Is AER a best in the world regulator? It’s “tatters upon tatters.”
“The AER is indeed hiding something.”
“Of course you can comply with nothing.”
Too funny but horrifying. AER/ERCB/EUB is a bully, but not towards law-violating polluting oil gas frac coal and bitumen companies. The regulator is too cowardly and corrupt to regulate the rich powerful polluters and the many industrial scam artists taking Alberta for a multi-billion dollar ride, leaving the citizenry with devastation and a province-wide toxic hellscape to clean up. Instead, AER attacks and “regulates” (bullies, shames and usually successfully silences) the harmed and cruelly violates our Charter rights when failing to silence us.
AER lies, a lot (they won at the supreme court of Canada in my case against them and still lied about it – before, during and after), and has been hiding endless illegal shit by industry for decades and gleefully engages in fraud to cover-up corporate crimes while violating the rights of Albertans in the process.
My FOIP results, lawsuit and speaking events showed the true nature of the EUB/ERCB/AER beast, as did Andrew Nikiforuk’s books Saboteurs and Slick Water and books by others.
Alberta courts are like AER, they piss on the rule of law to protect rich polluters while cowardly enabling crimes that harm many, and bully and shame and lie about the harmed nastily, if not more so, than AER does.
In my case, Alberta courts treated me and my case (and thus the public interest) like shit, and ruled that AER is legally immune (even for gross negligence and acts in bad faith), owes Albertans no duty of care, and is above Canada’s top law, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms that the Fucker Truckers and TBA/UCP are squawking about so loudly.
It’s foolish to expect justice from retired/working Alberta judges and it’s even more foolish to expect regulation from AER.
Markham Hislop@politicalham Sept 28, 2023:
AER deficiencies in @DeloitteCanada report are indictment of regulator
Much worse for @AER_news than today’s news stories suggest.
Column coming Friday a.m., so here’s @molszyns interview as a teaser.
@ACFN_KaiTaile
@MikisewCreeGIR
#ABleg #OOTT
AER deficiencies in Deloitte report are indictment of regulator 14.14 Min. by Energi Media, Sept 28, 2023
Markham interviews Professor Martin Olszynski, University of Calgary, specialist in environmental law, about consulting firm Deloitte’s “investigation” the 2022 leak and 2023 spill at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oil sands plant that was commissioned by the Alberta Energy Regulator.
[Thomas Dambo] builds GIANT TROLLS w/ RECYCLED materials & you can find them 8:39 Min.
Alberta needs one of these human trapping trolls built on the threshold of AER Calgary Headquarters to trap our negligent “regulators” enabling the corporate criminal shit destroying our health, water, air, land, communities, Alberta (and helping destroy earth’s livability):
Alberta and our drinking water would be much further ahead had I not wasted the $500,000.00 on legal fees (my lawyers betrayed me, the public interest, the rule of law, and my lawsuit), the mandatory Ottawa agent law firm, court costs (the judges also betrayed me, the public interest, the rule of law, Canada’s charter, and my lawsuit), other costs, and instead hired Thomas Dambo to install a team of his trolls: one in front of AER in downtown Calgary, one in front of the Alberta Premier’s (currently Danielle Smith) Office of Lies & Propaganda, one in front of UCP’s Pollution Headquarters, and some here and there in the tarsands and frac fields (notably Encana’s at Rosebud and Fox Creek).
Refer also to a few examples of AER’s crimes:
2020: How the hell do Albertans get any regulation with dirty shit like this running the regulator?! AER skulduggery escalates: Dave Goldie, Encana & Cenovus VP is new Chair (first was Encana & Cenovus VP Gerry Protti); Martin Foy, Encana crime-enabler, appointed Exec VP (remember AER exec VP, ex-Encana lying manager Mark Taylor?); Propagandizing Synergy Queen, Tracey McCrimmon & Encana crime-enabler Bev Yee appointed to the Board; Anti-science climate change denier, Steve Harper’s best buddy/compaign manager, Kenney’s Kamikazi campaign manager, John Weissenberger, made VP Technical Science & External Innovation Branch.
2017: More Propaganda CAPP style? AER, Charter Violating, No Duty of Care, Legally Immune, Abuser of Power, Pollution & Law Violator Enabler, “warns” industry it “could” go after directors, executives to clean up the current $300 Billion in oilfield liabilities. Really? With Ex-Encana Exec/Ex-Cenovus Exec/Ex-CAPP Exec Gerard Protti as AER Chair?
Diana Daunheimer’s Excellent Summation of AER & CAPP’s Evil Synergy Alberta
… This is just the tip of the iceberg though, the lobbying and corporate pressures that are visible above the surface. What lies beneath?
At the community level in Alberta, we have this slimy system of lobbying, referred to as “synergy”. Synergy Alberta is partnered with, and partially fiscally supported by CAPP and the AER. In the past, the Government of Alberta also contributed, but recently have pulled funding. The rest of money for operations of these synergy groups, comes from invoicing industry.
Here is a list of Synergy Alberta groups:
Alberta Energy Corridor, BalCAP, Battle Lake Synergy, Battle Action Committee, Regional air-sheds such as PAMZ and the Peace, Calumet Synergy, CMAG, Clearwater synergy, Cochrane Pipeline Operators Assc, Crossfield District Synergy, FAAMA, Fox Creek Synergy, Genessee Synergy, LICA, Life in the Heartland, FAO, PAG, Peace Regional Synergy, Pembina Synergy, Rimbey Synergy, SPOG, VAPPA, WASP, Waterton Advisory, West Central Stakeholders, Wetaskiwin Synergy and Yellowhead Synergy.
I have participated in many meetings and interactions with SPOG and CMAG and they way they operate is disturbing, to say the least.
For instance, with CMAG, industry and AER reps, community members, perhaps a municipal councillor will generally meet at the local Smitty’s for breakfast, hosted by an “impartial facilitator” (who happens to be paid by industry and gets her breakfast paid for nearly every time by TransCanada, hardly impartial). Since witnessing several misleading and fabricated statements regarding local operations, such as Julia Fulford with the AER, stating that the well sites by our home have “no emissions”, I took to recording the meetings. Present after all, are elected officials and government employees. It outraged the group, and they kicked me out, while passing a Terms of Reference that states that no recording, visual or audio, can be taken at meetings and that meeting minutes can not be used in legal proceedings. All this information is accessible on the CMAG website in the TOR and meeting minutes.
The evolution of Synergy groups, generally follows the same path. It begins with local community concerns regarding industry activity or a serious incident. The Pembina Institute would be the most famous example of this, borne of the Lodgepole Pine sour gas blowout. CMAG came about because of CBM activity. The origins of these groups are respectable enough, however, the progression from community led, to industry controlled and colluded, is what is so disgraceful, and it happens every time.
Just look at what Pembina has become, a national eNGO, hosting galas in Toronto, with industry money. They don’t assist impacted residents at all, neither does any synergy group. In reality, this system operates more on the basis of discrediting harmed landowners and endorsing industry regardless of impacts. Industry moves in on these groups and uses money and power to change the dynamic and messaging, until they are nothing more than a subset of stakeholder relations departments pushing corporate interests. Controlled opposition at it’s finest. Community level lobbying.
Aside from industry infiltrating communities via synergy and four stacks with a side of sausage, industry also funds the air-shed groups in Alberta.
When we had a PAMZ air quality trailer on our land, the company shut in all their operations near our home, for the duration of testing. PAMZ, the AER and the company, then used this manipulated data set, that had no resemblance to air quality during full production, as a means to discredit our concerns over sour gas emissions. When industry pays for the operations of air-sheds doing community testing, they have ways to ensure they are not implicated in any non-compliances. Air quality lobbying.
More industry money is directed at influencing education. Major oil and gas operators are currently partners in the Alberta K-12 curriculum. They also sponsor industry propaganda at the Telus Science Centre, Glenbow Museum and promotion at Heritage Park. Industry funds numerous organizations that come to schools with corporate messaging guised as environmental initiatives, delivered by the likes of Earth Rangers and Inside Education.
Of course, industry has huge monetary influence in our post secondary institutions. The U of C is infamous for their oil and gas based agenda, led by the Haskayne School of Business and the School of Public Policy. Academic lobbying.
In fact, in Alberta, you will be hard pressed to find any eNGO that does not have industry money behind them. The Alberta Ecotrust is a prime example. Environmental lobbying.
Then you have your “charities” which are pro-industry, the most renowned is the Fraser Institute. Charitable lobbying.
Then you have industry in the communities, donating money to local schools, bonspiels, beer gardens and the other events and projects, yet, implementing proper emission reductions for priority pollutants, inspecting and maintaining pipelines and facilities or implementing and installing proper air and water quality monitoring to protect the public, is all too costly and lobbied against. Buy-off lobbying.
Finally, you have all the money industry spends on private meetings, the ones not on anyone’s books. Like how TransCanada met privately with members of AAMDC, which resulted in their resolution to endorse Energy East. Those AAMDC members had no knowledge of the tolls ($4.6 billion, at minimum) to Albertan’s, and had not read the take-or-pay contract for the project, nor seen an economic benefit analysis for our province. Must have been some meeting. Private lobbying.
These are all forms of how the industry petitions for and acquires support from the community, up to the federal level. Lobby, lobby, lobby.
If all this funding from synergy, lobby and enticement were re-directed, industry would easily have the financial capacity for emissions reductions, proper monitoring and enforcement, meant to protect public health and environmental sustainability.
What serves a community better, money put towards beer gardens, golf tournaments and awards shows (PTAC, EPAC, CAPP) or reducing hazardous pollutants and ensuring high pressure sour gas lines are properly maintained and inspected? Priorities are extremely out of place here.
There are billions being wasted on lobbying, propaganda, partisan alignments and Pete Club perks, and hearing industry complain about costs related to protecting public health is revolting. The fact that the federal government accepts this bullsh*t as means to delay policies in which they made a commitment, is worse. …
Property rights do not exist. Right of Entry in Alberta legislates you can not refuse exploration and production for resources on your land. Expropriation is the means for federal projects.
Agreed, industry spends millions on agreeable scientists, academics, biologists, engineers, geos, even doctors. APEGA is a sullied example of a captured professional organization, which is mandated to hold the health and wellness of the public and environment paramount, but never do.
Far from rightful compensation, industry and regulators still insist there are no harms incurred to public health. You can’t get a single doctor in this province to discuss the effects of industrial emissions on health. The Chair of the Maternal and Child Health program at the Alberta’s Children Hospital, is from Husky Energy.
The AER has no public health mandate. Certainly by intention, there has not been one comprehensive epidemiological study done in Canada to date, on the public health impacts of the oil and gas industry. The medical community has failed the public in this regard.
2015: Voice America host Jill Buck interviews Andrew Nikiforuk on Slick Water: “It’s a page turner.”
Andrew Nikiforuk’s Slick Water is published, covering much of AER’s brutal refusal to regulate law violating oil, gas and frac companies, not even after Encana/Ovintiv illegally frac’d a community’s drinking water supply, dangerously contaminating it.
Alberta’s late Rob Schwartz at the Slick Water book launch, ground zero, Rosebud.
2014:
2009: Personal relationship derails hearing for southern Alberta sour gas project
2009: When AER fails to silence you by violating your charter rights, judging you to be a criminal without any evidence, having their thug lawyer bully you mercilessly, they send the police to invade your private property trying to terrify you quiet: The Intimidation of Ernst: Members of Harper Government’s RCMP Anti-terrorist Squad Intimidate and Harass Ernst after her Legal Papers were Served on Encana, the EUB (now AER) and Alberta Environment
At the steps to the door of my home.
2007:
EUB, after caught breaking the law in 2007, lying and spying, was changed by the Alberta govt to ERCB, which in 2013 the govt changed to AER after the Ernst lawsuit went public and removed public interest from the regulator’s mandate (which outside counsel Glenn Solomon lied about to the Supreme Court of Canada)
Above image from Justice D. W. Perras September 7, 2007 report on EUB’s (now AER) “repulsive” spying on innocent Albertans.
AER is much more evil than EUB was. Encana and Canada’s oilpatch friendly courts made sure of that.
2007: Rob Schwartz and Ernst present to Parliamentary Committee in Ottawa, beseeching MPs to implement CETA and at least make the frac’ers disclose to us their deadly chemicals injected into our drinking water. Don’t expect the feds to do anything to clean up greedy selfish cesspool Alberta; they didn’t do anything to help protect us or our groundwater from frac’ing.
After my presentation, MPs came up to me saying, “What’s your problem? The way of the frac’ers is the standard “business as usual” model. Corporations always do what they want in Canada.” I was horrified then, I remain horrified now at how our elected officials and “regulators” like AER enable corporate crimes in our communities and drinking water.
Rob Schwartz before our presentations.
Rob and I after our presentations.
2001: Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig’s War Against Big Oil by Andrew Nikiforuk is published, providing a thrilling, damning indictment of AER’s (when it was EUB) criminality with Encana (when it was Alberta Energy Corp) and the RCMP. Warning, start reading it when you do not need to work the next day – you will not want to put the book down.
etc.
etc.
etc.