Canada - Targetted?

Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 234 (August 29, 2012) Whispering in the Wind Over the past five years I have written “Whispering in the Wind” with one important objective in mind: to have the reader think about politics and react to the assessments and opinions offered in the column; whether they are positive or negative. I get e-mails and have been stopped on the streets in Smoky Lake with encouraging remarks and suggestions – I have also been told that my views are “out to lunch” and I wage biased “battles” opposite politicians and how political issues are being handled – keep the comments coming. China is Awash in Money For those that have forgotten, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is a communist country – forty years ago the so called “western” nations voiced distain on the PRC and its repressive, undemocratic society. Today, the PRC is simply called China, it is still repressive and undemocratic but it has grown to be the world’s consumer goods manufacturing center – thanks to many global corporations moving into China to take advantage of its cheap labor environment. China has also become the holder of much of the United States’ debt so China is now awash in US debt-money. As a result of its wealth it now appears that China is starting another phase in its world presence – imperialism. China has not only has proved itself to be an astute player at the game of capitalism, China has now become imperialistic and could it be that one of its targets is Canada? Is Canada a Target? China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) recently put in a $15.1 billion bid for the takeover of the Canadian, Nexen Inc. – it is the biggest takeover bid of a Canadian company by a Chinese state owned entity. Also Talisman Energy Inc. wants to sell a 49 percent interest in its North Sea operation to Sinopec for $1.5 billion – last year, Sinopec bought Daylight Energy Ltd for $2.1 billion and that purchase was the first successful bid by a Chinese state owned company for a North American energy company. In 2012, PetroChina was successful it its bid for the purchase of Athabasca Oils Sands Corp. making PetroChina the full owner of that oil sands project. It is also estimated that in the future there could be tens of thousands of Chinese workers stationed in the Fort McMurray area under what is called the temporary foreign workers program – there are already a number of serious labor charges that the Chinese workers are not being treated in accordance to Canadian, Alberta labor and safety standards. Both the Nexen and the Talisman deals are still pending with the final decisions awaiting a ruling by the federal government as to the “likely” net benefits accruing to Canada. From my perspective, Canadian resources should be developed and traded on the international markets and that is why the pipelines going to the west coast and into the US are so important; but CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE! Secondly, it’s time that the federal government gave its full support for the development of a national energy strategy.

Inquiries in Alberta - Is a Good Thing

Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 233 (August 22, 2012) Whispering in the Wind Redford Wants Change – At What Price? A year ago Alison Redford was advocating “change” and a new way of doing government business in Alberta – since then Ms. Redford was installed as premier and her party was re-elected with a strong majority. With Premier Redford’s victory at the polls 10 months ago she has announced something like a dozen inquiries and investigations into how government operates in Alberta and how her government might operate better – I call her actions a necessary requirement for change and anxiously await the results, the follow-up and the implementation. Her announced investigations vary widely and include: a more effective monitoring system in the oil sands industry; queue-jumping in the medical services industry and her latest inquiry; the expense account scandal at Alberta Health Services. Critics have said that the various issues under investigation have already been studied to death and it is time for action. From my perspective, each and every issue under review should, no, must be thoroughly and closely examined before change is implemented – otherwise things could get even worse, adding mistake upon mistake. For example, the so called Alberta Health Services scandal when first exposed, appeared to be the actions of a rogue executive (with the possible help from his supervising board member) who had his greedy hands in the government’s “cookie jar” – a despicable set of actions but something the RCMP could have easily dealt with in their white collar crime unit. On closer examination, the press now suggests that there might be a culture of greed and elitism within the top echelons of Alberta Health Services, where about 50 senior executives are gouging the healthcare system with their lavish salaries, expense accounts, severance packages, pensions and supplementary pensions. So what started out as a single, rotten incident (that will have to dealt with and the perpetrator(s) thrown into jail) has evolved into an inquiry that will review the hiring practices and employment contracting practices for outside contractors and senior government bureaucrats. The inquiry will also establish reporting requirements and expense account guidelines for cabinet ministers and senior government officials. What I find particularly confusing in this whole mess is the lack of action on the part of the province’s Auditor General or independent auditors, when they are used – Ah, another inquiry. Regardless, I applaud Premier Redford’s call for the Alberta Health Services inquiry and all the other investigations she has initiated but she has to be cautious so as not to be branded a procrastinator – and accused of covering up all of the ground-in dirt. Does Smoky Lake Need a Couple of It’s Own Inquiries? Over the past year or so I have periodically commented on the EPCOR water pipeline coming to Smoky Lake – well the pipeline has been built but there is no EPCOR water coming into the Smoky Lake region? Months ago I concluded that Strathcona County oversold its water allotment leaving nothing for communities in the counties of Thorhild and Smoky Lake. Local politicians seem to be reluctant to talk about who did what to whom so in my view, I can only hope that politicians in the Smoky Lake region did all the right paperwork to guarantee an appropriate portion of the EPCOR water allocated to the northeast region, comes to communities in the Thorhild, Smoky Lake region. Another issue has arisen in the last week or so that seems to be troubling our local politicians – the federal elections commission has re-drawn the federal electoral map and in their wisdom recommend that residents in the Smoky Lake fall under a Fort McMurray constituency. From my perspective I don’t see any advantage or benefit to having Smoky Lake residents attached to a very large population center some 400 km away.

Redford has a Couple Problems

Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 232 (August 15, 2012) Whispering in the Wind For those who read this column regularly it is well known that I have supported Alison Redford’s candidacies, right from the start: in her bid for the Alberta PC leadership and then again in her success at the polls in the last provincial election. Today, I continue to support Premier Redford (and her team) but she is facing at least two challenges which could prove disastrous for her (and her progressive government). She must handle these two issues with conviction and determination – and yes handle both expeditiously. The Pipeline Saga Alberta, no Canada is on the threshold of becoming an energy superpower and to a large extent success will be dependant upon the acceptance of a pipeline running from Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia. Rather than showing responsible leadership and preparing for the opportunity, politicians are squabbling amongst themselves – at least one is demanding a bigger piece of the revenue pie and another is showing indifference to the major issues involved – typically this approach is called the “Canadian Way”. Right from the start Premier Redford has asked for a “national” energy strategy and for that vision I congratulate Premier Redford, she is on the right track. On the other hand, Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia is demanding a share of Alberta’s royalty revenue (to her, if the money doesn’t come from Alberta then it will have to come from Ottawa) – some have called Ms Clark’s approach to be blackmail. I discount Premier Clark’s argument, to me her statements are largely a ploy to win power in next year’s provincial election in BC. The Prime Minister seems to be quite indifferent to the issues surrounding the pipeline debate – it’s like the decision to build the pipeline has already been made in Ottawa with only a few bureaucratic hoops to be overcome. Initially, Mr. Harper didn’t want to get involved in the squabble between Alberta and British Columbia, he seemed to view it as a tiff between two unruly children, he being the senior. More recently, the Prime Minister indicated that the decision on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline would be based on the “science” and not on the politics – in my view it’s all about politics. No question in my mind; Premier Redford has got it right in asking for a nation building, “national energy strategy” and Prime Minister Steven Harper has got the responsibility to develop such a strategy. The first step for the Prime Minister, call for a First Ministers Conference on how Canada will become a responsible energy superpower. Alberta Health Services Debacle Alberta’s “expense account” scandal has blossomed into a monster of a problem for Premier Redford and Health Minister Horne and they had best deal with the problem quickly or suffer both short and long term consequences. What started out as a very serious bureaucratic problem; where chief financial officer, Allaudin Merali (with the possible help of a board member) milked the health system for a couple of million dollars between 2003 and 2008 when he was with the Edmonton Health Authority – very serious yes, possible contravention of the law, possibly and should any proven fraudster or any other related culprits be thrown in jail, no question! More information is coming to light on the whole issue of compensation, pensions and surprise, surprise there are even supplementary pensions in Alberta’s healthcare system. The press now confirms that Mr. Merali not only was given a million dollar severance package in 2008, he was given a generous regular pension and are now told was given a supplementary pension of $1.6 million over a ten year period. What is bizarre, Mr. Merali was re-hired by Alberta Health Services earlier this year (after he was fired by Ontario’s health authority) and only recently resigned after his extravagant expense spending was exposed. What is even more bizarre is that the outrageous compensation package offered to Mr. Merali seems to have been carried on and offered to about 50 executives within the province wide Alberta Health Services. Just looking at the “supplementary” pensions (that’s over and above regular salary and regular pensions); President and CEO, Chris Engle will receive $1.4 million; Executive Vice-president David Megrau will receive $783,000 and too many more to list – no question, something is “rotten in the state of” Alberta Health Services. To this point in time I will not accuse Premier Redford (nor Health Minister Fred Horne) for being complicit in this monster of a problem (I still think it is a massive, out of control bureaucratic problem); nevertheless, they both are responsible for the monster and will have to address the problem – they had better do it quickly; otherwise, they will be accused of a cover-up – the only course of action is a full blown inquiry.

Scandals Unfolding

Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 231 (August 9, 2012) Whispering in the Wind From my perspective, scandals should be described as shameful acts that go against “acceptable” standards or any codes of conduct as identified in the area’s legal systems. Scandals are almost always viewed by the general public as offensive, if not despicable and depending on how the news media handles a specific set of circumstances; scandals usually bring disgrace and humiliation to the individuals involved. In the last few months Canada has been exposed to three so-called scandals which have received varying degrees of attention: “Bev” Oda Scandal Bev Oda lost her job as the federal government’s International Cooperation Minister because she apparently up-graded her accommodation while on a trip to England and at the time, ordered a glass of orange juice costing $16. Bev Oda was also harassed in the press for having purchased an air filter contraption for her ministerial office (she’s a smoker). In my view, Bev Oda’s resulting resignation was not warranted and the Prime Minister should have never accepted her resignation – anybody that has done any amount of international business travel will not be shocked at being over charged for something (like $16 for a glass of orange juice) – simply put, being over charged for something is not an unusual occurrence when traveling and the media totally mishandled this non-scandal. Alberta Health Services Scandal One would have to be in a coma to not have heard of the Alberta Health Services scandal involving Sheila Weatherill and Allaudin Merali. From 1996 to 2008 Sheila Weatherill was President and CEO of the Capital Health Authority and between the years 2003 and 2008 she approved something like $350,000 in expenses for a Mr. Allaudin Merali who was, at that time, Chief Financial Officer of the Edmonton authority – he was also earning over $300,000 in annual pay. Mr. Merali left the Edmonton authority in 2008 to join EHealth Ontario where he earned $2,700 per day plus expenses – he was fired in 2009 because of an expense account scandal (his) in Ontario. In 2008 the Edmonton authority was consolidated into a province wide system, Alberta Health Services. Ms. Sheila Weatherill moved to the new province wide system as a board member and it’s chief operating officer – guess what, about 4 months ago, Allaudin Merali was re-hired as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Alberta Health Services at $425,000 per year. When all this expense account stuff was exposed by the CBC both Sheila Weatherill and Allaudin Merali resigned their positions. Premier Redford responded to the shocking revelations, stating that Mr. Merali’s actions were “entirely inappropriate.” Health Minister Fred Horne was “outraged” and “dumbfounded.” but did not indicate the possibility of legal action. The opposition parties did not hesitate with their comments and blamed Redford’s government and demanded action, including a forensic audit. For me it is a little early in the scandal to cast responsibility and the public has yet to hear from Dr. Chris Eagle, President and CEO of Alberta Health Services. One interesting point raised by Minister Horne who indicated that any contract commitment would be honored and that means a years severance pay (after only four months work) and a number of other “hidden in the contract” benefits which could end up costing the province millions. For the moment I think it is unfair to accuse politicians for faults that might have occurred in an “arms length organization.” In my view it will be up to Dr. Eagle and the board to clean up what is an obvious mess – after all there are something like 36 senior executives at Alberta Health Services (1 president; 6 executive vice-presidents; 18 senior vice-presidents and 11 vice-presidents) and that should be enough to manage the people and the $12 billion dollar budget – Dr. Eagle it up to you to offer appropriate transparency and undertake appropriate action! Manitoba’s Judicial Scandal I was challenged by an interested reader to deal with a judicial “sex” scandal unfolding in the Province of Manitoba. Lawyer Jack King and his wife, Judge Lori Douglas have been accused of sexual harassment and placing sexually explicit pictures of Judge Lori Douglas on the internet. Apparently the explicit pictures were taken between 1996 through 2003 and then placed on the internet in 2003. The pictures were also used to entice a third party (Alex Chapman) to participate in some form of group sex activity. The harassment charge comes from Mr. Chapman who apparently was given $25,000 (from Jack King) in 2003 for the return of the pictures? Judge Lori Douglas’ lawyer has already asked that the Canadian Judicial Council inquiry be folded because the judges in the inquiry are themselves biased (the inquiry is headed up by three distinguished judges from three provinces). Because another 10 witnesses have to be questioned, the inquiry has been scheduled for further hearings in the fall. To me, there are two primary issues involved in this scandal: First the harassment charges made by Alex Chapman – in my view the 2003 payoff of $25,000 to Chapman has settled the issue (Chapman initially asked for $100,000). The second issue has not been settled and it is whether Lori Douglas knew the sex photos taken of her were being posted online – and whether she lied on here application form to become a judge, when she was asked, if there was anything in her past that could or would negatively impact on the image of the judiciary in Manitoba (and elsewhere)? More to come on this one!