As most Albertans are aware, the future prosperity of our province is inextricably linked to how well we manage and develop our northern oilsands. Given emerging technological advancements, it is quite possible we have the largest recoverable oil reserves on Earth. The amount of potential wealth, prosperity and opportunity this represents for Alberta and Canada is enormous.
However, there are two important caveats to enjoying this potential prosperity. We must ensure we are managing our oilsands in an environmentally sustainable manner; and, we must defend our right to develop this resource from those whose agenda it is to either shut down development entirely or who would use government regulation as a tool of artificial wealth redistribution.
With regards to managing the environmental impacts of oilsands development, the PCs continue to astound. Just prior to the new year, the Royal Society of Canada released a report that said although the environmental impacts of oilsands development have been greatly exaggerated, a lack of proper provincial land, air and water monitoring, as well as flawed tailings ponds regulations, have resulted in many real and perceived environmental problems.
It seems beyond comprehension how, after decades developing the oilsands, the Province still does not have adequate land, air and water monitoring. How can we know what needs to be done to sustainably develop our oilsands if there is no objective agreement on what the impacts of development are?
Meanwhile, the Province has spent tens of millions of dollars on public relations initiatives ranging from a new provincial slogan, to Washington DC newspaper ads, to billboards in Times Square, with almost zero positive effect. The message is always the same – “Look, we’re really not that bad – no seriously – China pollutes way more than us…and we’re your friends too.”
The problem is that when you talk like you have something to hide, and you act like you have something to hide, people tend to believe you are in fact hiding something.
The fact is Alberta has very powerful arguments to make about our oilsands. Unlike the lineup of dictatorships and human rights abusers who produce most of the world’s oil, our oil contains not one drop of blood. Our citizens are permitted to invest and financially benefit from our resource production; and our environmental record is much better than almost any jurisdiction on Earth.
Wildrose Party leader, Danielle Smith, has been making these arguments forcefully since being elected in 2009. We now thankfully hear our new Federal Environment Minister, Peter Kent, making the same defence.
Let’s make sure our oilsands land, air and water monitoring are world class. Let’s make it a provincial initiative to develop the technology necessary to eliminate tailings ponds within the decade, and let’s stand up and articulately defend our most economically important industry without apology.
The current government can and must do better…the future of our province is at stake.
