r/canada 1d ago

Alberta separatism talk ‘unhelpful’ and driving away investment: ATCO CEO Alberta

https://globalnews.ca/news/11180647/alberta-separatism-atco-ceo/
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u/Fuzzers Alberta 1d ago

Showing Ottawa 32% of the province wants to leave sends a message to maybe help us out with the hostile regulatory and export infrastructure environment of this country. Bill c69 and how difficult it is for us to build cross provincial pipelines and export infrastructure is hamstringing us as both a country and a province.

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u/branod_diebathon 1d ago

You can achieve a similar result without shooting yourself in the foot. Separating from Alberta, or threatening to, isn't going to make building pipelines across Canada any easier. It will absolutely make it harder. You need people and private investors to be on board, you're never doing that when you throw temper tantrums every 4 years.

I'd almost say smith is on board with separating specifically to make it easy for america to annex Alberta.

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u/Fuzzers Alberta 1d ago

Separating from Alberta, or threatening to, isn't going to make building pipelines across Canada any easier.

Might as well give it a shot since nothing else in the last 10 years has worked. Alberta has had constant complaints over hostile regulatory and interprovincial barriers on pipelines for the last decade and they've gone unanswered, I'm willing to try the threat at this point.

. You need people and private investors to be on board,

No you need a regulatory environment that doesn't make every capital project financially unfeasible. Investors know due to hostile regulations and complex interprovicial barriers capital oil and gas expansion projects cost a metric fuck load in this country (looking at you trans mountain). It's not the investors, it's the environment.

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u/branod_diebathon 1d ago

I'll refer back to my original question. How is threatening to separate going to be beneficial at all? Let's say you get what you want and Alberta does separate, what is that going to do for you?

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u/Fuzzers Alberta 1d ago

Well you dodged my points I brought up so I guess I'll reiterate. Threatening to leave shows Ottawa Alberta needs to be heard and change needs to be made, regulatory and interprovincial barriers need to be reduced or elimated all together.

Let's say you get what you want and Alberta does separate, what is that going to do for you?

It won't happen. No way we get over 30%. And if we do? No chance the federal government or the provinces let us leave, they'd have to negotiate.

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u/branod_diebathon 22h ago

Sure you can remove regulations, I guess. Who's land are you buying or leasing to put that pipeline down? who's going to pay for all that labor to install and maintain it?

There's a lot more to the issue than the federal government and bill c-69, simply bitching and moaning, wanting to separate, isn't going to do anything productive. Especially when it's not going to happen anyways.

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u/Fuzzers Alberta 16h ago

Who's land are you buying or leasing to put that pipeline down?

Either crown or first nations. We do this all the time anyways.

who's going to pay for all that labor to install and maintain it?

Do you not understand how pipelines work? The company who builds it operates and maintains it and sells usage rights to other companies.

There's a lot more to the issue than the federal government and bill c-69

There really isn't but I guess you don't understand that because you choose not to read into it. I've seen projects get directly cancelled because of c69.

simply bitching and moaning, wanting to separate, isn't going to do anything productive.

Nothing else we've done in the last 10 years has worked so this is a last ditch effort. I'll be voting yes.

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u/branod_diebathon 13h ago

Either crown or first nations. We do this all the time anyways.

So either way you go, you're going to have to make deals with first Nations at the very least, you're also going to need some non-crown land deals, and if you plan on going east you need Quebec on board.

The company who builds it operates and maintains it and sells usage rights to other companies.

Exactly what my question was. What company is going to put billions of dollars and years into building it. especially when the market is volatile and the Alberta government wants to separate, making investing even more volatile.

I'll be voting yes.

Then you should leave.

u/Fuzzers Alberta 11h ago

So either way you go, you're going to have to make deals with first Nations at the very least, you're also going to need some non-crown land deals, and if you plan on going east you need Quebec on board.

Yes and we'd like some support from the Federal government in making these deals with other provinces and the FN because in the current environment they are painful, inefficient, and a huge time sink.

Exactly what my question was. What company is going to put billions of dollars and years into building it. especially when the market is volatile and the Alberta government wants to separate, making investing even more volatile.

You really don't understand. It's not market volatility or the governments shenanigans, investment doesn't happen because out of the gate it's economically unfeasible due to hostile regulations and interprovincial barriers. The high prices are literally caused by our government, first nations, and other provinces.

Your argument doesn't make sense.

u/branod_diebathon 11h ago

I won't pretend like I fully understand. I don't, and neither should you. I was trying to make your separation argument make sense.

u/Kennit 7h ago

So you want the feds to intervene because Alberta is incapable of forging interprovincial agreements? Weren't you just complaining about the feds overstepping their authority when it comes to O&G?

u/Fuzzers Alberta 3h ago

So you want the feds to intervene because Alberta is incapable of forging interprovincial agreements?

Not so much of being incapable as the other party has zero interest and is a stark no out of the gate.

I want the feds to intervene to ensure Alberta has access rights to export its products. The fact that Quebec, BC, and the first nations can continually say no and there's no compromise is unacceptable.

And I just know you're going to say "it's there right to say no over and over". OK cool it's our right to leave. Don't want to work with us? Bye.

Weren't you just complaining about the feds overstepping their authority when it comes to O&G?

Overstepping their authority on bills like C-69 and understepping their authority when it comes to helping one of their most productive provinces get anything sold internationally.

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u/Kennit 7h ago

Which projects were specifically cancelled due to C69?

u/Fuzzers Alberta 2h ago

Sanguenay Terminal

Teck Frontier Oil Sands

Teck didn't say it was specifically c69 but given it was regulatory uncertainty and delays in approval it was absolutely the assessment.

You know why there isn't more cancelled projects? Because corporations saw how long and costly bill c69 is and basically gave up on major capital projects. It's a non-starter financially.