Thousands of fossil industry jobs in Alberta are gone forever, even if oil prices ever return to $100 per barrel, and the shift has nothing to do with the province’s never-ending quest for a pipeline to tidewater, a leading government economist admitted this week.
“I’ve learned as an economist to never say ‘Never,’ but even if it were to come back, because of the use of better technology and innovation, the energy sector will not need as many people going forward,” ATB Financial Chief Economist Todd Hirsch told CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM.
A mass demonstration is planned in the Vancouver, B.C., metro area Saturday against the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline project. Nearly 7,000 Coast Salish Water Protectors have signed up to participate.
Building in the courts and halls of Canadian government for years, conflict over the mammoth Trans Mountain tar- sands oil-pipeline expansion is expected to spill into the streets of British Columbia Saturday with massive civil disobedience demonstrations.
Alberta recently took its battle with British Columbia over Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline project to B.C.’s major daily newspapers.
The provincial government’s full-page advertisement lamented the dispute between the Alberta and B.C. governments over the need and wisdom of the pipeline project.
Re: “Pipeline woes have cost Canadians a whopping $117B, says TD’s McKenna,” Chris Varcoe, Opinion, Feb. 17.
Feb 24, 2018 - Frank McKenna’s statements are packed with strong conclusions in defence of Canada’s economy. Regrettably, facts tell us he is wrong.
McKenna laments the discount between the U.S. light oil benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), and Western Canadian Select (WCS), Alberta’s oilsands benchmark. He says, “this is a colossal amount of money for Canadians to lose, simply because they don’t have access to competitive markets.”
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is temporarily ending her province's ban on B.C. wine after Premier John Horgan announced a new court action to defend rules that could stop Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.
"We'll be buying wine again," Notley told reporters at a late afternoon news conference.
