[Delwin]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Delwin Delwin:

How about, "Please don't forget us when it's gone."

When what's gone? You do know petroleum is a small portion of our income, right?

What are you talking about ?

$1:

Royalties from the oil sands were $3.56 billion in 2012-2013. This is Albertans' share of the revenue from oil sands production and helps fund many public services.

Alberta exports of goods rose by about 50 per cent from 2002 to 2012 to $95 billion, which includes almost $68 billion in energy exports.

The energy sector (oil and gas/mining)accounted for over 22 per cent of Alberta's GDP in 2012.

Which part of this seems small to you ?

[Thanos]

The industry reacted negatively the last time royalty rates were hiked. Activity cross-sector declined (new drilling practically shut down altogether) and unemployment spiked. Lots of projects were put on hold or cancelled altogether.

Royalty hikes are the last thing Alberta needs anyway. The real benefit of the industry comes from the jobs that provide the payroll taxes that keep the government going. More jobs equal more taxes which equals a cut for the government that's at least as big as what any raises in royalties would amount to. We really don't want to be like the other provinces where the governments claiming their "fair share" amounts to little more than endless tax hikes and other golden goose-killing measures that destroy the industries that provide the jobs.

We're Albertans and we're in no rush to do to oil and gas what the "sophisticated" people in Ontario did to heavy industry and, consequently, to themselves. No need out here for any financial or economic "advice" from Central Canada, thank you very much.

[jj2424]

Delwin Delwin:

Which part of this seems small to you ?

Which part of this seems
SMALL to you?

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Thanos Thanos:

The industry reacted negatively the last time royalty rates were hiked. Activity cross-sector declined (new drilling practically shut down altogether) and unemployment spiked. Lots of projects were put on hold or cancelled altogether.

Royalty hikes are the last thing Alberta needs anyway. The real benefit of the industry comes from the jobs that provide the payroll taxes that keep the government going. More jobs equal more taxes which equals a cut for the government that's at least as big as what any raises in royalties would amount to. We really don't want to be like the other provinces where the governments claiming their "fair share" amounts to little more than endless tax hikes and other golden goose-killing measures that destroy the industries that provide the jobs.

We're Albertans and we're in no rush to do to oil and gas what the "sophisticated" people in Ontario did to heavy industry and, consequently, to themselves. No need out here for any financial or economic "advice" from Central Canada, thank you very much.

Riiight. Sorry Thanos, but no one here in Ontario is responsible for the FTA, NAFTA and ultimately, globalization. Those three things are responsible for most of Ontario's economic woes despite the last 13 years of Liberal incompetence. Although the skyrocketing hydro rates sure didn't provide any incentive for those industries that remained to stick around any longer.

Of course the situation in the US doesn't help when US based companies close down their Canadian operation(s) so they can move production to the US and employ Americans there.

[Thanos]

I won't dispute that, but increasing the agony with the infliction of what appears (from the outside anyway) to be endless provincial/municipal tax hikes, huge wage increases for unionized workers, and wild experiments in over-regulation certainly don't appear to have done Ontario much good. The tax and wage hikes by themselves might not have forced US companies to leave Ontario in droves but implementing these things certainly made it easier for them to choose to leave. Pay someone $40 an hour in Ontario who belongs to a troublemaking union that supports the NDP or Liberals who are going to go out of their way to make it more difficult for business to operate? Or pay someone in Alabama $15 an hour where there's no union to have to put up with at all and the local governments are falling all over themselves to offer tax credits, not tax hikes, to outside businesses to relocate there? Seems like simple math to me, and you know by my posting history that I'm one of the first to blast corporate evil and the lack of protection for workers in the US.

I have to point out another thing too, in that Alberta gets mocked incessantly for "always voting Conservative". From my perspective it's less that we're all dyed-in-blue-wool Tories and more that we have no need to jettison the economic stability that consistent moderate conservative policies have created out here. It's not being a jerk about it, but it's definitely noting that we're well aware of what voting in Liberal and NDP provincial governments have done to the other provinces in Canada. Maybe we're a stick-in-the-mud by the standards of Ontario, BC, or the Maritimes, all of whom regularly change out governments seemingly on a whim. Believe me though, whether we vote for the Alberta PC's or the Wild Rosers, very few of us out here are in a hurry to vote in Liberals or NDP and have them do to us what they've spent generations in doing to YOU. Give me a one-ideology state of affairs any day of the week instead of that.

[DrCaleb]

Delwin Delwin:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Delwin Delwin:

How about, "Please don't forget us when it's gone."

When what's gone? You do know petroleum is a small portion of our income, right?

What are you talking about ?

$1:

Royalties from the oil sands were $3.56 billion in 2012-2013. This is Albertans' share of the revenue from oil sands production and helps fund many public services.

Alberta exports of goods rose by about 50 per cent from 2002 to 2012 to $95 billion, which includes almost $68 billion in energy exports.

The energy sector (oil and gas/mining)accounted for over 22 per cent of Alberta's GDP in 2012.

Which part of this seems small to you ?

Total Revenue (non renewable resources) : 9,578,000,000
Total revenues: 45,293,000,000

1/5 of revenue in Alberta last year was from non-renewable resources, including revenue on a record year for leasing Crown land. Income from investments and lotteries and tobacco taxes was higher than revenue from oilsands. As you say, 3.5 billion on oilsands revenue on 45 billion total revenue. There are many other sources of income in Alberta, besides oilsands.

That's what I mean by small.

http://www.finance.alberta.ca/publicati ... ummary.pdf

See page 22 for a historical balance sheet. I'll put that balance sheet up against any other in Confederation.

[Tyler_1]

0:

TGIF.jpg [ 31.56 KiB | Viewed 268 times ]

[Thanos]

Now do one with Jon and Ygritte in the cave.

[BRAH]

Thanos Thanos:

BRAH BRAH:

BC still has one of the best plates.

Looks like a label for Kokanee beer.

[DrCaleb]

How about this one?



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... -1.2706955

[BRAH]

The Government didn't need a press conference to announce a new plate, the only reason BC did was because it was linked to the Olympics. Had AB done it quietly most people probably wouldn't have cared.

[BRAH]

$75.00 for the plate for which $55.00 goes to support Canadian Soldiers.

[wildrosegirl]

That is awesome!!

[QBC]

BRAH BRAH:

$75.00 for the plate for which $55.00 goes to support Canadian Soldiers.

No kidding, might just have to go and get me one of those!