Some Thoughts on Alberta and the Oilsands

According to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the average GDP per person in the entire world when adjusted for cost of living is approximately
$10 000(US). That's about equal to the GDP per capita of Iran. Half the world has less wealth than $10 000 per person per year.

The Canadian GDP per person by the same standard is approximately $40 000.

Let's compare GDP per person within Canada. According to Statistica Canada, the average GDP per person in Alberta is (approx) $81 000(C). Compare that to the GDP of an average Canadian of $48 000(C) by the same standard.

We are literally some of the wealthiest people on the face of the planet, by any standard. Even the less wealthy in Alberta are the kings and queens of Earth.

I have personally spoken to some of the residents of Northern Alberta who have lost health or even the lives of family to oilsands development. There are communities in Northern Alberta whose rate of stillbirths is over 80% since the development in their area. Some communities report three times the expected cancer rate amongst their residents, numbers that have been confirmed by outside studies (look up Fort Chippewyan and Lubicon Territory). Without even going further to consider what this means for the long term affects of oil sands development on the rest of us (a sober consideration, if you make it), these facts alone seem to me to be reasonable enough to ask for expansion to stop until these issues can be thoroughly examined and remedied.

Much has been said by Albertans about the horrors and disastrous financial consequences of any kind of environmental regulation of the oilsands. I think it might be wise to take a step back and carefully reconsider the reality of the situation. Strip away the political rhetoric, and take a good look at the consequences. Human consequences due to oilsands development is not a thing of the possible future, it is a fact of today. The huge oil spill in Little Buffalo on Friday should give us some serious pause when we shout and writhe about how it might affect our pocketbooks a little to maybe pull things back a few notches.

If environmental stewardship policies for the oilsands happened to affect business in Alberta a little, well, I think we can afford it. Even if half of Alberta's GDP per person were lost, we'd still have enough to go around to be almost equal to the average Canadian, citizens of the fourteenth richest nation in the entire world.

Oil is a non-renewable resource. Whether the oilsands stop now or dry up later, they will stop. I want to see policies that are actually prepared for this certain eventual outcome. If we want to keep being the richest people on earth, an intelligent financial plan for an Alberta without oil is necessary.

It's our future, and the future of our children. Let's act wisely.