Does Western Alienation exist, and how can we fix it?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

Insurance jack up rate because they would go bankrupt with all the extra damage that would be caused by climate change. Recent example being an insurance company goes under after California's most destructive wildfire. I don't think that's a coincidence.

What makes you think the fire was caused by climate change?

Calgary Herarld also quoted Albertan government officials signalling they'd want their pension plan to invest in oil and gas. I am honestly not against provincial government wanting to create their own provincial pension plan. I have a problem with literally further intersecting one's provincial pension to a single industry that many people work in in that province. It's the same as buying stocks in the same company you work at. It's a bad idea because if your company goes down, your stock becomes worthless too. You are taught to diversify for a reason.

The article doesn't say what you're claiming it does.

Government officials suggest there could be a strategic advantage for Alberta development. With many lenders shunning oil and gas, AIMCo might buy more stakes in the industry.

That hardly sounds like AIMCo would be forced to do anything that wasn't in the best interests of the plan. You need to keep in mind that AIMCo would have to essentially do as well or better than the CPPIB since people can move freely around the country and would expect roughly the same pension.

This quote from Jason shows that what you're claiming is not the case at all.

“If we could transfer those assets to be managed securely by AIMCo, that would also help AIMCo be a stronger asset manager that would be able to participate in larger deals . . . to further diversify their investment portfolio and improve returns over time,” he concluded.

Lot of scaremongering going on and a lot of it's coming from outside of AB. If AB leaves the CPP rates in the rest of the country will go up for sure.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by vid

Good ol' government picking winners and losers. Imagine what Alberta would accomplish in the oil and gas sector if they simply nationalized it? Instead of having to pass a law to steal people's pension funds to prop it up, you could just, you know, literally prop it up.

What are you going to do if Russia or China takes over?

[vid]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

What are you going to do if Russia or China takes over?

Be relieved at the fact that Jason Kenney isn't prime minister.

[dleung]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Manitoba gets equalization payments so perhaps they want to keep mum on the subject?

Lol that's what I assumed

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Maybe I am reading you wrong, if you're suggesting that the feds' contribution is somehow variable depending on where it's happening, that's almost never the case. It's almost always in the range of a third to 40% that the feds pony up.

A notable exception would be something like the Samuel-de Champlain Bridge, which the feds actually "own". It's not a Montreal- or Quebec-driven project. (Hence why it has bilingual highways signage on it! )

I suppose that roads through national parks are probably the same as well.

Normally highways and roads within National Parks of Canada are paid for and maintained federally. But there are some provincial highways that go through national parks where the highway isn't considered to be part of the park. One example is the Yellowhead highway East of Edmonton going through Elk Island National Park. I think Hwy 6 in Ontario is totally provincially maintained but goes through or at least goes along the edge of Bruce Peninsula National Park.

And Acajack, you obviously know that the National Capital Commission (NCC) Parkways in Ottawa and Gatineau (and Parc de la Gatineau) are federally owned and maintained.

And I have to add that inter-provincial bridges in Canada are owned and maintained by the federal government. Most of them are ones that cross the Ottawa River between Ontario and Quebec. There are a couple between Quebec and New Brunswick. I can't think of any others...oh wait...the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and PEI of course.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Manitoba gets equalization payments so perhaps they want to keep mum on the subject?

Hey, we love our free ride that Albertan's give us. Why work hard when we can suck them dry. Our sugar daddy is awesome

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

Insurance jack up rate because they would go bankrupt with all the extra damage that would be caused by climate change. Recent example being an insurance company goes under after California's most destructive wildfire. I don't think that's a coincidence.

It's a tiny insurance company that was (based on claims) massively concentrated into that one area and didn't reinsure that risk. Of far greater consequence is PG&E's bankruptcy because it accepted blame and liability for causing that fire.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/business/pge-bankruptcy-fires/index.html

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Manitoba gets equalization payments so perhaps they want to keep mum on the subject?

If that's your response then I think you may have missed the point.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is all because people are smart enough to see their industry shuttered and they are worried about their job, so they want to get as much money as they can before it's too late.

Corporations who care about the next quarter exhibit this behaviour. Individuals hoping to work another 20+ years should be thinking different, but...

[misher]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Hey, we love our free ride that Albertan's give us. Why work hard when we can suck them dry. Our sugar daddy is awesome

People don't really question Manitoba's equalization compared to Quebec's. It's honestly a poor province with a high percentage of First Nations. There's just little going for it. I think a lot of Canadians look at Quebec and say you have so much going for you plus the government provides so much support (offices and jobs) so why do you still need more support? whereas Manitoba has so much going bad and desperately needs our help. We say "Manitoba" but realistically the ones who really need our help are the FN reserves in Manitoba as you'll see below. So we're not helping Manitoba here we're helping the FN. If you look at any of the charts below Quebec doesn't look like it needs our help and you really wonder why they need it. Quebec has one of the lower unemployment and poverty rates in Canada.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Hey, we love our free ride that Albertan's give us. Why work hard when we can suck them dry. Our sugar daddy is awesome

Good thing I love getting sucked dry. You sound like a good boy *pats your head*

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Good thing I love getting sucked dry. You sound like a good boy *pats your head*

OK, now that was funny

[misher]

Originally Posted by vid

Good ol' government picking winners and losers. Imagine what Alberta would accomplish in the oil and gas sector if they simply nationalized it? Instead of having to pass a law to steal people's pension funds to prop it up, you could just, you know, literally prop it up.

You mean like a certain TM pipeline we nationalized? When is that getting built again?

Canadian governments records are not the best. Owning something usually means we got to pay even more expenses because we can't just be profit seeking dicks like a private corporation. We actually got to care what voters think. I feel like we add on even more reviews and bureaucratic headache when we own something. Canada is ranked extremely high for bureaucratic barriers to business for a reason. Sweden's success is largely due to their minimal barriers to the free market.

[Rollerstud98]

Originally Posted by esquire

OK, now that was funny

I chuckled!

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by misher

You mean like a certain TM pipeline we nationalized? When is that getting built again?

Canadian governments records are not the best. Owning something usually means we got to pay even more expenses because we can't just be profit seeking dicks like a private corporation. We actually got to care what voters think. I feel like we add on even more reviews and bureaucratic headache when we own something. Canada is ranked extremely high for bureaucratic barriers to business for a reason. Sweden's success is largely due to their minimal barriers to the free market.

He was joking, but a couple of points. TMX is under construction, but wouldn't be if it was left to the market (no the market isn't totally free, but it never can be if there are humans in the way). And the oil sands do owe their existence to nationalised industries.

The worry is that should Kenney get his grubby mitts on pension funds, it could be used to fund oil and gas investments in this province, which would be a catastrophically stupid idea, as it would be doubling down our financial fate on the fate of one industry. And it's a legitimate worry, as the idea seems to be popular among the plebs, and there are murmurs in the political class in Alberta suggesting they too support the idea.

[ssiguy]

Hey boys, get a room.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Good thing I love getting sucked dry. You sound like a good boy *pats your head*

I now realise that poor choice of wording in that post; oops!

Nope, I don't do that shit. And even if I did, I know I could do far better than you

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by Pinus

I now realise that poor choice of wording in that post; oops!

Nope, don't do that shit. And even if I did, I know I could do far better than you

Lol, I'm literally certain that isn't true. Sorry sweetie. But keep it up with the thirst for Alberta, you can slurp up as much as you like

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Lol, I'm literally certain that isn't true. Sorry sweetie. But keep it up with the thirst for Alberta, you can slurp up as much as you like

We will keep"slurping" up your cash, princess. That's all we want from you

[VANRIDERFAN]

Some other voices which shows how fractured this whole alienation thing is.

https://o.canada.com/news/everyones-angr...wcm/9a6e5998-a308-4004-8d5e-f40d5aca3fd4

Quote:

“Manitoba is a very split province. Rural Manitoba culturally and politically is extraordinarily similar to rural Alberta but politically and culturally Winnipeg is quite different than Calgary. So there is no uniformity on this.”

If Wexit has not entrenched itself in Manitoba now, certainly parts of the province clearly shares the same sense of hopelessness and alienation with the rest of the West.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the election, Bill Campbell, president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba, wrote: “Since the election has concluded, we have heard a great deal from some Western Canadian politicians about separation from the rest of Canada given the lack of Western Canadian voices in your government. These discussions do not serve the best interest of our country and are not discussions Manitobans support. We do, however, have the need to hear from our federal government on the issues that we encounter every day.” Unquote

Full disclosure
Bill Campbell is a personal friend of mine. His quoted words are very measured compared to some of the coffee shop talk in that part of the province.