Alberta Certifies Its FIRST Oil Sands Site Reclamation - Yahoo!

This is a monumental and critically important milestone day in the history of the development of the Alberta oil sands. After 40 years of development of the oil sands, at last there is a 104 hectare parcel of land that the Government of Alberta has certified as reclaimed.

This day has been a long time coming – partly because land restoration takes a long time, and partly because we have been in the project building and development stages. Now that some of the bigger projects are well into sustained production, it is time to pay serious attention to the reclamation duties that are part of the project approval obligations.

The first oil sands licensee to get a certified reclamation project accomplished and approved is Syncrude!!! Congratulations! And the same congratulations go out to the Alberta government departments of the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development for ensuring that the reclamation is real.

Reclamation is part of the oil sands project deals and a legal requirement. It is a key consideration towards keeping the Alberta public’s confidence under the social license to operate for all oil sands project developers too. Remediation is more than filling the hole that the open pit oil sands mining projects create. Reclamation requires that the land be restored such a way that it can be productive again and that means it must able to support a range of activities similar to its previous use.

The Syncrude certified reclamation site was not a tailing pond infill. The reclaimed site was used to collect overburden formed when open pit mining sites are being dug and this reclamation site work started way back in 1983 when the first seedling replacement trees were planted. This approval is not for the reclamation of a tailing pond. That is a huge looming challenge with many serious issues that have yet to be tackled…but it is time to get on with them now too.

Political and public pressure has started and will be increasing as the oil sands move past capital cost recovery and into profitable production. Some of the profits have to be dedicated to the larger and more serious site reclamation challenge of tailing ponds and that work needs focus and to be accelerated dramatically. Oil ands companies who choose short term oil sands profit taking and also deferring reclamation duties is not an acceptable operating model for Albertans.

Oils sands site reclamation was recognized one of the very important value drivers for Albertans in our Oils Sands Survey. It is and a serious concern of Albertans about how we see our government and the oil sands project developers proceed towards responsible and sustainable stewardship of our oil sands resources. Now that reclamation has started expect it to be a big public policy and political pressure point for the Government of Alberta as it regulates and stewards our non-renewable oil sands resources.

Good to see this essential oil sands reclamation process finally officially happening. It is a start and from now on I expect we will see site reclamation as a growing and expanded trend for all oils sands operators who will be more focused and attentive to their reclamation obligations from now on.

Introducing the Honourable Heather Klimchuk

Heather Klimchuk is my new MLA and my friend and is now Minister of Service Alberta. It has been quite a week.

Heather is going to bring a new sensibility, a different political perspective and a critical skill set to the Stelmach government. This is because of her personal experiences (political and otherwise), her character qualities and her engaging persuasive personality.

Heather as been actively involved in Progressive Conservative party politics ever since she was 3 years old, when her folks brought/dragged her to numerous town hall meetings and election rallies. She has a real-world sensibility as she and her husband deal with the day-to-day challenges of bringing up two teenage children. She has been the ultimate volunteer and an uber-citizen. For years she has been continually active in the issues that affects her community from education to transportation, to recreation and development issues.

She is a long time activist in Alberta Progressive Conservative Party she has served at the constituency level as a board member and as a Constituency President. She has volunteered on dozens of election campaigns and now she has become a successful candidate in her own right. She will now get to continue to bring her talents, imagination and insights to her community's needs, but now to a larger community as well and in her new role as the MLA for Edmonton Glenora.

Heather has a wealth of retail political experience. She was recently elected to the PC Party Provincial Executive and served until her election victory. She has plenty of practical front line political experience coming from her 10 years of work in the offices of both Premier’s Lougheed and Getty.

Heather personal life is typical of busy women, wives and mothers all over Alberta. She knows what they are dealing with in trying to cope with the overwhelming demands of working inside and outside the home, being totally immersed in the day-to-day demands of bringing up a family and running a household. She, like so many other women in her situation, still finds time and energy to volunteer and contribute to the betterment of their communities.

There is a need for our political system to have more appreciation of the demands that are put on so many women these days, especially those who are in personally challenging circumstances. In the male dominated world of provincial politics and government these realities can easily be overlooked. With Heather in the “House” I don’t think that failure to notice will be happening anymore.

Heather and I have been friends for over 20 years. We have shared thoughts on a wide array of political and policy issues over the years. I can tell you she also knows the important role of good government to our society, our environment and our economy. She is especially well versed in how a progressive and conservative approach can be applied to meet the challenges we Albertans now face, both individually and together.

She worked hard for her election success. I know she is honoured and humbled with the Premier’s appointment to Cabinet. All this mean is that she will get to bring her experiences, skills and capacity for caring to bear even more on setting the future directions and defining the new destination for Alberta.

Good Cabinet choice Ed - and congratulations Heather.

Stelmach Signals His Inner Circle with Committee Appointments

Premier Stelmach’s key Committee (Agenda and Priorities and Treasury Board) appointments are out. Good balance again but these appointment is the real indication of the inner circle and brain trust of the Stelmach government as indicated by who sits on both committees.

Stevens, Hancock, Horner and Snelgrove are dual appointments and get to deal with the big picture for the Premier agenda and objectives.

Hancock once again takes on the Government House Leader role with the able assistance of Deputies Gene Zwozdesky and Rob Renner.

The all party Field Policy Committee Chairs see George VanderBurg back and Ray Prins and Dave Rodney getting the nod. Newbies Ken Allred and Fred Horne are all sound choice.

Deputy Minister appointments come later today and the Minister’s Mandate Letters come next week.

albertatory Has a Great Review of the Stelmach Cabinet

For those who what a thorough Cabinet review Minister by Minister, go to Blake Roberts’ albertatory site. Blake does an enthusiastic breakdown of each portfolio and the Ministers who occupy them - and the new "Parliamentary Assistants" too.

This guy know the people in and about the PC Party. He is a great Boutilier fan – his only blind spot. Easy for me to forgive him for that one not only because I saw the Boutilier "boot" coming but I too have a blind spot - as Blake will tell you - I am a big Dion fan.

Stelmach's Cabinet Is Both Progressive and Conservative.

I am partisan and biased but all kidding side…Premier Stelmach's Cabinet is great for so many reasons. What I like mostly it that it is progressive and activist but focused. It is also conservative and prudent. The prudent, progressive and activist aspects are all wrapped into one when you look at Ron Stevens. He continues as Deputy Premier and goes to the revitalized International and Intergovernmental Relations, adding investment attraction as well. For a more detailed understanding of my reasons of how great the Stevens appointment is look at my post of Monday March 10…he fulfills every criterion.

Iris Evans in Finance with added aspects called “Enterprise” that includes economic development agencies is a focused activist appointment. Snelgrove stays in Treasury Board to ride herd on changes that are needed but he will not to sell the farm in the process. This is a conservative prudent appointment. Splitting Infrastructure and Transportation shows just how serious Stelmach is about the 20-year capital plan he highlighted just before the election too. More conservative prudence as I see it.

It is a great progressive idea for Renner to be continuing in Environment – he is very capable there and it will be a hot potato portfolio for sure. Morton staying on in Sustainable Resource Development is conservative and prudent because we need the continuity to get the Land Use Framework done - and it will be a challenge.

In no order of priority consider these other progressive moves in the new Stelmach Cabinet. New departments of Aboriginal Relations, Culture and Community Spirit as well as Tourism, Parks and Recreation means Premier Stelmach was listening to the messages from these largely ignored areas of our society. Adding a Housing and Urban Affairs department shows a new awareness of the changing nature of where Albertans live – in cities – and there is a housing crisis that needs immediate attention. Fort McMurray needs the crown lands around the city released immediately to get on with housing supply. Minister Fritz is back in this new focused and progressive portfolio and will have to deal with that challenge yet again - and hopefully get it done this time.

New faces that are exciting to me include Jack Hayden in Infrastructure where there is a need for sound management and a depth of knowledge in local government which Jack has in spades. Mary Anne Jablonski in Seniors and Community Supports is a perfect fit. This area needs someone who cares, has passion for the needs of vulnerable citizens and can help push through the big changes needed in the portfolio for theses service sectors to be sustainable. This portfolio has been very poorly served by many of the Ministers and has been in decline ever since Gene Zwozdesky was in charge. Speaking of Zwoz, Aboriginal Relations will benefit from his experience and enthusiasm. My MLA, Heather Klimchuk goes to Government Services and she knows PC politics and people. Calgary’s Alison Redford is the new Minister of Justice and is a good move for a rookie Minister too. They are new urban female appointments that show Stelmach learned some other important lessons from his last Cabinet too.

The Cabinet Policy Committees are all chaired by rookie MLA except incumbent Neil Brown and oh yes Tony Vandermeer who lost in 2004 is back again and chairing the CPC on Health. The new initiative of Parliamentary Assistant has some strong people too. The ones I know and think highly of are Doug Griffiths (Agr. and Rural Dev), Janice Sarich (Education), Diana McQueen (Environment), Raj Sherman (Health and Wellness), and Thomas Lukaszuk (Municipal Affairs). I don’t know Evan Berger (SRD) but I hear good things about him and hope he makes a difference.

So the larger Cabinet is not just bigger because size matters when it comes to a Caucus. It is bigger in ways that makes sense and with a mix of experience, continuity and new faces. The five new priorities that were announced with the Cabinet are important too. They are indications of where the Premier’s head is at and were he intends to focus his government but that is fodder for another post.

I imagine we can expect the Deputy Minister appointments tomorrow. One Cabinet Minister was dropped today. I would not be surprised to see one or more Deputies dropped tomorrow. Stay tuned.