TIME TO WORK. TIME TO BE SMART. Here are a few thoughts I had today as I was walking around our city park. If you agree with my comments then please spend a few minutes and write a paragraph or two to either Premier Marios or Minister Martine Ouellet and challenge them to be the first government in Quebec history to build a safe and prosperous oil and gas industry that will benefit all the good people of Quebec.
OK...obviously I am greatly in favour of the oil and gas industry. It is in my best interest that the oil and gas industry develops as I have invested a good chunk of my own money in several Quebec companies. I want that to be known since if my views are considered biased then you know its because I have a personal stake in this situation.
I believe the natural gas industry would greatly benefit the people of Quebec. At present, Quebec spends $2 billion dollars importing natural gas from Alberta each year. If the Quebec government would work with the natural gas industry to develop guidelines that must be followed in order to safely extract natural gas then Quebec would save $2 billion dollars per year that they could spend on all sorts of social programs, education, health services, infrastructure or job creation. Why should the good people of Quebec keep sending billions of their hard-earned dollars to Alberta? What do they get in return? (Nothing) Additionally the government would also benefit from the taxes and royalties they would collect as a result of the industry being in their own backyard....and they could be the ones who regulate it. Furthermore, would it hurt the popularity of the PQ if they were the first government in Quebec history to safely develop this resource? It would be quite a feather in their cap to show the people of Quebec how they are creating employment, bringing in revenue, stopping the transfer of their wealth to Alberta and regulating an industry that every government before them failed to do. Talk about a "See what we did that you couldn't do" moment, this would be it! If I was a Quebecer I would not be in favor of separatism (personal choice) but for those who are in favor of this choice, you can only believe that being less dependent on the west for your energy needs makes you much more independent and isn't that also what the PQ strives towards?
Now....lets change gears a bit and look at some of the things that are accepted in the Quebec society (and all over the world) that should, but don't, cause people to be fearful:
1. Driving cars.
That's right...driving cars. Every year there are too many people that get seriously injured or die as a result of driving their cars and getting in car accidents. Cars emit carbon monoxide that pollutes the air and the noise of millions of cars can be deafening at times. Driving is horrible for the environment, terrible for your health and does not directly add value to the economy. My point here is real people, every year die as a result of driving cars. Why doesn't the government ban driving? Pollution and death are pretty serious but yet the idea of banning driving sounds ridiculous.
2. Alcohol
Who doesn't like a drink every now and then? However when it is abused people get drunk or sick. Intoxicated people are dangerous behind the wheel of a car. Alcohol causes numerous health problems, can be addictive, leads to poor decision-making (at times), can lead to violence and relationship problems. For the most part alcohol probably causes more problems than it solves but who is leading a march to ban the sale of it. If its unsafe, even remotely unsafe shouldn't it be banned?
3. Cigarettes
I don't smoke but I know a lot of people who do. Obviously, smoking is bad for your health. Smoking can cause heart disease and this can cause death. If you are hospitalized due to heart disease you are costing taxpayers thousands of dollars per week for the services you receive in the hospital. If you are careless with a cigarette while camping you could be responsible for a forest fire. Every year forest fires start this way. How do you put out a large forest fires that ruins the environment? You drop hundreds of thousands of gallons of water on it or dump chemicals on it to extinguish it. Nobody likes to breathe in second hand smoke. It is annoying and a health hazard. Smoking does not improve th economy. How many protests have there been lately in Quebec to ban smoking? People die from smoking...real people die every year and it is horrible and dangerous to the environment.
4. Poutine
Delicious,.... but deadly? Well maybe not deadly but a large portion of poutine is high in calories, fat content, sodium and cholesterol. It could probably be renamed the "widow maker" because it is very unhealthy but yet there are no warnings about it on restaurant menus. If you ate too many poutines you are likely to increase your chances of obesity that can lead to obesity-related health problems. These health problems can result in hospital time and, once again the taxpayers foot the bill. People can abuse their own bodies with all kinds of unhealthy foods that are available in restaurants or grocery stores but yet there is no uproar about this danger that is ever present....why not?
So this leads me to what else but........fracking and the natural gas industry. The natural gas industry doesn't kill anyone but we know for sure that driving, smoking, alcohol and poor health causes thousands of deaths every year. Real people are dying and what is the government doing about it?....absoloutely nothing!! So why then is the government so afraid to allow the natural gas industry to develop? Don't say its not safe. You already allow many things that are part of every day life that kill people and destroy families. The environment is not better because of car pollution, cigarette smoke or forest fires. The economy is not better because of obesity, alcoholism or heart disease.
Maybe its because alternative energy sources are better? Who wants to buy a house beside a coal mine? What neighborhood is asking for a windmill on their street? How many people do you know that have installed solar panels? You see where I'm going? All these other energy sources sound great in theory but they are not the answer and they bring with them many logistical and pragmatic issues not easily solved. The irony of all these other sources of energy is that if you want to proceed with any or all of them you are still going to need natural gas to run the factories they come from. And that brings us back to the beginning. Why do you want to send your dollars to Alberta? The only people that truly benefit from Quebec NOT developing their own resources are the people that live in Alberta...they are laughing all the way to the bank. They probably hope Quebec stays energy dependent forever...they love cashing those billion dollar cheques....who wouldn't?
So now I'm pretty much done. Is the oil and natural gas industry without risk? Probably not. But we already live in a society with dangers that are killing people every day and they continue without even the slightest controversy. Why is the government opposed to an industry that MIGHT have problems but ignores current issues that CONSTANTLY cause problems (and death)? Why is the government digging their heels in when it comes to the oil and gas industry? It just doesn't make sense. My solution....work with the oil and gas industry. Make the industry both safe and accountable while profitable for the people and the province. if something were to go wrong, you study the problem and implement further measures to reduce the risk of another occurrance.The government has an opportunity to do something great. Lets hope they are willing to do the work in order to make the oil and gas industry flourish.
Thanks for listening. Write the Premier and tell her your thoughts....she works for you.
Tbonepickens.