|
International
Jeff Burgar
Take the money and run
Do you remember back in the good old days when it cost only 75 bucks a month to heat your home? Those ''good old days'' weren't back in the 50's or 60's. Back then, heating bills were even less! We're talking just a few years ago, in the '80's and '90's.
Natural gas, as far as Alberta was concerned, was a garbage find in the oil patch. Even though huge gas finds like Elmsworth near Grande Prairie, on paper at least might be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, it was like owning a very, very rich gold mine on the moon. It might be worth kabillions on paper. But with no way of getting that gold to market, the price of gold didn't mean much at all.
That was the whole problem with Alberta natural gas. There's wasn't any way to get it more of our Alberta gas to the rich American market. That all changed with the Alliance Pipeline.
Suddenly, with Alberta gas now selling at ''world price,'' natural gas became one of our provincial government's biggest money makers. Suddenly, gas wells became darlings of the industry, instead of garbage finds. And suddenly, Alberta consumers found out just how expensive gas could get! So expensive in fact, the government brought in subsidy programs for users to help pay the cost. "World price'' is darn good for governments charging royalties and for companies in the business of finding and selling energy. It sure doesn't do much for people who actually burn it. To add insult to injury, since energy is priced in Yankee dollars, and our dollar was sitting at 65 cents, we actually paid even more than Americans paid for our own natural resource!
And guess what? We're about to do it all over again!
This time, it won't be natural gas. It's going to be tarsands oil. The Canadian Association of Oil Producers (CAPP) says we need to start planning now to get future oilsand production to American market. If we can't ship oil, prices will fall and billions of dollars in investments in oilsands plants will be at risk. That will be followed by a host of repercussions, including lost jobs, less royalties for the province to pay for hospitals and schools and roads and in general, a smorgasbord of problems. The good news is, the price of a litre of gasoline might be very, very cheap.
CAPP has the right idea. It takes a long time to get a new pipeline through all the political and regulatory hurdles tossed at energy projects these days. However, ramping up transportation ability is just one side of a complicated story.
It might seem smart to build the pipelines, sell the resources, and take the money and run. Such a policy has not seemed to hurt Alberta one bit the past 30 years. But, one could say the same thing about other countries which have ''taken the money.'' Just how far ahead are big energy exporters like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia or even Iraq? Big energy users, like Britain, Japan, America and even China seem to be making progress in all manner of ways that a country like Kuwait seems to not even know exists.
There's something going on here. It's fine to cash in while the cashing is good. Even so, we should understand that oilsands projects are likely going to be with us for hundreds of years. That's how huge that resource is. Premier Ralph Klein is looking for legacy projects that will serve Alberta far, far into the future. He should take a very hard look at the long term implications our policy of simply shipping energy to an eager American market really is doing to ourselves, our province and our country.
Local
Cheapskates in media should pay
Chris Clegg
I am always amazed how some members of the media think they're so high and mighty that they shouldn't have to pay to gain access into community events.
Just last week radio representatives from High Prairie walked into a High Prairie Regals game without paying.
"We're from the radio!" they announced as they walked into the Sports Palace Arena as told to me by the ladies working the till.
Really! What makes them so special or any newspaper person so special from not paying?
Coupled with the fact that one radio person is enough to work the game, let alone two. But two entered the game for free, however. There's supporting the local team for you!
Media should pay to get into almost every event. Here's my belief, plain and simple. Any event costing $20 and under the media should pay. If media in any town is too cheap to support a community organization something is seriously wrong.
I'm proud to say the publishers of the High Prairie South Peace News, the Falher Smoky River Express and Slave Lake Lakeside Leader never have a problem with paying any expense claim. They have never refused a receipt reimbursing me for any claim to get into a community event in the 16 plus years I've been working for the company. They recognize the value of supporting their community.
That's the way it should be.
I don't find it the least bit amusing - in fact, I find it sickening -- that some media members twist the issue around by saying they are doing the organization a favour by giving coverage to the event.
What a crock! Whoever says that is twisting the entire issue around. Media blowhards are terribly good at doing that.
Here's the fact that media don't like to tell you because they think they're something special. The fact is that any organization hosting an event is doing the media a favour by hosting the event and allowing them to cover it. From the newspaper perspective, it gives us a chance to report on something we think the public will read. In radio, they attend the event and gets newsclips because they believe that their listeners want to know what's going on.
In both cases - more readers or more listeners - the more willing advertisers are to buy ads. In turn, that increases the profits of the newspaper or radio station.
For anyone in the media to say that they're doing the organization "a favour" is a complete crock. It is to laugh!
A couple years ago I was at a school talking to students about the business. I challenged them with a simple question and gave them five guesses. I told them I was sure no one would have the correct answer.
"Why are newspapers in business?" I asked.
A little girl nailed it on the second guess. I was so proud of her.
"To make money!" she answered.
Of course, that's the correct answer or we wouldn't be in business. It's the same with any business.
But some say media is in the business to serve the community and to deliver the news. While that is true, make no mistake about it. The first objective is to make money or they wouldn't be in business. Never forget that.
So the next time a media person tells you they are doing you a favour by attending your community event, please take it with a grain of salt. In most cases, media tend to say that because they're simply too cheap to pay a couple bucks to enjoy an event. What's wrong with paying $6 to attend a senior hockey game. Or $5 to attend a dance recital? Or $5 to attend a school play?
Absolutely nothing. Nothing at all!
Copyright © 1999-2005 South Peace News. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.
View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster
|
