It's a hard read but, try to get through it!
John Clark
14815 – 123 Ave
Edmonton, AB
T5L 2Y7

August 19, 2004.
cyberclark@shaw.ca

Honorable Ralph Klein,
Room 307
Legislative Building,
Edmonton, AB T4K 2C6


Murray Smith, Minister of Energy,
404 Legislature Building,
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6


Your recent TV appearance – ‘getting it from the left and the right! And outstanding issues.

Dear Premier:-

There has been information about the doubling of oil revenues because of production even at the lowest royalty returns in the world. The year’s 2004 figure is pointed at 16 to 20 billions of dollars profits for oil companies untaxed. While Albertan’s are expected to pay for the export of power through 300% hikes in utilities and suffer even more acute health care premiums while services are curtailed.

There is no party in Canada or the US that is further right wing than you are! So intent in your extreme privatization role you brought Steve West aboard to keep ministers in line. So much for the constituency representation! In West’s words “they aren’t going to back door me”. He should borrow your choice of words.

You will not be happy until every last blade of grass, drop of water, bucket of oil or spark of electricity is for sale to the highest bidder regardless of which country they represent! I’m astounded at how you, an extremist, smoothly painted yourself to the centre! If it was an Alberta Comedians contest you would certainly be in the top 10! All this leaving Albertan’s on farms and in the cities to “suck it up” and get on board with your newly invented free market system.

Your record:

Add health care premiums to Albertans years before any other province. “Users pay” was the battle cry. Now, a single minimum wage earner, probably part time employment and no coverage because of non existent Labour laws for casual, puts out more than 1000 dollars a year for these premiums that go into general revenue or, goes without coverage! Yet, while pushing billions in surplus, expected to double, you claim foul, we are broke. On going shame!

Sell the public parks and campgrounds in the name of saving money. Many of these campgrounds had hundreds of thousand of dollars of Federal Improvement in them by way of water, showers and some accommodation built for staff. Gone for pennies on the dollar in recovered value; Zero accountability! Former employees; of many years, laid off, dispossessed with no recourses. Hardly a visible process for selection! More shame!

Pay your way or fall by the wayside. Charge admissions to public places increase charges for essential documents etc.: After all, Albertan’s didn’t squeak at the loss of the public camp grounds why stop here?

Balance the books Ralph’s way. Start by paying a million a year through one scheme or another into the Swan Hills site. Knowing now it was a project that should never have happened, how to get out from under it facing billions of dollars in clean up costs? Force an ownership change – switch it to Government name or pay for the shut down yourself. Now, get the original owner to operate it for you, a complete reverse of your SOP! Further degeneration; presently paying half a billion a year into the plant to keep the doors open! Perhaps that’s where the health care premiums go?? That would seem almost reasonable.

Garbage disposal problems; how to make a buck on this? A 2.00 per tire recycle charge is a good idea that will produce money. Multi Millions built up in the fund and only after a media war did you turn loose any money for any projects. What is the current state if this fiasco? I have lost track.

Raid the lunch boxes and dinner table with deposits! Lunch box Juice containers were hit on the household grocery bills. No need to explain to Albertans where their money went. Millions a year again into a general revenue base now called surplus. Nothing coming back for Albertans, I recall the container manufactures being labeled the bad guys. All the time tell the people they are paying the lowest taxes; the billions collected on user fees are long forgotten and the cost of living on the up swing!

This strip and waste standard operating procedure has worked for you up till now. Get elected fresh then, put it too them! In your view, Albertan’s are too dumb to understand your complex plans so why tell them anything?

Sell off Alberta’s fully paid for electrical generation system at less than 1 cent on the dollar! Keep Expansion legislation in limbo to make this possible! Experts agree the one shot loss to Albertan’s was 60 billions of dollars! You created the problems now, charge Albertans for rebuilding the newly lost utility!

Give Albertan’s a good buzz talking about high oil resource revenues, make sure they don’t find out how very little they are making compared to the rest of the world! Pocket the money made in stock dividends. Play the good old boy and put down the serious situations of mismanagement you have sponsored over the years. This brings us to the future and as I quoted in my earlier letter; When the Fox asked the Scorpion why he killed them both the Scorpion said “Because it is my nature”

Now you have cuddly Albertans still believing they have a good, responsible Government in charge but you refuse to put any spending costs alongside your revenue projections! Of course, the costs won’t be in until after you get elected and Albertans cover their dissent by denial asking “how does he do it?”

What does the future hold according to Ralph?

New unneeded rail road into McMurray AB. 20 billion a mile? 70 Billions of dollars.

You choose to overlook the fact that oil companies firmly rejected the inland rail system as being not dependable and cumbersome when doing their arctic exploration seems to have evaded you! Trucking and oil companies are both on board saying “not required”. In keeping with your operating agenda the rail would be turned over to a private company. American Railroads? Presently operating the old NAR Lines?

What agreements are you working on here?

Electrical Generation facility, Genesee, Keephills and Brooks (not yet announced)
Fully covered in previous document – still waiting for replies! 30 billion?

Electrical Transmission Facilities Calgary-Edmonton 7 Billion dollars minimum
All being run by AESO a private company looking after Albertans where the Minister of Energy appoints the chair and the board.

This line is going to be used to transmit electrical export power and, we have heard nothing in answer to the question will electrical exporters be charged for the use of this line and how much? Is it your position this is an Alberta Citizen problem and as such should be paid for by them?

Electrical Transmission to service McGrath Wind Turbines:- The project for generation is under way but basic questions remain un answered. Generation will take place only 30% of the time! What part of the project is subsidized and how? How are Albertans going to pay for the 70% of the lines that are not used? How many Billions totally lost?

Water pipe lines; metering of farm water use and charging for same; Contrary to earlier letters from your Government inter basin transfer is alive and well in Alberta. I believe your agenda in this regard is so controversial you simply refuse to discuss it until you are elected again with time line to give you impunity from resistance.

I see the distinct possibility Alberta will be facing an internal debt for infrastructure nearing the sum of Canada’s national debt of 255 billion dollars. Whether in the position of your personal “private” companies or not, it remains debt planned for Albertans to pay. Time to come clean!

Even darker, Alberta will have to have new power on line by 2006 or, freeze in the dark! We are brought to this point by 18 years of neglect deliberate legislation interference and a refusal to properly protect Albertan’s investment in the resource base!.

Any comment you may have I will be pleased to post. I do not edit information like you do.

John Clark