Rural Alberta politicians push back on abandoned well proposal, inaction on unpaid property taxes
CBC
Politicians from Alberta's counties and municipal districts are not happy with a proposed provincial program that would compel oil and gas companies to clean up abandoned wells by giving them royalty credits.
Premier Danielle Smith promoted the program called R-Star when she was president of the Alberta Enterprise Group.
Energy Minster Pete Guthrie said implementing an R-Star pilot project is one of his first priorities.
But rural politicians are frustrated that Smith and her government want to use public dollars to make companies do what they are already obligated to do, especially when some of them owe counties and municipal districts $253 million in unpaid property taxes.
Paul McLauchlin, Rural Municipalities of Alberta president and reeve of Ponoka County, had questions about the proposal and wondered who it is supposed to help.
"It's exactly how a fox would design a hen house," McLauchlin told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
"Is it for Albertans or is it for the industry? And when I hear, oh it's decreasing environmental liabilities, well that's an obligation anyway"
RMA delegates lobbed tough questions about R-Star and unpaid taxes at Guthrie and other ministers during a question and answer session on the last day of the association's fall convention in Edmonton.
"If I have an unpaid speeding ticket, I can't renew my license," one delegate said, adding that the Alberta Energy Regulator should treat oil and gas companies with unpaid taxes the same way.
Guthrie responded that his ministry is gathering information and will work with Municipal Affairs to "explore all options."
McLauchlin said all the province needs to do is call each municipality because they know how much money is owed and who the bad apples are.
"Some of our municipalities, their viability is in question, " he said, noting that RMA has been pushing the province for the last three years to make the scofflaws face real consequences for not paying their taxes.
Last year, the province gave municipalities the power to issue special liens to recover some revenue but RMA says the process is complicated and doesn't work in all situations.
The RMA ended its fall convention with a speech from Smith, that was largely devoid of any new announcements.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.