Alberta’s newest Frac Farce: Jason Kenney’s panel to review energy deregulation filled with only industry executives, includes CAPP’s Whine-for-More-Freebies & Propaganda Machine, Tim McMillan

Alberta kicks off red tape reduction with focus on tourism, oil and gas sectors by Clare Clancy, August 2, 2019, Calgary Herald

The Alberta government has revealed the first two industry panels that will propose ways to cut red tape for businesses, while pledging to unveil others soon.

A 10-member panel will focus on tourism and hospitality, while a nine-person panel examines oil and gas, said a Friday news release.

“Those (industries) were the ones we were most ready on,” said Grant Hunter, associate minister of Red Tape Reduction, in a Friday interview.

It’s all part of the UCP plan to cut red tape and regulations in the province by one-third. Additional panels in the future will look at small businesses, agriculture, forestry, construction, manufacturing and the non-profit sector.

The panels don’t include any representatives from organized labour. [and no one from any impacted municipalities, counties, towns, agriculture, environment, community, citizen, farm/ranch or landowner groups]

Hunter said unions can submit red tape reduction ideas directly to his office, or online.

“My door is always open,” he said. “(On the panels), we’ve got lots of people who are living it in the trenches, so I think that they’ll be representing a lot of issues that the union representatives also have.”

Premier Jason Kenney rolled out his plan in May, with plans to report back to Albertans by 2020.

“Our goal is to transform Alberta from one of the [freest and fastest-moving under-regulated] economies in Canada, to one of the freest and fastest-moving in the world,” he told media during a visit to construction company PCL in Nisku to make the May announcement.

Bill 4, the Red Tape Reduction Act, didn’t include a timeline, or the definition of an unnecessary regulation.

Kenney said he wants the public service to use discretion and be innovative in how to reduce red tape.

The NDP previously criticized Bill 4, with critic Chris Nielsen calling the piece of legislation “a big ball of red tape” that “reads like a script of buzzwords.”

The Edmonton-Decore MLA also voiced concerns about the health and safety of Albertans and the environment if regulations are cut.

The panels will meet biannually and are required to submit reports to Hunter.

The oil and gas panel includes Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers president Tim McMillan, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association president Chris Bloomer and Petroleum Services Association of Canada president Gary Mar.

It also has representatives from Pembina Pipeline Corporation, Repsol and Perpetual Energy.

That panel is meeting Thursday.

The province launched a website to encourage public feedback on red tape reduction. Since June 24, more than 2,200 submissions have been made, said the news release.

Refer also to:

CAN YOU FIND JASON KENNEY IN THE CARTOON BELOW?

Jason Kenney’s (CAPP et al’s) War Room swamped by fightin’ mad Albertans falling for lies & propaganda instead of looking honestly at industry’s greed-induced “de-manning” killing jobs & causing their suffering

Image by Montreal Simon

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