Looking in a Mirror

I don't understand what all the fuss is about over Premier Jim Prentice's comment the other day about Albertans looking in a mirror to see who's responsible for the state of the province's finances.

He's right!  Almost all Albertans have benefited from programs, facilities, and services paid for, in a good part, by non-renewable resource revenues.

No provincial sales taxes, no medical surcharges, no toll roads, low provincial income tax; mostly just oil revenues.  The provincial government has had no meaningful direction from voters to diversify that revenue base.

Diversification of industry would make our province less dependent on those oil revenues.  Then, when oil prices tank, the provincial finances wouldn't be in such deep trouble. When was the last time you heard a candidate from any provincial party mention diversification during a campaign, other than just paying it lip-service?

And our provincial government has been spending and spending.  What about saving and saving?  What happened to building up the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, for those "rainy days"?   Peter Lougheed, our fist Conservative Premier, set that up.  If regular deposits had been made to the Heritage Trust Fund over the past 40 years, it would be worth billions now!

And who among us gave back those $400 'Ralph Bucks' checks?  I look in the mirror and I see someone who spent his Ralph Bucks.  Do you?

Now when you and I, and our Premier, are peering into that mirror we're also seeing those responsible for surviving this downturn and fixing it so it won't happen again! 

Future of the Bassano Station

Beiseker Village Council is most concerned about the Bassano Station building, which sits on huge moving beams on the former CPR trackway next to First Avenue here in town.  We have watched the project stumble and sputter along for years now. 

Although the Village has no connection to it - and no taxpayer money has been spent on it - I think the incomplete project reflects badly on the village as a whole.

Almost ten years ago, the Alberta Centennial Railway Museum approached Alberta Trail Net to lease a large section of the old CPR right-of-way, which passes through the Village of Beiseker.  They needed the land to build their railway museum complex.  The Provincial government had promised them millions of dollars to build the museum if they found a suitable location. 

They were all set to start building their museum complex when then Premier Ralph Klein cancelled all Centennial building projects in the province, including theirs.  This came as a serious blow to the museum society but they decided to struggle on. 

They moved much of their rolling stock and a locomotive to the site and applied for other grants.  A large international heavy-lift and moving company did much of the moving for them free!  That same company finally moved the Bassano building here free of charge, as well!

Council would like to know what the museum's plans are for the future of the building.  I understand that the building will be placed on its new foundation soon - but what then?  A funtioning rail museum here in Beiseker would be a large draw of railway buffs and tourists from all over.  Council is anxious to see this project completed.

Ralph Remembered

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of former Premier Ralph Klein.

Everything that could be said about Ralph has been said over the last few days so I'll keep my tribute short.

Ralph and I have known each other - very vaguely - since we were kids. We attended the same junior high school in Calgary.  Ralph and I often disagreed on policies and politics. We agreed to disagree but I always respected his dedication and his tenacity.

He was a man devoted to his community; first to his city then, to his province. Ralph perfected the "oops factor," often speaking what he was thinking. He was chastised by the media for this but I think we were all secretly agreeing with him, in one way or another!

Goodbye Ralph, we will miss you.