Thursday, August 31, 2006

Conservatives double postage charges

You hear of big spending for military police and the vancouver games. You hear nothing about increasing seniors pensions to cover the higher cost of utilities and services. You do hear of services cut and now a double hit on postage to the US out of consumers pockets. Bandits!

For Immediate Release
August 30, 2006

Canada Post Goes Ahead with Price Hikes Despite Public Outcry

Ottawa – Liberal Critic for Crown Corporations John McKay is once again calling on Conservative Minister of Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities Lawrence Cannon to stand up for Canadian small businesses that rely on Canada Post’s services to mail products to the United States.

“Despite the public outcry Canada Post is still going ahead with its plans to introduce a new “light packet” service for all light weight non-paper items, hiking its rates by up to 100% of the current letter mail service prices,” said Mr. McKay. “This kind of price gouging by a Crown Corporation is irresponsible and disappointing. It reflects a certain level of indifference towards Canadians.”

In a press release issued late last month, Mr. McKay drew attention to the planned rate hike, which would have seen shipping prices rise by as much as 230 percent. He argued that Canada Post’s proposed rate increase far exceeds both the rate of inflation and price increases introduced by US postal services, resulting in harmful consequences for Canadian small businesses.

For example, the cost of sending a 100 gram “light packet” from Canada to the United States will now cost $3.74, while the cost of sending the same packet from the United States to Canada only costs $1.40USD.

In addition, the new service will now require that sellers mail items from local post offices instead of their homes or businesses, resulting in added frustration for small business owners who mail several hundred items on a weekly basis.

Canada Post attempted a similar rate increase in early 2005, but public outcry at the time forced the company to listen to their customers, and retract the rate increase. Another price hike was attempted one month ago, and again, small business owners and eBay sellers responded, and succeeded in forcing Canada Post to postpone the introduction of the new service. The crown corporation is now again attempting to implement the same rate increase.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Tar sands royalities.

1% of Gross
vis
25% of net

This from CAPP

Oil sands royalties are 1% of gross revenue until the plant is paid off. After that it's 25% (not 1%) of net revenue until the end of time. If you refer to the following brochure and others listed on the CAPP website under publications, you may be able to find more information. Another recommended resource for information pertaining to royalties is the Alberta Department of Energy.

http://www.capp.ca/raw.asp?x=1&dt=NTV&dn=90360
http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/

I hope this helps you out with some of your questions.
Regards



This from Alberta Connects; Energy.
Yes Mr. Clark the figures representing 1% of Gross and 25% of net can very well be the same number.

Consider the 1% is taken after all expences for the plant building are deducted.
where as the 25% is taken on the net a after all expences for operation are deducted and could very well return the same royality.

I still have trouble seeing the risk that the conservative buddies are taking.
John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca

Monday, August 28, 2006

Fraser Institute + Klein

Have a lot of catching up to do folks!

Klein is moving on from a regular member to a special spokes man for the Fraser Institute. This works nicely for a comment on the dual citizenship hype of a few weeks ago and the press recently pointing to Harpers pandering to the US agenda.

The Fraser Institute is reported as being a right wing think tank. That it is. Many of its members are US citizens pushing US industry objectives. Many more of these members have dual citizenship being Canada/US. Opening communication across the border is easier when you all belong to the same club.

Mr. Harper, Mr. Manning; the ex Ontario premier are all members of this club and support their views. The softwood lumber deal is a made in Fraser Institute dream as is the Conservative policy.

The globalization spoke of by this group is a thin veil meant to cover Americanization and American colonization.

In this circle Klein slight of hand and outright lies and manipulation of budgets covering the privatization of Alberta resource moves him to Hero status.

I have been advised Alberta's senator-elect also hold dual US Canadian citizenship should any of you wonder about the agenda or direction of this crew.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Electrical blackout report in as predicted.

The report on the blackout is in. As expected; no fault. No intentional rip off; just an accidental rip off.

Mr. Norris, One Conservative leadership candidate says he will order a full investigation into the Deregulation of Electricity even though we have proven rules are wrong.

A second Conservative says he will not run again but is going to work with a group to clean up corruption in politics.

What a day!
cyberclark@shaw.ca

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Huge Aluminum project has negative implications for Canada



This is really a huge project!

Highway 19 a Klein personal disaster

Klein’s policies continue to kill people. In his mad rush to privatization he starved any number of infrastructure programs in the name of paying down the debt where in fact it was his normal plan of limiting funding to debilitate a service, and then privatize it as a means of “saving” us.

Highway 19 is one of these shelved projects. Now, with the employment at 110 percent of capacity and construction resources pinned to maximum, there are no men or equipment to do the highway. On top of that, the rates and costs are such that it may cost three times what it would have done, just 5 years ago.

Highway 19 is a symptom; a malady of a problem invented by Klein and, it promises to get worse as his attentions are spent in exploiting the tar sands in such a way that others who follow politically will face penalty if they try to fix the on going disasters.

Rogers, the Conservative rep for the area is trying hard to spin this as a battle for a spot in the construction tier.

John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca

Friday, August 04, 2006

Ralph fixing it so no one can make it right. Not!

The Journalism in this province is getting better and better! Friday August 7th Edmonton Sun, Page 7 Author Darcy Benton, Legislature Bureau. (Link will be posted when one becomes available)
OILSANDS PLAN NOT IN THE CARDS!

This is a response to the Parkland Institute who has pointed out that the new oil sands projects will all but destroy this province. There is not sufficient gas nor water nor infrastructure to support the sales. Some wonder if there is enough money in this province to pay the advanced charges for living as the rush to grab freebies pushes the wages and rents off the map.

Mr. Klein leaving the podium at the last election debate said “I will fix things in this province so none of you guys will be able to change it.” I would hope this statement is enough that a court will view these changes as a mad man’s action and void a number of the lucrative contacts he has given out.

In point Ralph says “The Pembina Institute should keep heir noses out of anyone’s business, especially businesses that want to take risks,”

As far as a plan, he says “To have a long-range plan would be an interventionist kind of policy which says you either allow them or you don’t allow (to proceed). The last thing we want to be is an interventionist government."

No shit Sherlock!

He's a great one for labels.

What risks are the oil companies and power companies taking?

Their arrangement with the Conservative Government is all based on a cost plus operation.

They get a free ride on taxation.

They can spend what ever they want, on what ever they want and charge it off as a development cost. No one audits them!

Your money is sending them on extravagant vacations and buying them SUVs and sports cars.

What is left over after, Albertan’s get less than 1% regardless of what the price of oil is.

They get a free ride on natural gas it us who pay the premiums and go short.

The only risk they run is that a new party in provincial power will have a new judge in the court and that judge will say there is no common equity in these contracts therefore, they are void.

I hear nothing from any of the Conservative leaders to be that will change anything.

We need an election, tomorrow!

John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Independent review of power rip off does nothing!

Word out today of an independent chair to look into the obscene profiteering of the Electrical industry in this province. The guideline as stated: Only if they have broken rules will there be a problem.

We all know that the 50 million dollar profit shown by LP Energy for their Alberta trade met with Mr. Kleins approval. “The deregulation is working fine” was his response.

If this rip off can happen under our deregulation rules then, the rules are wrong!

The only way to change those rules is to get the Conservatives out of Government!

On another front a new Eco group to take care of Wabanum like mishaps. It should be noted the oil companies had all the men trained and all the equipment to mitigate the circumstance and they never came forward. It was perceived as being a CN problem.

You will note no oil companies were penalized for not showing up. No good Samaritan laws in that business.

Keep track of the costs on this one folks it promises to be a major!

Cyberclark@shaw.ca

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Deaths and mayhem attributed to US Power Deregulation.

Submitted by Electricity expert.

Click on Power Outages Hit US Grid; Utility Deregulation to Blame As an electrical engineer who has worked in the electric utility industry for about 15 years, I couldn't agree more with what is in this article if I had written it myself. I add that I was an independent consultant to TransAlta for about 6 months and am holder of an American patent....

Allan Dane, M.Sc.(EE)
adane@telusplanet.net

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Enron-Smart Guys in the Room

Those of you who seen this program running Tuesday evening, you will have noticed the extreme similarities between the Enron scam and the rolling black/brownouts in Edmonton.

The Enron program detailed how the Traders coerced generation facilities into shutting down their plants; get inventive was the word.

Rather than the Enron board we have the elected officials of the City of Edmonton; the number of people whose identification is closely guarded by the Alberta Government and of course the Power Corp who own PPAs. These would be the equivalent of the Enron Board of directors.

We are up to our armpits in sleaze in this province thanks to the Conservatives.
I think it may help if you can contact your city elected member and your MLA and ask them just what in the hell do they think they are up to.

Don’t accept “oversights” or “untimely mishaps” or any other such mundane excuse.

It is time to do away with deregulation!

John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca
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