MLA report May 11

Hello Chestermere!
First of all, Congratulations to the team and the volunteers who put on the CRCA fundraiser this past weekend! This was a great night, and the food and decorations were just wonderful, not to mention the company of a couple hundred of your friends. It was lovely to see our community out, and to see the generosity expressed in all the donated items! Well Done!
You will have to forgive me for the next part of this article, as I have to speak out on the following issue. Tzeporah Berman, for those who may not know, is the anti-oil activist that has been hired by our government, and is paid $600/day plus expenses with your tax dollars as co-chair of the Oil Sands Advisory Group. She represents and aligns with eco-activists who use fear and misinformation in my and many Albertans’ opinions when speaking about Canadian resources, responsible resource stewardship, and environmental stewardship. Right now she is campaigning for the NDP to win in British Columbia. The BC NDP has promised to oppose the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion which could end any chance of us getting a pipeline to tide water. The Premier has openly endorsed and promoted this relationship, and has defended Ms. Berman’s actions on many occasions. The Premier has stated that she was bringing many voices to the table to discuss the environmental aspects of our Oilsands. This panel was supposed to report earlier in the year, and before Christmas the Wildrose on countless occasions demanded to know why the panel had not reported before the government decided to cap our oilsands production, and our upgrading capacity. It lacks logic. The Premier’s decision to protect these eco-activists has brought nothing positive to the discussion, and Albertans have had enough. There has been no slowing down on attacking our resource development, and no changes in the red tape surrounding production and reclamation. This already suffering industry has not been a very good cheerleader for itself and the truly outstanding environmental requirements we have around development, production, and reclamation but that does not excuse Ms. Berman’s actions. The anti-oil activists push on, and in doing so have hampered our ability to get our products to market, to be competitive, to bring in investors, and most of all to champion the industry that has for so many years provided our province and our country with such a high standard of living. The Premier’s choice to name an environmental activist to such a high-profile position has had a profoundly negative effect on our industry, our families, and our morale. It is time for the Premier to let this activist go, and start building up the industry that contributes to every single school, hospital, road, recreation centre, and play park in this province. Ms. Berman, a signatory to the radical NDP Leap Manifesto, has compared our oilsands to Mordor and wants an immediate end to the use of fossil fuels. The Premier has called us “embarrassing cousins”, and the Minister of Health has referred to Albertans as “sewer rats”. The day that national infrastructure became politicized was the day Government forgot where our prosperity comes from. Not only are the eco-activists blocking new pipelines, they oppose replacing aging and older infrastructure that could easily spill into waterways like Lake Michigan if they are not replaced. Please write to the Government and share your concerns. Your voice matters! It is time to recognize Alberta for its strong global leadership in the use of renewable energy and for our responsible development of a resource that we should be so grateful for. Demand is not decreasing and we are the cleanest producers in the world. It is time to be proud of our resources, and time to tell the Government exactly what we think about their attitude towards this province and the people who built it.
My final thank you goes out to the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association and Century Downs. The amazing folks at the racetrack have become part of our family, and this past weekend held another “Caring Is Cool” race fundraiser for Autism Speaks Canada. Along with Sherri Cameron from Autism Speaks Canada, we were able to shine some light on Autism, and Autism spectrum disorders. Collen Haining, Project Manager for ASHA, ASHA Executive Director Fred Gillis, and Colleen’s husband Harold and daughter Kaitlin gave us a warm welcome. Kaitlin was kind enough to join us for the day and explain some of the intricacies of handicapping races. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for including us in this wonderful event. I am looking forward to the World Driving Championships on June 25. Another highlight was being given the opportunity to pace one of these lovely animals, as well as meeting my namesake “Leela”, a lovely 2-year-old filly whose track name is “Blink ‘N Gone” and who will be debuting this summer. I also was able to meet Peter Watts from Newstalk 770 who was there reporting on stories of breeders, riders, and horse racing in general.
We are so blessed to live in a community of people who take care of each other, who know each other, and who will stand up for each other. Thank you again as always for the privilege of representing you, and as always we love to hear from you.