The Notley government’s announcement that it will be making a $3.7-billion investment in railcars to get more Alberta oil to outside markets is perhaps a step in the right direction.
What it isn’t is the complete solution to the troubling position Alberta finds itself in due to the current shortage of pipelines for moving the province’s petroleum to tidewater.
And until new and expanded pipelines can be brought on line, particularly to the B.C. coast, this province will be unable to fulfil its full economic potential.
For her part, Premier Rachel Notley says the new strategic investment involving Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canadian National Railway and the province will lead to better prices for Alberta oil.
“Each and every Albertan owns our energy resources and deserves to get top dollar for them,” said Notley. “We are taking decisive actions to protect people and to protect our natural inheritance.
“When challenges are placed in front of us, we overcome them. I’m going to keep working every day to fight for a better future for every person who calls Alberta home.”
United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney calls the initiative a “risky venture.”
“The NDP has created a fiscal train wreck, putting Albertans on track for $100 billion in debt, and now the NDP is adding four billion tax dollars to that debt for a risky venture in the middle of the legal campaign period,” said Kenney.
Despite the efforts of the Alberta government and other stakeholders, such as the recent cross-country truck convoy, the bottom line when it comes to getting the province’s oil to outside markets remains in the hands of the federal government.
As long as Justin Trudeau is not prepared to declare the Trans Mountain pipeline vital to the national interest, Albertans may be forced to live with far smaller natural resource revenues than would otherwise be possible.
In the end, Alberta's long-term economic fate may end up being decided at the federal election polls later this year.
Dan Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor.
