September 16, 2020
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AB Today – Daily Report September 16, 2020 Quotation of the day “Thank you so much to big Jason.” Premier Jason Kenney thanks Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon (who stands 6’7”) during a funding announcement on provincial parks. Today in AB On the schedule The house remains on break until October 26, per the parliamentary calendar. Premier watch Premier Jason Kenney took a wide range of questions during a funding announcement for provincial parks on Tuesday. The premier dismissed a report from energy giant BP that forecasted the world already saw peak oil before demand dropped amid the pandemic. “There are some people who live in a fantasy land who think that we can flick a switch and somehow think airplanes are going to operate on unicorn farts or something,” Kenney said. He also defended Conservative Party of Canada Leader Erin O’Toole for remarking after his meeting with Quebec Premier François Legault that the Energy East pipeline is off the table. Kenney said O’Toole’s comment was a “matter of obvious historical fact” and lauded him as a defender of western oil. Kenney also offered his congratulations to re-elected New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, who secured his PC party a majority government Monday night. “Blaine is a great advocate for Canada’s resource industries,” Kenney said. “As a former oil industry worker, he understands the need for Canada to sell our energy to the world.” When it comes to the Angus Reid Institute poll that put the UCP neck and neck with the NDP, Kenney told reporters he’s focused on “saving lives and livelihoods,” not polls — he also pointed to inaccurate polling published ahead of his winning election last year. New changes to ‘anti-Alberta’ inquiry ‘McCarthy-esque,’ expert says The province’s official public inquiry into “anti-Alberta energy campaigns” has broader new terms for its framework. The terms delineate that the inquiry’s commission won’t have to determine whether claims made by an environmental or advocacy group about the oilsands are “false or misleading” — a major driver of the inquiry — and re-defines the scope of “anti-Alberta” activity. Martin Olszynski, natural resources professor at the University of Calgary, called the inquiry into the sources of foreign funding for anti-Alberta energy campaigns increasingly “McCarthy-esque” and “anti-democratic.” “It’s hard to imagine a more opaque and bizarre inquiry,” he told AB Today in an interview. Olszynski said he has always been critical of the inquiry, but the latest changes to the terms of reference make the inquiry even “less reasonable.” The new terms expand the inquiry’s scope to include “attempts to directly or indirectly delay or frustrate the timely, economic, efficient and responsible development of Alberta’s oil and gas resources and the transportation of those resources to commercial markets, by any means.” According to Olszynski, that language could mean even mild critics, in the same vein as late former premier Peter Lougheed, who questioned the pace and scope of oilsands development, could be targeted. The terms also lack a cash threshold for foreign funding, meaning charities who receive funds from foreign sources — even $1 — could be caught in the wide net. Even though seeking foreign funding is standard operating procedure for many non-profits, an organization being named in the commission’s final report could create the impression of “malfeasance” even when there is no wrongdoing, Olszynski said. Under the terms, commissioner Steve Allen is also authorized to withhold and redact information garnered by the inquiry at his sole discretion, another feature Olszynski criticized. Inquiry’s probe will mostly happen via writing For his part, Allen said the inquiry’s “engagement process will be conducted primarily in writing.” In a statement Tuesday, he said the commission will exchange “correspondence and written submission” with “parties who are granted standing to review and respond to issues of interest to the Inquiry.” A number of environmental groups targeted by the UCP have questioned why they haven’t been interviewed already, as the commission was formed over a year ago. Allen said in-person meetings may also be conducted, but he is hoping to strike a balance between “the need for an efficient and cost-effective process.” The inquiry was initially supposed to wrap up in July, but the government granted Allan an extension until October 30, with an extra $1 million, bringing the total budget to $3.5 million. False or misleading claims won’t be debunked Ruling on whether claims made by activist groups contain false or misleading information is not on the table. Allen said it would be too much work for the inquiry to tackle. However, its original mandate was driven by the UCP’s assertion of the existence of a co-ordinated campaign to defame the oilsands using “incomplete, misleading or false information” about the energy industry. On the linguistic front, Allan said “anti-Alberta” — part of the official name of the inquiry — is being used as a geographical modifier and said he will not be determining whether a campaign opposed to oil and gas development is “against Alberta.” Kenney stands by inquiry, slams legal challenge from Ecojustice Asked about the change to the terms of reference, Premier Jason Kenney told reporters he hadn’t had a chance to read them but said the inquiry had to be extended due to a “nuisance lawsuit” from “foreign-funded special interests.” Kenney was referring to a legal challenge from EcoJustice that required the terms of the inquiry as well as the rules for procedure and practice to be made publicly available. “The very fact they’re trying to shut down the inquiry is perfect proof that they do not want the transparency that the commission is about,” Kenney said. NDP Energy critic Irfan Sabir said the government’s focus should be on getting Albertans in the oil and gas sector back to work. “To date, Albertans have not received any value whatsoever from this inquiry,” Sabir told AB Today in a statement. “It took Jason Kenney’s hand-picked commissioner over a year and almost $3.5 million just to develop the rules. Now the commissioner has said he can’t even deliver on the inquiry’s mandate.” Topics of conversation ● There were 124 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the province yesterday. ○ As of Tuesday, there were 1,491 active cases (down 47). The province clocked no new deaths, keeping the total at 254. There were 39 people hospitalized (up two), including seven in ICU (unchanged). ○ Asked about a Leger poll that found 36 per cent Albertans believe the threat of the virus is exaggerated, Premier Jason Kenney said COVID-19 is not something “we can just wish away” and chalked up Alberta’s relative success to voluntary efforts. ○ Nationally, 25 per cent said politicians’ responses to the crisis have been “overblown.” ● Premier Jason Kenney said the government is looking to make changes to who qualifies for Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) benefit payments. ○ Asked about Community and Social Services Minister Rajan Sawhney walking back claims about AISH payment cuts, Kenney told reporters the real issue is that the number of AISH claimants is growing faster than the overall population. ○ “People, as long as they qualify, won’t be losing their benefits,” Kenney told reporters. ○ However, the program was always intended for “severely handicapped” people, Kenney said, teasing changes to eligibility. ○ On Twitter, Kenney’s executive director of issues management Matt Wolf said some conditions that previously would be considered permanent and severe can now be treated, such as anxiety or ADHD. ● Justice Minister Kaycee Madu is in favour of the mandatory disclosure of police disciplinary records. ○ While some police departments choose to disclose disciplinary decisions, it is inconsistent, and all but the most serious cases are investigated internally. ○ Madu told the Globe and Mail a set structure for how disciplinary outcomes are made public “is the way to go.” ○ In a recent high-profile case, two officers were disciplined after surveilling former NDP MLA Shannon Phillips, who was the environment minister at the time. That fact was only made public after CHAT News Today in Medicine Hat reported the details. ● Alberta will send 45 firefighters to Oregon to combat massive wildfires covering much of the western United States and parts of Canada with smoke. ● Alberta’s manufacturing sales are down 18 per cent year-over-year but saw their third straight month of improvement in July, according to ATB Financial. ○ Sales from petroleum refineries were up $118.2 million in July compared to June but remained $773.9 million below July 2019. News briefs NDP accuses government of breaking FOIP rules ● NDP Education critic Sarah Hoffman said Freedom of Information (FOIP) requests filed with the education ministry came up empty for records she said she knows exist. ○ During a news conference, Hoffman accused the government of either breaking the law by refusing to release records, or skirting the rules by prematurely deleting correspondence. ○ The NDP sought records from May to July on any correspondence sent to the Education Minister Adriana LaGrange about the province’s school re-entry plan — including emails Hoffman herself was cc’d on. ○ “We know that this minister has received correspondence from teachers, school boards, superintendents and others on re-entry to schools,” Hoffman said. “The fact that her office is claiming that none of these records exist means that she is deliberately hiding records from the people of this province.” Funding announcements Environment and Parks ● Premier Jason Kenney and Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon announced $43 million for infrastructure projects in provincial parks and other public lands, including 22 site modernization projects, 11 maintenance projects, 36 trails and recreation projects, 11 utility projects and 11 campground projects.