Tobacco Reduction Act Passes:
Our government has moved decisively on third reading of Bill 45 to prohibit smoking in public and work places. This will improve the quality of life, save lives and tax money form tobacco related disease over time. I have been working professionally with the coalition organized to get this legislation passed. Congratulations to Dave Hancock, Alberta’s Minister of Health and Wellness for this great political and policy accomplishment.
Public Good Exemption in Lobbyists Act for Voluntary Sector:
Next we see our government has moved to exempt public-good non-profit/voluntary organizations from the requirements of the new Lobbyists Act. That means volunteers and staff people in these various community based and charitable organizations do not have to worry about what they say to whom about what in the government when it comes to their good works.
This was the position expressed by the Muttart Foundation and Volunteer Alberta’s brief to the government on the Lobbyists Act. I wrote the Volunteer Alberta brief pointing out the proposed legislation would cause a chill in the volunteer community because it was so harsh and inappropriately drafted. This new Public-Good Exemption amendment to Bill 1, the Lobbyists was also proposed by Dave Hancock and will undoubtedly pass in this session. Congratulations once again.
Teachers Unfunded Pension Liability Issue Finally Resolved:
Now today Premier Stelmach resolves the final debt obligation of the province, the unfunded pension liability for Alberta teachers. This has been a perennial problem that has been bungled by the Klein government and Dr. Lyle Oberg in his former capacity as Minister of Learning. This matter has been one of the most unfair and long time outstanding labour issues that Klein and Oberg used as a punishment for a past teachers strike.
Full disclosure, over the past three years, I have worked from time to time on this matter on behalf of the Alberta Teachers Association. I know Dave Hancock has been working on this issue for years behind the scenes too. But the credit for this progressive step in good government and the saving of some $48B in accrued taxpayer costs over time goes to Premier Stelmach and the leadership of the ATA.
It has been a pretty good week for socially progressive and fiscally conservative government everything considered.
Full disclosure, over the past three years, I have worked from time to time on this matter on behalf of the Alberta Teachers Association. I know Dave Hancock has been working on this issue for years behind the scenes too. But the credit for this progressive step in good government and the saving of some $48B in accrued taxpayer costs over time goes to Premier Stelmach and the leadership of the ATA.
It has been a pretty good week for socially progressive and fiscally conservative government everything considered.
Yeah, of course, anyone who is socially conservative certainly would not support such measures. Give me a break. What a silly and stupid title to your post.
ReplyDeleteCashing in via consulting fees for supporting Hancock. Well done. I hope that you are a registered lobbyist.
ReplyDeleteHey Ken,
ReplyDeleteWhy the big silence on bill 46?
It seems to play into a number of your key themes of governance/ free speech/ responisbility in resource development... or am I mistaken?
green girl.
You are not the first to ask why I have not comented on Bill 46. My ENGO friends are on my case about it too.
ReplyDeleteBut with the plate full of work I have for clients, some that needs serious attention, I have not even read Bill 46 yet.
It is a critical issue I will get into but time constraints have put it on a lower priority.
Greengirl...have you gone to www.policychannel.com and done the oil sands survey yet? Have you told your personal and professional contacts about it and encouraged them to do it too?
Anon @ 9:58 - didn't do any of that work for Hancock. If I did according to the Bill 1 Lobbyists Act I would not have had to register. If you work for the government at their request, that work is exempt from registration.
ReplyDeleteMy clients were nonprofits. Once the Lobbyists Act is passed, I would definitely have had to register as a result of representing those clients and would have gladly done so.
I encourage you to read the Bill so your innuedos will be more informed.
If you donated funds to Hancock's campaign and then are receiving renumeration from a non-profit organization for lobbying Hancock, do you not see a problem? I do.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 10:34 - For the record I did not donate funds to Hancock's leadership campaign but I did donate a considerable amount of time. I have attended some of his constituency fund raisers in the past but not recently. I believe I did donate to his 2004 election but I can't remember.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day I do not see a problem with this situation at all. What specifically do you see as objectionable...in an open exercise of democracy and citizenship?
Hell – you choose to be anonymous so we don't even know who you are, never mind who you support politically. We can’t know who you donated to and what kind of work you do for a living and what, if any, contributions you make to the community.
Next time you wish to infer something be specific, try and conjure up a logical argument and tell us exactly who you are...otherwise we are safe in assuming you are a troll - nothing more but perhaps less.
Hey Ken, why is the $4.6 billion dollar pension fund contribution to be made over time not considered a debt? Its seems that the Cons fooled us by saying the province is debt free. Why are there no fiscal Conservatives left in the party?
ReplyDeleteIt has always been a debt in my consciousness
ReplyDelete