Does Jason Kenny know what he is doing? Corruption is the use of public entrusted power for private gain.
430 words, 2 minute read:
1. A look into systemic corruption within government-ish regulatory bodies which are privately funded and staffed by the very industry being "regulated".
2. Jason Kenny’s energy projects.
3. Coal mining risks to watershed and water quality for three Canadian Provinces and millions of people.
4. Risks to the Canadian agriculture industry with its ten times greater economic value than coal.
5. Public resources being looted, behind privately funded/sponsored "regulatory-like" doors.
A brief search of employment, and economic value stats of COAL compared to AGRICULTURE using Government sources gives this:
- Coal generates $6 Billion for all of Canada
- Agriculture generates $111.9 billion
- Coal employed 25,471 people in 2011 industry survey
- Agriculture employed approximately 2.3 million people, representing 12.5% of Canadian employment in 2016
The point that I hope to better understand is in just two questions.
#1 Does Premier Jason Kenny know what he is doing when he puts a portion of Canada’s $100 Billion dollar Agriculture industry into jeopardy (due to tainted water effects), for what might be a few good years for the coal industry? What will the harm be to one of Canada’s most valuable resources and industries?
#2 Does Premier Jason Kenny realize that his recent bet on Keystone XL (owned by Kinder Morgan Canada Limited) involved hidden regulatory “exemptions to Alberta securities law”, granted by The Alberta Securities Commission? Exemptions which allowed the sellers of Kinder Morgan Canada Limited to conceal essential documents from the purchasers of Kinder Morgan Canada Limited.
Without going into great detail, suffice it to say that an Alberta Government regulator (The Alberta Securities Commission), which is funded by the industry it “regulates”, allowed private parties to skirt Alberta laws and avoid full disclosure of details behind Kinder Morgan Canada Limited. There are 5000 such exemptions on the record at the Alberta Securities Commission and not one of them involves public notice, public input, or public warning, even to those affected. (Kinder Morgan exemption linked below)
I mention this due to a concern involving similar public deceptions, which may involve the Alberta Energy Regulator, the oversight body for the coal industry.
This Alberta Energy Regulator is also funded 100% by industry, like the Alberta Securities Commission. When public legislation (public entrusted power) is used or controlled, (or funded) by private parties, the risk of activities which meet the definition of corruption, becomes almost a certainty, based upon the record and my own experience.
This information is on the public record for those wishing to know more. For those who prefer an easier related-read, the link below gives a 4 minute glimpse into the topic of Corruption as defined by the use of public-entrusted power for private gains. (it is securities and investment regulation, but the underlying "gaming" of the system for private profits at public expense appears identical)
https://commonground.ca/canadian-corruption-by-exemptive-relief/ (How public resources are looted, and how the looting is aided by public-entrusted, privately-funded “regulators”)
Trans Mountain Kinder Morgan Canada Limited NI 51 102 NI 44 101 AB DECISION.pdf Alberta Securities Commission decision Citation: Re Kinder Morgan Canada Limited, 2018 ABASC 44 (see ASC link to exemption decision, enclosed for reference)
In the Matter of the Securities Legislation of Alberta and Ontario (the Jurisdictions) Date: 20180320
See this Youtube video link below for a more complete overview of the use of Exemptions to Securities laws by our "public" securities regulators, to quietly remove wealth from the public... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxvXknUSXy4 I fear that similar industry-self-dealing may be found at the AER.
Letter Response
THE WESTERN PRODUCER says this:
By WP editorial
Reading Time: 2 minutes
https://www.producer.com/opinion/open-pit-coal-mining-needs-more-review-...
Changes to Alberta open-pit coal mining policies, done without public consultation, could jeopardize agricultural operations downstream and destroy irreplaceable natural habitat.
At the least, public hearings should be held into these changes. At most, the current government should abandon its revocation of the previous policy, put in place by the Lougheed government, and forgo its short-sighted effort to temporarily boost the economy at the expense of long-term damage to agriculture and to water quality for much of the Alberta population.
The five potential coal mine approvals on Alberta’s eastern slopes are pitting one resource sector against others.
For the provincial government, the combination of tax revenues and jobs that could stem from open-pit coal mining are attractive, especially given the hard economic times that have damaged the economy.
Agriculture’s success in Alberta is in large part due to coal, oil and gas extraction that provided funds for farm programs, irrigation expansion and jobs for farmers and ranchers when grain and cattle cheques weren’t enough.
But the past year’s push to certify new mines on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains has run aground as information trickled down to the public about the too-quiet amendments made last May.
Lougheed’s rules placed a moratorium on new open pit mines and heavily restricted the location of any production where it could interfere with water quality or other industries such as agriculture or tourism.
First Nations, agricultural producers, municipalities and environmental groups have gone to court seeking consultation from the government about the change.
The Kenney administration says a political decision, not legislated regulation, has been changed so it is not open to public discussion and consultation. Many Albertans — and most of them voted for this government — think otherwise.
The Grassy Mountain project in particular, which appears to be furthest ahead in the process and which would see part of a mountain leveled, runs through the Oldman River headwaters. It is creating fears of water shortages for agriculture and reduced water quality for all.
Adding to those fears is the spectre that the foreign companies interested in this project and others may not be fully accountable for damage should things go awry.
For their part, the mining companies are concerned that investments already made in exploration and development will be trashed if the public is allowed to shift the government’s policy back to the Lougheed plan. Then Alberta could be seen as an unreliable place to do business.
Over the ridge in British Columbia, surface mining of coal has resulted in troublesome levels of selenium and releases of nitrate from blasting materials into the Lake Koocanusa watershed where mining company Teck Resources operates four facilities. Each has a new water treatment plant being installed or expanded, and B.C. and the state of Montana are reviewing selenium release rules with an eye to tightening them.
In its desperation to find new revenues, the Alberta government shouldn’t rush to allow new coal mining activity through quiet changes to decades-old policies that were designed to balance the needs of multiple resource sectors.
People need the opportunity to have their voices heard about serious public policy changes that will have permanent repercussions.
The future of agriculture, natural settings, wildlife and water users from the mountain peaks eastward to Manitoba are counting on it.
Karen Briere, Bruce Dyck, Barb Glen and Mike Raine collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
About The Author
Investment Misconduct and Malpractice Analyst
Larry Elford is acclaimed as a qualified expert on the subject of White Collar Crime as it relates to the investment selling industry. He... More