AFL blasts Northern Gateway decision
Conditions placed on approval won't stop pipeline from shipping high-value jobs overseas
Edmonton – Despite the evidence that the Northern Gateway will be detrimental to the interests of Canadians, the National Energy Board's Joint Review Panel has given the go-ahead for a pipeline that will transport hundreds of thousands of barrels of raw bitumen to refineries in China every day.
The approval, which places more than 200 caveats and conditions on the pipeline, was announced on Thursday. The province's labour movement, which has provided research and evidence throughout the debate over the pipeline, took aim at the decision.
"This is a decision that Canadians will come to regret, and it's a decision that ignores the evidence," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "They've placed more than 200 conditions on this approval, but none of those caveats change the fact that this pipeline will siphon jobs out of Alberta, out of Canada and out of North America. It's a monstrous bitumen superhighway which will send thousands of high-paying jobs in upgrading and refining out of the country. Instead of those jobs being created Fort McMurray or Fort Saskatchewan, they'll be created in Shanghai or Bejing."
McGowan vowed that the Alberta Federation of Labour will support First Nations and environmental groups that will almost certainly continue to fight against the pipeline.
The AFL has shown that pipeline project will only create 228 permanent jobs, and barely 1,500 short-term construction jobs. Meanwhile, more than 26,000 long-term high-value upgrading jobs will be farmed out to low-wage jurisdictions overseas.
The AFL has spent more than two years examining the Northern Gateway pipeline, sifting through evidence and participating in cross-examination on the economic benefits of the project. According to the research presented by the Federation, shipping an unrefined product overseas will be detrimental to existing upgrading in Canada, and will further undermine the pricing of Canadian natural resources. The pipeline will drive up costs for Canadian upgraders by more than $800 million dollars.
Other evidence submitted by the AFL and various experts shows that:
• Canada only captures about 35 per cent of the potential value of bitumen when it's shipped raw, compared to 75 per cent of the value when it's upgraded to Synthetic Crude (SCO) before being exported
• With the construction of new bitumen export pipelines like Northern Gateway, the Alberta government's own studies show that the per centage of bitumen upgraded in Canada will collapse to as little as 23 per cent, compared to the 65 per cent that has traditionally been upgraded in the country.
"Governments at all levels pay lip service to wanting to keep good jobs in Canada, but they always end up putting the narrow interests of big energy corporations ahead of the broader public interests of Canadians," McGowan said, adding this is this is the AFL's fourth intervention against raw bitumen exports in recent years.
McGowan said he was pleased the review panel at least acknowledged that the AFL and the Communication Energy Paperworkers union (CEP) had raised "valid public interest considerations" in the arguments they made about lost Canadian jobs. But he was "disappointed and frustrated" by panel's conclusion that private energy companies would build more upgraders and refineries in Canada if it was economic to do so.
"The panel is ignoring the fact that governments in both the U.S. and China heavily subsidize their refining industries. That's why they've decided to rip and ship our resources and send them to refineries in their home countries. Given that these are resources owned by the Canadian public, the question that Canadians should be asking themselves is this: does it make sense for us to let other countries keep the jobs for themselves and leave us with the pollution and a few economic crumbs from the table?"
McGowan said the panel report demonstrates the need for a clear national energy strategy that puts the needs and interests of the Canadian public first.
"We shouldn't expect bureaucrats like those who worked on the review panel to stand up to big oil companies," McGowan said. "They can't and they won't. What we need, instead, are politicians with courage; politicians who remember that they work for Canadians citizens, not multi-national oil companies. More specifically, we need a made-in-Canada energy strategy that puts a priority on long-term job creation for Canadians and energy security for Canada. Every other energy-producing country in the world, including the U.S., has a strategy to protect and promote their own domestic interests. It's time for our politicians to get their heads out of the oil sands, pardon the pun, and start standing up for Canadians, instead of caving in to the Exxons and Sinopecs of the world."
For a particularly thoughtful analysis of the Northern Gateway debate, please watch the video recently prepared by independent economist Robyn Allan, who appeared as an expert witness for the AFL during the joint panel hearings. The video can be found at this address: http://www.robynallan.com/2013/12/09/pipelines-and-oil-tankers/
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780-218-9888 (cell)
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
Northern Gateway deal could shortchange Alberta
Pipeline tolls are deductible from royalties; agreement could cost Alberta taxpayers
Edmonton – The Alberta Federation of Labour is warning that Albertans could be shortchanged for their natural resources if the province goes ahead with the pipeline deal Premier Alison Redford struck with her counterpart in B.C.
Under Alberta’s royalty framework, pipeline tolls are deductable from the funds that oil companies pay for the right to extract the province’s resources. Unless this is clarified, every penny that is paid to B.C. under the deal would be one less penny that goes to pay for public services in Alberta.
“The Northern Gateway pipeline is a bad deal for Canadians, this loophole could make it an even worse one,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “If Christy Clark is worried about B.C.’s revenues, she should work with Premier Redford toward creating more good-paying value-added jobs, rather than crafting a deal that could raid our coffers.”
An additional toll paid by companies shipping raw bitumen through British Columbia for refining in China will translate into fewer royalties paid to Albertans.
“It is entirely inappropriate for a neighbouring province to attempt to grab value from the resources that belong to Albertans,” McGowan said. “This deal could make Alberta’s budget deficit worse, it will undermine public services…on top of which, the Northern Gateway pipeline will funnel good-paying upgrading jobs out of the country.”
The benefits of the pipeline have been greatly overstated. Enbridge forecasts that the pipeline will bring only 228 permanent jobs across the entire pipeline, with the vast majority of them – 183 jobs – in Kitimat, B.C. Alberta will get a mere 24 permanent jobs from pipeline operations.
“Rather than ill-considered resource revenue grabs, Clark and Redford could provide incentives for in-province upgrading and refining of Alberta’s oil sands,” McGowan said.
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Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
October 2013: Parkland Institute Annual Conference; Superstore Workers Win Vastly Improved Offer After Three-Day Strike; Help Defend Alberta Pensions; AFL Makes Final Argument in Favour o...
Urgent Action
Parkland Institute Annual Conference
The Parkland Institute is putting Facts, Fictions, and the Politics of Truth under the microscope at their 17th Annual Conference, Nov. 22-24 at the University of Alberta.
The conference will examine how governments have been increasingly limiting the ability of scientists to speak about their research, and how important research has been defunded.
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges will be presenting a keynote speech on his latest book Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt. Other speakers will include Arno Kepecky, Katie Gibbs, and internationally syndicated columnist Michael Geist.
For more information, please visit the convention page at http://parklandinstitute.ca/fallconf2013
News
Superstore Workers Win Vastly Improved Offer After Three-Day Strike
UFCW 401 celebrated a victory in the fight for fair wages after signing a new contract with Loblaws.
More than 8,500 workers returned to work after a three-day strike was resolved with a new collective agreement.
“The new contract is one that the employees can be proud of, and now includes none of the most troubling concessions that were there when they went on strike,” UFCW president Douglas O’Halloran said.
The improvements in the newly ratified deal include wage increases in every year of the Collective Agreement, along with retroactive pay, as well as money for a brand new sick pay plan for part-time workers and significant improvements to the full-time benefits.
“We’re proud of our brothers and sisters at UFCW who stood up to unreasonable employer demands, and won a major victory,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “Many AFL members from a broad cross section of the labour movement are glad to have stood in solidarity with UFCW. The number of our members – and the number of Albertans – who refused to cross the picket line was inspiring.”
Help Defend Alberta Pensions
On Sept. 16, most Alberta public sector unions received word from the Redford Government that it intends to implement major change to public sector pension plans, including the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP), which includes many of our members.
For now, affected unions are working together to change the government’s mind. The coalition includes the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, Alberta Colleges and Institutes Faculties Association, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Health Sciences Association of Alberta, United Nurses of Alberta and the Alberta Federation of Labour.
Hardworking Alberta workers deserve a decent, predictable and secure retirement income after years of working and contributing to their pension plan. This real retirement security is best and most efficiently provided by a jointly governed defined benefit pension plan. For public-sector workers, the Local Authorities Pension Plan has worked for 50 years and it can continue working into the future without drastic changes so long as workers and employers are given the ability to manage the plan.
The Alberta Federation of Labour urges you to let the government know that you oppose the undermining of Alberta’s public-sector pension plans. Visit the website www.defendalbertapensions.ca to send a letter to Finance Minister Doug Horner.
AFL Makes Final Argument in Favour of Enbridge Line 9 Pipeline
The Alberta Federation of Labour president submitted final arguments to the National Energy Board in favour of the Enbridge Line 9 Project today.
AFL president Gil McGowan said he supports Line 9 because it keeps value-added jobs in Canada, and is good for the people of Alberta and the people of Quebec. Line 9 will expand and reverse the flow of Line 9 and 9B, connecting the Synthetic Crude Oil coming from Alberta's upgraders to refineries in Quebec.
"Line 9 connects Alberta's upgraders, and all the good-paying jobs that go with them, to refineries in Quebec, where thousands of good jobs are also at stake. It provides a market for synthetic crude, and keeps value-added jobs in both our provinces," McGowan said. "Line 9 allows Quebec refineries to stop importing higher-cost crude from Angola, Nigeria, and Algeria, and instead allows them to buy Alberta's upgraded products, which enhances Canadian energy security."
The AFL is a frequent intervener in National Energy Board pipeline proceedings. The Federation has intervened against Keystone, Keystone XL, Southern Lights, Alberta Clipper, and Northern Gateway, on the grounds that these pipelines ship raw bitumen, and therefore value-added jobs, down the pipeline to the United States or China. This is the first time the Federation has intervened in favour of a pipeline project at the National Energy Board.
Download the AFL press release issued Oct 3:“AFL Makes Final Argument in Favour of Enbridge Line 9 Pipeline”: http://www.afl.org/index.php/Press-Release/afl-makes-final-argument-in-favour-of-enbridge-line-9-pipeline.html
Did you know…
- The average LAPP pension is just under $14,958 per year – and only after years of work and pension contributions.
- The LAPP Pension Fund fluctuates in value because of the stock market. It is currently on track to be in surplus within 10 years.
- Almost one in every 10 Albertans has a stake in either the LAPP or the PSPP.
Events
November 1: Alberta NDP Convention in Lethbridge
November 22-24: Parkland Institute Conference in Edmonton
December 10: AFL Open House…in the new Office!
AFL Makes Final Argument in Favour of Enbridge Line 9 Pipeline
Federation of Labour supports East-West connections that keep refining and upgrading jobs in Canada
Edmonton – The Alberta Federation of Labour President submitted final arguments to the National Energy Board in favour of the Enbridge Line 9 Project today.
AFL president Gil McGowan said he supports Line 9 because it keeps value-added jobs in Canada, and is good for the people of Alberta and the people of Quebec. Line 9 will expand and reverse the flow of Line 9 and 9B, connecting the Synthetic Crude Oil coming from Alberta's upgraders to refineries in Quebec.
"Line 9 connects Alberta's upgraders, and all the good-paying jobs that go with them, to refineries in Quebec, where thousands of good jobs are also at stake. It provides a market for synthetic crude, and keeps value-added jobs in both our provinces," McGowan said. "Line 9 allows Quebec refineries to stop importing higher-cost crude from Angola, Nigeria, and Algeria, and instead allows them to buy Alberta's upgraded products, which enhances Canadian energy security."
The AFL is a frequent intervener in National Energy Board pipeline proceedings. The Federation has intervened against Keystone, Keystone XL, Southern Lights, Alberta Clipper, and Northern Gateway, on the grounds that these pipelines ship raw bitumen, and therefore value-added jobs, down the pipeline to the United States or China. This is the first time the Federation has intervened in favour of a pipeline project at the National Energy Board.
The AFL represents 160,000 Alberta workers, including 25,000 in energy and energy-related construction.
Contact the AFL for a copy its Final Written Argument, filed on October 3.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Gil McGowan, President at 780.218.9888
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
Pipelines Don't Upgrade
Energy East no solution on its own, but creates opportunity for upgrading in Canada
EDMONTON - The Energy East pipeline is a two-edged sword warns the Alberta Federation of Labour.
Although the Energy East pipeline could help create good jobs in Canada, it will only do so if it is part of a national energy strategy that includes in-country upgrading and refining. Otherwise, it will only be the first leg of a journey that exports good-paying jobs to upgraders and refineries abroad.
"The Energy East pipeline has a capacity to ship 1.1 million barrels per day of raw bitumen," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said, noting that there are two Eastern Canadian refineries that might be able to work with raw bitumen, the one in Sarnia and the one in St. John, which would require improvements before taking the bitumen. "At best they could only have taken a fraction of what the Energy East pipeline will carry – and they're already near capacity. Unless there are more upgraders being built, this is going to be an export pipeline."
The Alberta Federation of Labour has consistently called for the creation of more upgraders in Alberta. According to the Government of Alberta's testimony at the Northern Gateway hearings, Alberta is expected to lose $8 billion/year in refining value as we ship bitumen overseas rather than upgrading it here.
Several times over the past decade, and under the leadership of three premiers, the Government of Alberta has promised to ensure at least 2/3 of Alberta's bitumen is upgraded in the province. At present, barely half of our bitumen is upgraded in-province, and the percentage is decreasing.
"This is the wrong infrastructure for Alberta because pipelines don't upgrade," McGowan said. "We need a strategy to ensure Albertans get the maximum value out of the resources they own. Doing so creates more jobs and wealth. We get more for synthetic crude. Synthetic crude is easier to transport. It just makes sense for us as a province, and for us as a country."
Almost immediately after the pipeline approval was announced, TransCanada and Irving Oil said they would build a $300 million export terminal in Saint John that would ship raw bitumen to world markets. Ironically, this export terminal will be immediately adjacent to the existing import terminal.
"We'll be shipping a low-cost commodity to the United States or China, and then we'll have to buy it back from them at a premium. When you fill up your car, 40 cents of every liter will be shipped to Liaoning or Mississippi," McGowan said. "The few jobs created by the pipeline and export terminal will be dwarfed by the long-term jobs in refineries and upgraders elsewhere."
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]
Pipeline plans defended on last day of hearings
The provincial government's demand that Northern Gateway conduct full-scale unannounced marine emergency response drills is not practical, the pipeline company said in its final argument on Monday.
Northern Gateway lawyer Richard Neufeld told the National Energy Board's Joint Review Panel that the number of people that need to be mobilized for a full-scale drill makes them difficult to co-ordinate logistically. He said it would be unfair to mobilize so many provincial and federal officials with no advance warning.
"[The full-scale drills are] beyond industry best practice," Neufeld said, noting that the company supports having unannounced drills for elements of its response plan.
B.C.'s chief legal strategist Geoff Plant said last week that the drills are necessary because at this point in time the province isn't sure if the plans the pipeline company has announced are feasible.
"The general concern all along has been that a lot of what has been put forward by Northern Gateway as evidence of their spill response capacity is more like plans than actual programs and some of the questions asked today is we actually wanted to test drive spill response plans to make sure they actually work," Plant said.
Twice during his final argument, Neufeld called on provincial officials to get together with the federal government and industry so the three groups can get on the same page regarding what's needed to make the marine response "world class."
Neufeld broke his nearly two-hour final argument into four themes: economic need for the pipeline; respect; the need for good science and balancing the public interest with regional effects.
He said the construction phase will generate 62,000 person years of employment and disputed claims by the Alberta Federation of Labour that those jobs were inconsequential in the long run.
"Those jobs will do more than provide a paycheque," Neufeld said. "It will provide income, enduring skills and more than that, hope."
In his section on respect, Neufeld said it was unfair that intervener groups had called Northern Gateway "dismissive, insulting and arrogant" during their final argument. Yet at the same time he consistently failed to identify Skeena-Bulkey Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen by name, referring to the pipeline opponent as "the politician who called in from Ottawa" on more than one occassion. Neufeld named all other interveners directly.
The good science category was taken up by rebuttals on the fate of diluted bitumen in water, the threat posed by geohazards along the proposed right of way and the effects of routine marine operations on wildlife.
"The Internet is full of publications not supported by science," Neufeld said.
In his final section, Neufeld took on the request made by some intervener groups that Northern Gateway use tougher pipe and apply multi-layer coatings to reduce the risk of a rupture.
Neufeld said the company is sticking to its plan to use category one pipe for most of the route and category two on certain areas where it's required. He didn't mention category three pipe at all.
Earlier Monday, Prince George engineer Chris Peter told the panel that Northern Gateway is saying one thing in its filing and saying something different to the media when Ray Doering, the company's manager of engineering, speculated to the Citizen last week that category three pipe is being considered.
"Would a trial lawyer be able to try his case in the press without making the same case in court?" Peter asked.
The three members of the panel, Hans Matthews, Kenneth Bateman and chairwoman Sheila Leggett concluded the hearings by offering their thanks to everyone who participated in the process.
"Everyone has worked to provide the panel with the best evidence possible and we thank you for that," Leggett said.
They will begin their deliberations shortly and provide recommendations to the federal cabinet by the end of the year.
The Prince George Citizen, Wednesday, June 27, 2013
Byline: Peter James
June 2013: Free Workshop FOIP; Boycott i-Hotel and Edm Hotel & Conv. Centre; Act now on Bill C-377; Bill C-525: Another Tory attempt to undermine unions; Supreme Court sides with workers ...
URGENT ACTION
Free Workshop on Access to Information on Friday, June 28
The Alberta Federation of Labour will host a "Lunch and Learn" workshop covering the basics of Alberta's Freedom of Information legislation. This workshop, the first in a series, is an opportunity for our members, affiliates, and allies to learn about a subject that is of interest to the labour movement.
This workshop will cover the basics of FOIP in Alberta, including:
- How to navigate the FOIP request system
- Why sometimes it's important to get information the government would rather keep secret
- How to word a request to save time and money
- How to follow up with further requests or judicial review.
When: Friday, June 28 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Where: AFL Meeting Hall (10654 – 101 Street Edmonton)
RSVP: 780-483-3021
See poster for more details.
Important Notice:
Due to flooding in Calgary, all protest events related to the federal Conservative Convention have been postponed until the convention can be rescheduled.
Boycott i-Hotel and Edmonton Hotel and Convention Centre in support of UFCW 401
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 started an organizing drive in March to unionize the i-Hotel in Red Deer, Alberta, which was formerly the Holiday Inn on 67th Street.
During the process owner Amin Suleman was made aware of union activity and interfered with the organizing efforts of Local 401.
3 members have been harassed, intimidated, and terminated for expressing their legal right to join a union. The ALRB issued a consent order that UFCW 401 supports and the employer refuses to honour.
UFCW 401 needs your help. They are asking all labour organizations to help them in the fight against a ruthless employer. Please support UFCW 401 by boycotting this employer until an agreement can be reached between the union and employer. UFCW 401 does not want to cripple business and wants people to advise reservations why they are pulling their business. This employer operates two hotels in Alberta.
i-Hotel at 6500 – 67 Street, Red Deer, AB
Edmonton Hotel and Convention Centre at 4520 – 76th Avenue, Edmonton.
Click here for letter from UFCW 401 to the AFL.
For more information please contact Director of Organizing, Chris O'Halloran at [email protected]
Bill C-377 – Send a message to the Senate
The Senate will be debating C-377 this week. There is a real chance to expose the bill as transparently anti-union, and potentially to amend or defeat it.
The bill has been pilloried by almost everyone who attended the hearings held by the Senate banking committee.
The CLC and other labour organizations are asking for maximum lobbying (calls to your regional senators, etc.). To find the right phone # or e-mail, please go here.
Below is a commentary by Jim Stanford, CAW Researcher (speaker at our convention) on the Senate's deliberations.
Every member that is able to voice their opposition to this bill could make a difference. PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE TO ALL SENATORS, WRITE YOUR MP AND CC ALL MEMBERS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE.
The Alberta CUPE website allows you to send a message to all senators.
Please visit http://cupe.ca/unions/urges-senate-block-anti-union-bill
They're running an online action on an issue that I think will concern you. It takes two minutes and you can make a difference. Other websites:
http://www.albertacarpenters.com/fight-bill-c-377
http://www.canadianlabour.ca/national/news/investment-firms-alarmed-about-bill-c-377-anti-union-bill-will-have-costly-consequence
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/phil-flemming/bill-c377-labour-canada_b_2639500.html
Bill C-525: Another Conservative attempt to undermine unions
The Harper government is again turning to its backbenchers to make laws designed to weaken unions. Bill C-525, if passed, will interfere in labour relations and the established rights of workers to join and remain in a union.
Currently, workers in federally regulated industries are recognized as a bargaining agent if they can show that they represent the majority of workers. Bill C-525 will require the union to prove that 50% of all employees – not just those that vote – want to remain in a union. If that doesn't happen, the unit will be decertified. This opens the door to all sorts of employer interference, such as anti-union propaganda and threats to shutdown workplaces, in efforts to suppress votes to get rid of unions.
Bill C-525 will apply to federally regulated unions, but make no mistake that this is another Harper Conservative attempt to weaken unions. If this Bill passes, we'll likely see more brazen attacks. Together, we can send a message to Harper and stop Bill C-525.
For a summary on Bill C-525 read the CUPE release and backgrounder.
View Bill C-525.
Please sign and promote the NDP petition
News
Supreme Court sides with workers right to privacy
On June 14, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a mandatory random alcohol testing policy imposed by Irving Pulp and Paper at a Saint John, N.B., Kraft mill in 2006 was unreasonable.The case, which stems from a grievance filed by Communications Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Local 30 in New Brunswick, has implications to similar cases in Alberta's oil sands. The ruling is a major victory in the fight against random and arbitrary privacy violations through drug and alcohol testing.
"This decision is in line with years of jurisprudence, makes sense, and is in the interest of Canadians. Employers can't arbitrarily introduce a random drug or alcohol testing regime by declaring a workplace "dangerous" without proving that there's a problem," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "There's a direct parallel between this case and what's happening at Suncor: there's no evidence that there's a problem and the employer can't simply impose their will on the worker and strip them of their privacy without proving there's one."
In 15 years before the policy was imposed, there were eight instances in which a worker was found to be under the influence of alcohol and none involved an accident or injury. During the 22 months the policy was in effect, no one tested positive.
"The expected safety gains to the employer in this case were found by the board to range 'from uncertain ... to minimal at best' while the impact on employee privacy was found to be much more severe," Justice Rosalie Abella wrote for the majority. For more information see June 14 release
AFL wraps up its case against job-sucking Northern Gateway pipeline
The Alberta Federation of Labour made its final arguments to the Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings on Tuesday, June 18 in Terrace, B.C. The Federation made the case that the Pipeline is not in the best interests of Canadians.The pipeline, if approved, will ship some of our country's best potential jobs down the pipeline to China. In its presentation to the National Energy Board, the AFL showed that it makes economic sense to upgrade bitumen in Alberta – or at least in Canada – rather than exporting it raw to foreign markets.
"The proponents of this project have compared the pipeline to the CPR and called it an important piece of Canadian infrastructure. But the Northern Gateway Pipeline is a piece of Chinese infrastructure, not Canadian infrastructure," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "The ownership structure of the pipeline shows that the project will benefit China's state-owned oil companies, shipping good-paying oil sands jobs to Asia." For more information see June 17 release with links to a backgrounder and AFL final arguments
Did you know...
- the Northern Gateway pipeline will create only 228 permanent jobs in Canada
- During construction of the pipeline, the project will temporarily create 1,500 construction jobs
- At least 26,000 Canadian jobs would be created if we upgraded/refined the bitumen destined for China here at home.
Events
June 28: Alberta Federation of Labour "Lunch & Learn", 12:30 -2:30 PM
July 1: Canada Day
July 5-6:
Aug 5: Civic Holiday
Aug 5-9: AFL Kids' Camp
Aug 24: EDLC "Big Splash Open" Golf Tournament
Aug 31: EDLC Labour Day BBQ
Aug 31: Sept 2: Founding UNIFOR Convention
Sept 2: Labour Day
Sept 8: World Literacy Day
Sept 17-18: AFL Executive Committee/Council
Northern Gateway’s biggest risk to Canada is not approving pipeline: Enbridge
TERRACE, B.C. — Enbridge Inc. shot back at critics of its proposed Northern Gateway pipeline Monday, arguing the project is making enormous and costly commitments to avoid accidents and that the biggest risk to the country is not approving it.
In its final words to a panel of regulators reviewing the project, Northern Gateway lawyer Richard Neufeld said Canada is vulnerable to its only market, the United States, deciding it no longer wants Canadian oil.
"You want to see an economic Black Swan for Canada?" Mr. Neufeld said in addressing fears the pipeline exposes the country to an unpredictable event of massive proportions.
"How about a decision from the U.S. that it will no longer need Canadian oil? ... The $30-billion in export price discounting ... would be a drop in the bucket. Canadians would be facing, we suggest, an economic catastrophe of unprecedented proportion."
After a massive review that reached out to communities along Northern Gateway's proposed right of way from Edmonton to the Northern West Coast, proponents and critics of the oil sands pipeline are presenting their closing oral arguments in this picturesque frontier town about an hour's drive from Kitimat, its endpoint.
Related
In a packed banquet room in the town's main hotel, Mr. Neufeld dismissed the most common criticism of the project — that Enbridge hasn't provided enough information about its risks and the benefits for regulators to approve it.
Participants hold signs in Terrace, B.C., during an anti-pipeline protest, on Sunday June 16, 2013.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Robin Rowland
"Given the volume of information that comprises the hearing record, it's an argument that appears quite hollow to use," Mr. Neufeld said.
"No amount of additional ... information would persuade any member of the tar sands campaign to support a pipeline such as this. They are never going to say that enough information has been provided."
There were no demonstrations at the start of the hearings, although a rally in opposition to the pipeline was held on Sunday in a local park.
The three-member Joint Review Panel of the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is expected to wrap up the hearings in two weeks and make a recommendation to the federal government by Dec. 31 on whether the project is in the public interest.
Mr. Neufeld said the project has presented a path forward to address many of the concerns raised during the review, from the potential of an oil spill on land or in the ocean, to engagement with First Nations, and urged the panel to approve it.
"Tradeoffs are a fact of life," he said. "That does not mean that any person or community or region must be marginalized.... all it means is that in determining public interest we need to seek the balance that respects local interests, plans that deliver benefits to local communities, while still ensure that the projects that are needed for this country will proceed. We suggest that this project respect that balance."
But Art Sterritt, representing the province's Coastal First Nations, said Enbridge has failed to show the benefits are greater than the costs and the risks and approval would lead to "nothing but conflict.
"Remember this," he warned panel chair Sheila Leggett.
"Despite the hundreds of millions and effort by the proponents, B.C. First Nations and all of the public of B.C. have rejected this project ... I have never witnessed a project that has garnered such opposition, never in the history of B.C. I don't envy the position that you are in."
Up next are the Alexander First Nation, the Alberta Federation of Labour, B.C. Nature and Nature Canada, and then the province of British Columbia. These are all expected to present Monday.
Ottawa Citizen, Monday, June 17, 2013
Byline: Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post
Alberta Federation of Labour makes case against Gateway
The Alberta Federation of Labour gave its final arguments against the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline on Monday, begging the joint review panel to reject the project.
At a hearing in Terrace, B.C., AFL president Gil McGowan argued Gateway will hurt Canada's economy, creating few jobs locally and more jobs in Chinese refineries.
"The proponents of this project have compared the pipeline to the (Canadian Pacific Railway) and called it an important piece of Canadian infrastructure. But the Northern Gateway pipeline is a piece of Chinese infrastructure, not Canadian infrastructure," said McGowan.
"The ownership structure of the pipeline shows that the project will benefit China's state-owned oil companies, shipping good-paying oilsands jobs to Asia."
McGowan states the pipeline will create only 228 permanent jobs and 1,500 temporary construction jobs during a three year period. He also argues that the pipeline will drive up operating costs for Canadian refineries by more than $800 million.
The AFL is not opposed to selling oilsands product to lucrative Asian markets, says McGowan. Instead, McGowan favours refining bitumen in Alberta before selling it to foreign markets. The labour orgainization estimates that at least 26,000 Canadian jobs would be created if bitumen sold to China was refined in Alberta.
"If we want Cadillac prices for our resources, then we have to sell a Cadillac product," said McGowan.
"That means selling upgraded bitumen, called synthethic crude, rather than raw bitumen. Some country is going to capture the value and create the jobs. We think that country should be Canada, not China."
The AFL represents 160,000 Alberta workers, including 25,000 in energy and energy-related construction.
The Monday hearings were the final arguments to either supporting or denouncing the $6.5 billion pipeline that, if approved, will link the oilsands to the B.C. coast. From a port in Kitimat, bitumen will be loaded onto tankers heading to California and Asia, on the B.C. coast.
The largest hurdle is a coalition of aboriginal groups who argue they were poorly consulted by Enbridge, and that the pipeline will run through territory seen as culturally vital.
Enbridge and company supporters have spent approximately $500 million on environmental and engineering studies, as well as public and aboriginal consultations for the project. Enbridge also argues B.C.'s oil and gas industry could gain more than $18 billion in additional investments if the project is approved.
The joint review panel is expected to finish the hearings within two weeks and make a recommendation on the project's future to the federal government by Dec. 31.
Oil sands jobs should stay in Canada, not be shipped to China
AFL to make final arguments against Northern Gateway Pipeline
EDMONTON – The Alberta Federation of Labour is making the case that the Northern Gateway Pipeline is not in the best interests of Canadians.
At a hearing today in Terrace, B.C., the AFL will argue that the pipeline, if approved, will ship some of our country's best potential jobs down the pipeline to China. In its presentation to the National Energy Board, the AFL will show that it makes economic sense to upgrade bitumen in Alberta – or at least in Canada – rather than exporting it raw to foreign markets.
"The proponents of this project have compared the pipeline to the CPR and called it an important piece of Canadian infrastructure. But the Northern Gateway Pipeline is a piece of Chinese infrastructure, not Canadian infrastructure," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "The ownership structure of the pipeline shows that the project will benefit China's state-owned oil companies, shipping good-paying oil sands jobs to Asia."
To date, evidence presented to the Joint Review panel considering the pipeline shows that:
- the pipeline will create only 228 permanent jobs in Canada
- only 1,500 construction jobs will be created for three years, then nothing more
- the Northern Gateway Pipeline will drive up costs for Canadian refineries more than $800 million, which could lead to refinery closures.
The AFL's evidence shows:
- At least 26,000 Canadian jobs would be created if we upgraded/refined the bitumen destined for China here at home.
"If we want Cadillac prices for our resources, then we have to sell a Cadillac product," McGowan said. "And that means selling upgraded bitumen, called synthethic crude, rather than raw bitumen. Some country is going to capture the value and create the jobs. We think that country should be Canada, not China."
The AFL's arguments against the Northern Gateway pipeline are the product of more than two years of sifting through evidence and participating in cross-examination on the economic benefits of the project.
The AFL represents 160,000 Alberta workers, including 25,000 in energy and energy-related construction.
"Governments at all levels pay lip service to wanting to keep good jobs in Canada," McGowan said, adding this is this is the AFL's fourth intervention against raw bitumen exports in recent years. "Through these pipeline hearings, Alberta's unions are holding governments to their word. Oil sands jobs belong to Albertans first."
AFL president Gil McGowan will be available for comment at 3:00 P.M. at the United Nurses of Alberta offices, 700-11150 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton.
AFL Backgrounder: AFL final arguments against the Northern Gateway Pipeline
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780-289-6528 (cell) or via email [email protected]