Use ‘bans, tolls’ to protect jobs
A report by the Alberta Federation of Labor has pressured the Alberta government to act swiftly on measures to ensure oil sands upgraders, refineries and petrochemical complexes are built in the province, or risk losing tens of thousands of jobs.
Those short-term actions could range from banning the export of raw bitumen or imposing steep pipeline tolls to make exports cost-prohibitive, said federation President Gil McGowan.
He told a news conference he doubts the government of Premier Ed Stelmach grasps the fully gravity of what is at stake.
“Do they realize we’re in a race and we’re losing?” he asked.
Over the longer term, McGowan said Alberta should resort to a mix of regulation and public ownership to kick start the creation of processing and petrochemical plants.
The report also recommends establishing a government corporation to keep more value-added jobs in Alberta and make it easier for the government to tackle environmental matters.
A spokesman for the government said the federation’s ideas are not currently being considered, but “we’re prepared to consider a variety of options to help meet the value-added goals over the long term.”
To that end, he noted that the government has recently extended a lease on the Fort Hills oil sands deposit to 2019 in return for a commitment from the operators to upgrade bitumen in Alberta.
—Gary Park
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