Integrity on the rocks, outgoing EUB Chairman Neil McCrank’s new job reviewing his own work

Integrity on the rocks, outgoing EUB Chairman Neil McCrank’s new job reviewing his own work by Neil Waugh, March 16, 2007, Edmonton Sun
Premier Ed Stelmach finally launched his Good Ship Integrity yesterday in the form of a task force charged with probing the “transparency, accountability and governance” of the myriad of boards, commissions and agencies that have a serious say in how the province is run. And it’s a hurry up and go operation with the report expected back in the government’s hands by Sept. 30. Why the rush? Is someone gearing up for an election? “Albertans want fair, honest and streamlined government,” the premier scowled. Then he announced that Neil McCrank, outgoing chairman of the powerful Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, will chair the committee. It was an interesting choice, indeed. … Down in Red Deer this week, an EUB panel ran into stormy weather and was forced to adjourn while a legal question of “sufficient importance” was debated behind closed doors by the board’s lawyers to determine whether the board broke its own laws when it told an angry group of farmers and ranchers objecting to the forest of pylons that AltaLink wants to build across their fields that it “will not tolerate” any discussion of whether the line is really needed. … As for the EUB: “This is a board that has treated landowners from the very beginning with complete disrespect.” On McCrank’s appointment: “That’s the dumbest, dumbest thing they could possibly do. “He’s basically reviewing his own work.”

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