Municipalities not happy about Alberta changes to unpaid oil and gas property taxes, County of Stettler outspoken about oil and gas changes by Stu Salkeld, Aug 1, 2024,East Central Alberta Review
Over the past several years municipalities in Alberta, particularly rural ones, have been unhappy about how unpaid property taxes in the oil and gas industry have been handled.
One of the few options open to rural municipalities to recover any of the taxes owed to them has been weakened by the Government of Alberta.
The week of July 15 the Canadian Press (CP) reported Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP government will relax rules on how unpaid property taxes are handled when oil and gas assets change hands.
Minister of Energy Brian Jean confirmed in an email to the CP his office is changing the way unpaid property tax bills owed to municipalities will be handled when it comes to primarily defunct oil and gas companies because it’s causing industry to shy away from buying assets.
Brian Jean, cowardly bullshitter extreme, and Dildo Danielle do not have what it takes to make AER make industry heed the laws and rules in Alberta.
Over a year ago Jean’s ministry sent a letter to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) suggesting that before oil and gas assets change hands, any existing unpaid property taxes should be taken into account.
According to a 2024 AER letter obtained by the CP through FOIP legislation, that direction has had a chilling effect on asset transfer in the oil and gas industry.
“If the (order) continues to be applied as written … there is a high risk that any sales processes contemplated will either not be initiated or will not be successful in transferring assets to new parties,” the CP quoted the AER letter as saying.The best thing that could happen in Alberta is for no company ever again to buy floundering polluting leaking “assets” from another company. Those “purchases” are how companies evade clean up, by selling to half bit companies that they know do not have the funds or technical know-how to clean up after the big profits are sucked up by the damaging brutes like illegal aquifer Encana/Ovintiv et al.
Therefore it looks like the energy minister will backtrack, although exactly what he plans to do was not made clear.
It’s common knowledge in Alberta that the oil and gas industry, especially among small and mid-level companies, is quite fluid; that is, companies come and go regularly with assets and What assets?liabilities left in their wake.
While municipalities have powers granted them by the provincial government’s Municipal Government Act (MGA) when it comes to recovering unpaid property taxes, not so when it comes to energy industry property owners who find themselves in that situation.
In fact, local governments can do almost nothing in those situations.
The County of Stettler has been noteworthy in its criticism of unpaid oil and gas industry property taxes, noting in its meetings the municipality has been left holding the bag for millions of dollars.
Reeve Larry Clarke stated municipalities have an iron in this fire and should be part of the decision-making process. “Before decisions such as this are made by AER and Alberta government, more consultation has to be had with affected municipalities and the Rural Municipalities Association (RMA) as we are the support and infrastructure where these wells, pipelines and facilities are located and will produce,” stated Clarke in a July 16 email.
“If taxes are not paid by these companies, odds are land lease rentals to our residents and the good tax-paying folks of Alberta have also not been paid so they are really paying twice and have no say or input into these decisions.
“As I have always said, you don’t see many oil or gas wells in cities of Calgary or Edmonton.”
County chief administrative officer (CAO) Yvette Cassidy noted the County of Stettler wants to work with the energy industry.There’s your problem right there. Alberta authorities like counties need to stop working “with” law violating polluting companies and instead need to start seizing assets, if any, and calling the Sheriff to lock gates of properties with taxes due.
“The County of Stettler wants oil and gas to pay their property taxes,” she stated in a July 16 email.Desire will get counties nowhere. Fury and direct orders are needed.
“However, in the past, we have worked with producers in our area that have proven track records of paying their property taxes and supporting their communities with purchasing assets from a defunct company or purchasing viable assets from the orphan well association.Companies in Alberta are spoiled rotten by AER and Alberta Environment not enforcing the law, and not collecting appropriate fees for clean up – before the profits are sucked up and into foreign pockets. The good times of old will never return to Alberta again. Companies want more freebies, more gifts, more %billions in subsidies, less rules, no laws, more fun, and total walk from clean up.
“We believe viable wells that can be put back into production benefit our farmers with lease revenue, the county with property taxes going forward, and our oil and gas companies.
“By doing this we have in the past forgiven the back taxes associated with the well and once the asset transfers to the new company, we start to accrue ‘new’ property taxes.Why are Albertans so fucking stupid, pathetic and cowardly when it comes to oil, gas, coal and frac?
“We are well aware that once a well or pipeline goes to the Orphan Well Association no revenue will be generated for farmers or property taxes the county. We need the Province to step up and pay municipalities and farmers for back taxes and lease payments without taking viable oil and gas wells out of service.”Dream on. It’ll never happen, certainly not with Dildo Danielle fast destroying Alberta for her rich pals that sleazed her into power.
@MondoAlberta:
Keep voting UCP rural AB, keep getting more of the same. How is “owning the Libs” working for ya?Rural Albertans = stupidest voters in Canada.
Larry Seefried@LarrySeefried:
Hard to feel sorry for your loss when it’s communities like Settler that voted for the CONservatives/TBA.
@JohnMar41690080:
Stettler will still continue to vote UCP anyways
alberta always vote against its best interest
@CraigCoolahan:
BREAKING: AB premier @ABDanielleSmith says yesterday’s severe weather, hail and flash flooding likely caused by arsonists. “I mean, look. I take a lot of weather and natural disaster advice from David Staples. And he’s hearing arson caused much of yesterday’s damaged.” #ableg
notabot@solstice1157:
That’s ridiculous. It was left wing hailonists with space lasers. Everyone knows this. Jeezus. And my sister’s cousin’s brother saw Trudeau on a moped with an ice machine in NW Calgary just before this happened.
Orphan Welles@Bluewavecan:
Gawd I can’t stand it when she says, “we’ll look” or “I believe” or “as I understand it” or “I’ve been told”, uhg.
Walter Moebis@Wally_53:
Like when Harper and all his merry men used “Let me be perfectly clear” You know it was made up BS. LOL
Carolyn Sullivan@myptstella:
Her level of insanity and cruelty is DEFINITELY the worst premier of Albertabama!
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