Monday, November 25
Redwater Supreme Court Hearing- Part 1
30Oct By albertarecessionwatchNo Comments
Bankruptcies

Redwater Supreme Court Hearing- Part 1

Originally posted  1 November 2018 SUMMARY What were the justices asking? Stakes include who will pay for the vast environmental liabilities created by the extraction of oil and gas Outcome will determine the future structure of lending in the oil patch How is the AER's licensee liability rating system expected to work during a downturn? On Thursday 15 February 2018, I attended the hearing on the Redwater Resources case at the impressive Supreme Court Building along Wellington Street.  I had hoped to produce a write-up on the questionning by the justices well before now... but life has its interruptions. (more…)
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29Sep By Bob AscahNo Comments
Agencies, ATB

ATB FINANCIAL (ALBERTA TREASURY BRANCHES) TURNS 80

Happy 80th Birthday  Today ATB's Rocky Mountain House branch celebrates its 80th anniversary. ATB's history page contains a picture of the branch under the title of "providing hope." The branch was located inside the Forest Services office. According to Alf Hooke's memoire 30+5 I know, I was there (Edmonton, Institute of Applied Art, 1971): "When Mr Aberhart realized that his government would not be permitted to control the credit of the province in accordance with the legislation that had already been passed and later disallowed, other means of accomplishing, at least to some degree, a measure of control of the issuance of credit were sought. The first Treasury Branch opened on September 29th, 1938 in Rocky Mountain House and on September 30th branches were opened in  Andrew, Edmonton,...
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26Sep By Bob AscahNo Comments
Energy

TRANS MOUNTAIN- THE FEDERAL COURT WEIGHS IN

Originally posted 25 September 2018 SUMMARY Options remain Implications Chart of parties to court action Excerpts from decision Links to previous posts While the majority decision of Federal Court of Appeal Justice Eleanor Dawson threw a curve into the plans of Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley, recent commentary suggest there  may be a way out. Federal Court of Appeal decision (more…)
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25Sep By Bob AscahNo Comments
Uncategorized

Welcome to AbPolEcon.ca

Dear Reader - welcome. AbPolEcon.ca is the successor website to Albertarecessionwatch.com. No more newspaper PDFs AbPolEcon.ca has carried forward most  of the content from Albertarecessionwatch.com  but does not contain scanned PDF documents from Globe and Mail and Edmonton Journal articles. For readers who would like to see news articles related to blog postings, there are over 1800 news articles that are indexed into the classification system of this website. Please contact us for assistance. Improved cross-referencing of posts The migration of Albertarecessionwatch.com to AbPolEcon.ca  includes improved cross-referecning of related articles.  What's Coming As Alberta moves closer to election day, posts will focus on the most pressing issues faced by the province.  ...
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Pressure reaching boiling point over Kinder Morgan project
10Apr By albertarecessionwatchNo Comments
Energy

Pressure reaching boiling point over Kinder Morgan project

Originally posted 10 April 2018 Political agendas- staying in power and getting re-elected Are environmental groups under undue influence of foreign players? Possible Solution - feds exercising its jurisdiction over marine activities? Canada's oil and gas industry and financial community and their media allies have ramped up pressure on politicians in Victoria, Ottawa, and Edmonton to reach a deal. Capital hates regulatory uncertainty and Kinder Morgan's board has finally said "enough is enough."  The parent company of Kinder Morgan Canada is based in Texas and its Texas roots have been used to bolster opposition to the pipeline. (more…)
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Environmental Liabilities- Regulators and Players
2Apr By albertarecessionwatchNo Comments
Uncategorized

Environmental Liabilities- Regulators and Players

The above image on the from carbonclick.com  Abpolecon.ca apologizes for this omission.   Originally posted 2 April 2018 Highlights: Alberta Energy Regulator and Licensee Liability Rating system Roles played Orphan Well Association and Surface Rights Board Nomenclature What are asset retirement obligations? Albertarecessionwatch.com has been examining the scope of reclamation costs faced by the Alberta oil, gas and oil sands industries, and, ultimately, the Alberta government and taxpayers.  The Redwater Resources case,  Redwater  heard by the Supreme Court on 15 February is, arguably, the first salvo in what will be a long drawn out legal affair pitting environmental "interests" (NGOs, some governments, indigenous groups) against other governments, regulators,...
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Budget 2018 Choice of words
26Mar By albertarecessionwatchNo Comments
Budget

Budget 2018 Choice of words

Originally posted 26 March 2018 In a very unscientific reading of the budget the following words or phrases were repeated: (more…)
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Budget 2018- Voices under the Dome
23Mar By albertarecessionwatchNo Comments
Budget

Budget 2018- Voices under the Dome

Originally posted 23 March 2018 Updated 26 March 2018 After the Finance Minister rises to give the budget address, media outlets and political parties gather around their cameras and party banners to give their reaction to the budget.  Under the Rotunda Dome and around the fountain around the large fountain there is a buzz of excitement as the bows and arrows are drawn in this political blood sport. [wpvideo ts69nagH] (more…)
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21Mar By albertarecessionwatchNo Comments
Uncategorized

What to watch for tomorrow….

Originally posted on 21 March 2018 Provincial Finance Minister Joe Ceci brings down his fourth budget. Many, many moving parts Don't expect a lot of new spending or new tax hikes A path to balance by 2023 has been signalled (more…)
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