Ed Stelmach Is Hardly Alberta's Hugo Chavez

The government-appointed review panel recommended royalty increases worth roughly $2 billion starting next summer and a new tax on oilsands projects, which the government rejected. Panel members met privately over coffee Friday morning to discuss the report and one panel member later told The Canadian Press that having the government reject nearly half of their recommendations was "a bitter pill to swallow." He also said the government is being overly optimistic with its expectation that royalties will increase by roughly $1.4 billion. "They'll be lucky under the new regime to even collect the status quo," he said. "Whatever comes out of this isn't going to be pretty for the province of Alberta." Panel chairman Bill Hunter is expected to give his first response to the new royalties early next week. .... http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071027/stelmach_royalties_071027/20071027?hub=Canada&s_name= [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 29, 2007]

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