undertakings which explains why the land, homes, taxes are so high even now as well. The cost of living has increased more rapidly than the wage increase in the last few decades too causing a lot of discomfort, personal stress as well which continues until today. The lack of local industries even presently necessitates most items to be imported from else where adding to the products costs .. Even the electrical energy costs are especially high as electricity has to be manly generated by expensive coal firing plants. Because of the high costs of living in Alberta has had a real problem in both even attracting, and keeping competent, professional technical support personnel in all areas. Many of the new job arrivals are not adequately still qualified in fact. This is not the land of paradise it is often falsely made out to be, not at all.. The high costs of living too explains also why the divorce rate, drug abuse, and domestic violence, road rage is so high too. It will be that way for a few decades next too.
HEY I ONCE HAD WRITTEN A LONG TIME AGO THAT THE TOO OFTEN SELF CENTERED, PROUD PEOPLE OF ALBERTA DO REALLY NEED TO STOP BASHING THE POOR PEOPLE, AND THOSE ON SOCIAL AID, FOR A DAY WILL COME THAT THEY TOO WILL BE NEEDING SOCIAL AID AND THAT DAY HAS COME.. USAGE OF THE ALBERTA FOOD BANK IS UP 20 PERCENT ALONE.
The government of Alberta tries to maximize profit from the energy shortage, electrical included, in the US, and makes the Albertan citizens pay for it.. since the Albertan government has to sell energy to the US at the same costs it sells to it’s citizens too, unfortunately this all backfires cause the high costs of electrical electrical energy in Alberta further discourages many new industries from moving into Alberta?
“sounds pretty simple, Alberta companies want to export power to the USA but they don’t want to pay to create the power lines needed. an 8 billion dollar gift sounds pretty nice to me, what ever happened to utility companies? “
” These lines ought to be funded by the people that will be receiving the electricity. I hope us Albertans get outraged over being taken advantage of all the time, personally I can see we get taxed too much. Its because of these kinds of projects.
” You morons had many opportunities during the last four years while we were swimming in cash as a province to pay for this with our surpluses. Now we are temporally sucking the hind teat economically and it’s “NOW” you want us to pay for it on our monthly bill for the next 40 years. Are you insane? You have squandered our surpluses and our chance to use these surpluses to pay for this.”
“De-regulation of Power (Utilities) Albertans were told de-regulation would bring down the power rates in the future. Did our Alberta Government tell us lies?, Ralph Klein certainly did “
“I always thought that the fairy tale about the “Golden Goose” was just fantasy – but apparently we ( Albertans) are the golden goose and every company in this country and those from abroad also see us ( consumers) as the golden goose – they keep coming back to us year after year and demanding even more from us – enough is enough – start to find your extra money from within your corporations – start with your over paid CEO’s and their salaries and bonuses- why are we dedicating so much money to an old technology while the rest of the world is using and developing new forms of energy production and distribution.”
“Sell the power to the US? Are you kidding? We don’t generate enough power to support our own province right now, we have to buy power to supplement what we generate. This extra power has to come over a single line out of Montana and 1-2 lines out of BC, when we need 2-3x that much. Even moving it around the province is a challenge right now. That being said, there is a way for the transmission and power companies to recoup the cost, rather than having taxpayers cover the bill: charge the power consumers more. In that way, people who use more power pay more, and those who use less pay less (and those who use none don’t have to pay at all). The power consumers won’t pay more? Then I guess we continue to live with brownouts and the occasional blackout because we can’t get the power to where its needed.”
THE FACT THE GOVERNMENTS DO NOT ENCOURAGE HOME AND INDUSTRIAL building improvements to reduce energy use OR SUBSIDIES for the higher capitilization costs of more solar, wind powered electricity is that all of this is most attractive to the rather smallest electricity users and not to the major industrial users, commercial power producers. THUS IT IS THESE LATTER PEOPLE WHO DEFINATELY DO DESIRE THE NEW ELECTRICAL LINES AND WHO SHOULD PAY FOR IT TOO..
It is a fact the Alberta government helped to mislead the false notion that Alberta was A PLACE TO GET RICH, THAT WORKERS AND BUSINESS PERSONS CAN MAKE AN EASY QUICK FAST BUCK THERE, especially since there are no provincial sales. THE HIGH COST OF LIVING STILL MAKES ALBERTA AN UNDESIRABLE PLACE TO GO TO ANYWAYTHE ALBERTA NEWS MEDIA AND THE GOVERNMENTS OF ALBERTA DO NOT LIKE TO DISCLOSE THE REALITY OF THE MANY HIDDEN TAXES, HIDDEN EXTRA COSTS IN ALBERTA. Yes you do not pay any provincial taxes there.. but that is where the economic benefit of living there stops.. the costs of land, homes, apartments, food, ELECTRICTY, maintenace, services, education etc., are much higher than in Quebec for a start but the average salaries in Alberta generally are not any signifcantly higher, OR ADEQUATE TO PAY THE EXTRA COSTS..
May I remind you that Calgary and Edmonton had expanded so fast that they took over all of the suburbs and there is no real estate available outside of the main cities.. and especially no water… and the remaing extremely small Towns like High River , Canmore, Okatoks, have already long been engulfed in the over pricing of the homes too..
Anyway the wise people knew that this day of the Albertan recession was coming, when the oil prices would drop again, for history repeats itself, even like it did in the 80’s in Alberta too.
In spite of the spins PM Stephen Harper is not the only one facing an eviction notice these days.
“It’s hard to believe, but Alberta, the Wonderland of Canada — with its oil sands, no sales tax and debt-free balance sheet — has pissed away another oil boom.” Albertans are wondering what hit them.Two things: Collapse of world oil prices, and a decade of profligate over-spending by a government that was supposed to be committed to conservative values. It reminds me that conservative parties, be they the PCs or the Conservatives in Canada or the Republicans in the U.S., have been guilty of the most invidious betrayal of their promises. Plus, conservative governments in the U.S. and Canada have wrecked the public treasuries through indiscriminate and unaffordable tax cuts. Case in point: the Alberta Heritage Fund. When Premier Peter Lougheed set it up in 1976, the idea was to stuff it with 30% of the province’s resource revenues. By 1982 they’d cut that in half and were taking out the profits. In the past year, not a nickel’s gone into the Heritage Fund. It’s worth about $16 billion now. If the government had kept its original commitment and put in 30% of resource revenues while taking nothing out, the Fund would be worth $164 billion today. More than enough to see Alberta through the deepest of recessions. Where did the money go? Expenditures, and Taxpayer perks, mainly. At the peak of the boom, Ralph Klein wrote $400 checks for every Albertan, at a time when few really needed them. Government spending has gone up by 9.6% a year over the past three years. http://wildaboutwriting.com/2009/02/22/blowing-the-bankroll-alberta-style/
Calgary only has 60,000 more residents than Edmonton (1,124,163) and it makes a lot of false noise in that fact too cause it wants to attract much needed capital investors for non existing industrial, commercial aspects.. There basically are only 2 large cities in Alberta, Calgary and Alberta, and a handful of smaller towns.. Alberta has some of the biggest liars, spin doctors in Canada for the main cities are desperately seeking more revenues, and capital investors and anyway they can get them now too even by lies, distortions. There is not much industrial, Manufacturing business in Alberta due to the shortage of labor and skilled persons, and high operating costs. People in Calgary and Alberta do often dream of becoming rich , but it is a far away dream when you consider the high costs of living there and the uncertainty of holding onto a job too.
History as usual repeats itself even in Alberta. Predicable, cyclic Bust takes still Alberta by surprise today ? “ There’s a tiny park in downtown Calgary that is a stark reminder of everything that went wrong in Alberta after the boom of the 1980s and seems to be happening all over again. The park is right next to the Bank of Montreal’s 41-storey office tower. It was supposed to be the site of a second tower that was cancelled when the bank realized the boom was over and it wouldn’t need all those offices in Western Canada after all. Twenty years later, the price of oil and gas has nosedived again and major projects are about to be cancelled or capped. Just last week, developers of what is slated to be the tallest building in Western Canada declared that they need $1.1 billion to keep the project going. There is already a square-block hole in the ground and a forest of girders and cranes on-site in the heart of downtown Calgary, but the future home of EnCana Corporation is desperately trying to arrange construction financing in a tight credit market. Building permits on five other large projects are set to expire because of inactivity. In some cases, the city has had to seal empty construction pits because the developers have pulled the plug. You would think that in a city, and a province, that has experienced more than a few booms and busts over the past 80 years some sort of common sense would have evolved about how to thrive over the long term in such an economy. But it seems both the private sector and the government are easily blinded by their wishful thinking: this boom will last forever and the money will keep rolling in, they keep telling themselves and everyone else. But it never does. So in the same week that the city’s largest construction project was revealed to be in trouble, the finance minister and the premier announced more bad news. The provincial treasury’s projected surplus for 2008-2009 dwindled from $8.5 billion to $2 billion because of declining oil and gas prices and will likely dwindle even further. Plans for new roads, schools and hospitals are now on hold. Premier Ed Stelmach also revealed that he is deferring a new royalty regime – which was have to added more than $1.4 billion a year to provincial coffers – because it’s simply the wrong time to increase taxes and risk a further slowdown of the petroleum industry. No doubt he wishes former premier Ralph Klein had increased royalties years ago when the industry was awash in profits. None of this would really matter if the provincial government had actually prepared for the bust during the boom by saving some of its billions of dollars in bounty. But it didn’t. Instead it spent billions on infrastructure when the cost of labour and materials was skyrocketing; at one point it issued $400 cheques to every man, woman and child in Alberta, a $1.4 billion giveaway; and it cut taxes or kept them low. Alberta still has The Heritage Savings Trust Fund established by former premier Peter Lougheed but it is only worth $15.8 billion. Norway, by contrast, has managed to squirrel away $350 billion since 1991. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have also managed to whittle away billion dollar surpluses. Perhaps they also thought the boom would last forever. Or perhaps all those Alberta Conservatives simply forgot about the famous bumper sticker from the 1980s that read: “Please God, let there be another oil boom. I promise not to piss it away this time.” ” http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/541627
DO SEE ALSO
In an article published Wednesday, the international financing agency’s chief economist says the recession has drained government treasuries to such an extent that “in nearly all countries … higher taxation is inevitable. “All this means that we may not go back to the old growth path, that potential output may be lower than it was before the crisis.” ” http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/08/19/imf-recession.html
So higher taxation is inevitable. watch out especially for more cash crabs by the municipalities too, much much higher prices for revenue generating speeding, parking tickets and by law violations too.
After all all THOSE PEOPLE LIVING HIGH ON THE HOG AT THE CITY HALLS ARE NOT ABOUT TO GIVE UP THEIR EMPIRE BUILDING, LAVISH LIFESTYLES, EXOTIC BENEFITS, MOSTLY UNNECESSARY OUT OFF TOWN TRIPS.. and we have seen this already being carried out in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and now in Montreal.
For decades I too have rightfully opposed to all the extravagant, wasteful spending of the city’s , tax payers money by civil, public servants because it is next the programs to the poor people that are cut first when financial problems occur… The continual mismanagement, budget deficit, tax payer money abuses and has there been even any changes in all this really? We all really still do need still a full review of the waste, fraud, and abuse that has plagued governmental efforts. What is also needed is a enforced, real program to remove public officials from office that take our money and abuse it, spend it on their own false pet projects while many of our people still are not getting the help that they need. January 2004 was the start of my recent rash of my written correspondences mainly on the unacceptable tax payers money abuses, injustices at the federal, provincial municipal levels too, as well, and it all has specifically initially started because I had strongly, rightfully objected to anyone in the province of BC being kicked of social welfare, even if they are alcoholics, drug users… I still do rightfully and loudly object to anyone being kicked of social welfare even in BC or elsewhere and this is still never acceptable. They all Civil and public servants, politicians, need to be regularly supervised too. That is why we need and have the auditors, News media, Opposition parties, concerned citizens to do this too.. and it still generally is not enough as we can see. TWO OF MY PAST NEIGHBORS, MANAGERS, WHO WORKED FOR CITY HALL OPENLY BOASTED TO ME, AND DEMONSTRATED TO ME FOR YEARS THE COMMON CORRUPTION IN THE LOCAL CITY HALL, DONE BY THEM AND MANY OF THEIR COLLEAGUES. This included their unnecessary out of town trips, their taking stuff, computer accessories, home from the office for their own personal use, boasted of their lavish expense accounts, of their doing personal work at the office, and much more. Why did they think that me a tax payer would approve any of such wrong doings was their error. I reported their wrong doings rightfully rather. OTHER MANAGERS OF CROWN CORPORATIONS HAD ALSO OFTEN BOASTED TO ME OF THEM DOING SIMILAR THEFTS AS WELL.. The fish stinks from the head but many cut the tail of first.. Reducing, cutting of the programs to the poor and needy persons for that seems how the governments wrongfully still do wrongfully respond to budget cut backs, deficits, and to the poor and needy people too now, rather than dealing still firstly with the major crooks, tax payer’s money abusers too in the government and elsewhere, How many people in reality even in the civil, public services governments now have been arrested all together for tax evasions and tax payers money abuse now last year? How many? Anyone care to answer the question? And speaking of the related federal review as well, who are the high spenders last year in the federal government.. who ate at the best restaurants, traveled the most at the tax payers restaurants.. who were the drunks now too.. Politicians, and civil and public servants now included too.. (Luke 6:43 KJV) For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Even in our governments, history tends to repeat itself, including thefts, waste and mismanagement, deficits, and they tend not to rather get better and why?
There are also plenty of places to try to save the tax payer’s money but starting to save the tax payer’s money at the expense of the poor people and their welfare programs is not the best way to do this, not at all the way to do it! The governments firstly should though clearly manage better it’s civil and public servants.. and the capital expenditures. Why? Well I do also know from real experiences that it is also the services to the poor and needy persons, those who can afford it the least, that are wrongfully cut to make up for the past budget mismanagement by Ministers, managers of the civil and public servants too in Canada’s Provinces, Municipalities too. Rather than cutting back on the governmental aid, programs to the poor and needy persons even next because of the government’s own unacceptable past mismanagement we all do now too need to really take another continual look at how effective our tax dollars are always all of being used by the civil and public servants, and their managers, politicians now too. Cutting back on the Corporate welfare also is what the government still does also needs to deal with and not cutting firstly the Social welfare. The Corporations got what Billions in social welfare from the tax payers? and we do not have money for the poor people? or for proper medical care, or for proper Justice, police, consumer protection too? It never surprises me anymore when the superiors, Managers even at City hall as well can also still find money for new furniture, more staff, larger personal expense accounts but cannot find the money to help the ordinary, poor and needy people during the good and bad times now too. Unacceptable.We all need to care about the unemployed and the poor people, Elected officials now included. It also seems even the governments and it’s managers are too often rather still just for sale to the highest bidder… and it doesn’t care who they are involved with or what they are up to or what it looks like as long as they are rewarding themselves or their friends, and thus they wrongfully and too tend not too really look after all of the good ordinary citizens welfare.. this is still never acceptable. They all Civil and public servants, politicians, need to be regularly supervised too. That is why we need and have the auditors, News media, Opposition parties, concerned citizens to do this too.. and it still generally is not enough as we can see. The fish stinks from the head but many cut the tail of first.. That seems how the governments wrongfully does respond to money and the poor people too now rather than firstly with the major crooks, the real tax abusers too..
“ Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.(Galatians 2:10 KJV) ”
Making all of the poor people, social welfare recipients, those who can afford it the least, to pay for the sins of others is an immoral and criminal act still.
Furthermore here are thee, 3 things I know for sure in Canada the last 35 years
– It is not the poor people who have mismanaged the majority of the tax payer’s money… but they do pay for it the most, those who can afford it the least
– if the public and civil servants had better managed the tax payer’s money there still would not have been likely more money for the poor people cause the rich people would still try to steal it for themselves. I have met even covetous, greedy middle class and rich persons now too.
Thirdly if all persons paid their taxes, and did not commit tax evasions, an ongoing major unacceptable sin that still do needs to be prosecuted there would be plenty of money for the poor people assuming it could get to them without being stolen, intercepted again.
Even in my local evangelical church the pastor is also now was wrongfully being paid too an astronomical price for his poor services, his poor neglect of the poor people too, and I rightfully also do not agree with this and say so as well. Jesus himself and the Apostles did not have a fixed salary nor a high paying one
(Isa 10:1 KJV) Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
(Mat 7:3 KJV) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/known-alcoholics-on-the-job/
“Albertans First” is just another one of those typical bad politicians cons to make people Born in Alberta falsely believe they are being properly looked after, and are better of than the rest of Canada too, all very contrary to the actual reality. It is clearly the politicians and civil and public servants who are firstly looking after themselves mainly here too..
More concerns, suspicions about Alberta Hospital cuts CBC.ca – Mental-health advocates and people who use Edmonton’s Alberta Hospital and continued to voice concerns Wednesday about where patients will turn once the psychiatric facility starts closing acute care beds.
More voices slam mental health bed closures Edmonton Sun
Closing beds for mentally ill ‘a recipe for disaster’ Edmonton Journal
The non conformer's Canadian Weblog 