On Wednesday, hundreds of energy workers rallied outside the provincial legislature in Edmonton to oppose the 20 per cent hike.
"There is already houses being (repossessed), people losing their cars," worker Rick Lea told CTV Edmonton. "If we don't turn this down we're going to be in real trouble."
The organized nature of the protest had some thinking it was more orchestrated than truly grassroots.
"I think they were bused there by their employers with a voice imposed on them by the people cutting their paycheques," said Evan Chrapko, one of the members of the maligned royalty review panel.
One might wonder why the oilpatch is complaining when oil is going for more than US$80 per barrel.
In the early 1990s, then-Alberta premier Ralph Klein set up a very favourable royalty regime for the oilsands, in part to spur development in what was then a low-price, high-cost environment.
Oil prices are now much, much higher.
The Globe reported that many oilsands players, while not happy about the prospect of a royalty hike, aren't talking about cutting back on investment. However, some who rely on steam injection instead of mining to extract the bitumen are saying future investment in their sector could be put at risk under the proposed changes.
Against this backdrop are polls showing that Albertans overwhelmingly think the province isn't getting its fair share from its natural resources. Two-thirds want to see the royalty panel's recommendations fully implemented.
The Parkland Institute, a University of Alberta-based think tank, suggested in an Oct. 17 news release that the royalty panel's recommendations are timid.
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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071021/alta_royalties_071021/20071021?hub=Canada&s_name= [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 22, 2007]
Stumble It!
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Dave Ruston