I find it ironic that the extended hot weather and wildfires are affecting oilsands operations and that they are having to shut down. The fossil fuels that are extracted, processed and burned are one of the primary causes of our overheating planet.
The fix for this problem is simple: reduce fossil fuels, which will reduce fossil fuel pollution and increase renewables. There also needs to be a just transition for all the workers affected by these changes so that nobody gets left behind.
This fix may be simple but it is not easy. I get that. I want a more livable planet and will support all actions that will get us there faster.
Cathy Page, Calgary
City hall leadership is failing
I wholeheartedly agree with Chris Nelson’s column on chaos at city hall, except that he has left out the senior management. The city is falling apart under the “leadership” of current chief administrative officer David Duckworth.
They can’t seem to find any savings but can squander tens of millions — if not hundreds of millions — on useless vanity projects. We need to get back to shovelling snow, cutting grass, paving roads, fixing potholes and making sure our infrastructure remains updated.
The current senior administration at city hall seems incapable of doing this.
Bryce Code, Calgary
UCP blind to water management
One might think the UCP government would be particularly conscientious of the water needs of rural Alberta, their primary support base for more than 45 years. But the recent scathing report from Alberta’s auditor general found that the Department of Environment and Protected Areas is not managing our lifeblood well.
It has no water conservation objectives in most basins; does not know if existing water conservation objectives are working; lacks processes to monitor water, assess risks and decide when water conservation objectives are needed; and has ineffective processes to approve licences and monitor compliance, such as not enforcing licensee compliance with conditions.
This government continues to ignore the importance of science, and the need for adequate staff to both monitor and enforce limits.
According to the minister’s own data, the South Saskatchewan River commonly has not met water conservation objectives, contains 13 per cent of Alberta’s surface water, hosts 37 per cent of Alberta’s population and accounts for 68 per cent of the province’s water allocated to users. Southern Alberta will only be the first to experience the old axiom — “Whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting.”
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas has been seriously underfunded for many years and morale is predictably low. Without adequate funding and staff with the best tools to monitor and enforce standards, this province, including the dependent industries, will be seriously compromised.
David Swann, Calgary
Water main fix wasn’t done for free
I read Brian Hahn’s opinion piece and agree that many companies stepped up to fix the water main break in record time. But let’s be honest and not just heap praise and say these companies did this out of the goodness of their hearts.
They did this because it was an open chequebook with no bids needed, and the money flowed until the problem was fixed.
Maybe instead of having to “bend the knee” to these companies in times of need, we should have the supplies on hand in storage.
There’s a lot of new pickups getting ordered this week, I’m betting, thanks to the overtime expenses we all just paid.
Randy Chomistek, Calgary