Labour federation slams gov’t bitumen royalty program

A move by the province to increase bitumen upgrading on this side of the border has at least one labour group saying it’s too little to be of any significance. […]

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Suncor CEO mum on upgrader expansion: Strong U.S. demand for heavy oil has pushed company delay completion of Voyageur project

With construction of its oil sands upgrader stalled, Suncor Energy Inc. SU-T said Wednesday it plans to sell unprocessed bitumen to U.S. refiners, whose strong demand for Canadian heavy oil […]

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Premier’s vow of no tax hikes spurs fear of deep cuts: Economist forecasts deficit of more than $7 billion

Premier Ed Stelmach’s declaration that there will be no tax hikes during his reign has some people bracing for brutal cuts to programs and services if the faltering economy does […]

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Stelmach rules out tax increases to fix deficit

Premier Ed Stelmach is ruling out any tax increases to balance the budget. And to prove the point, he’s rescinding a tax on liquor, brought in just a few months […]

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Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says there will be no tax hikes while he’s in charge

CALGARY – Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is laying down the law when it comes to raising taxes in the province – saying now and forever, the answer is no. Faced […]

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EPCOR and Capital Power dispute legal claim

EDMONTON, July 7, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ —On June 30, 2009, an action was commenced in the Court of the Queen’s Bench of Alberta, Judicial District of Edmonton […]

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TSX’s lone IPO this year seen as encouraging

A single stock issue in June by a company new to the TSX was the first initial public offering (IPO) since mid-2008, PricewaterhouseCoopers said Tuesday. The $500 million IPO by […]

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Long EI waits leave Albertans struggling: Hundreds turn to welfare system

CALGARY- When Heather Eide applied for employment insurance, she didn’t expect she’d have to wait more than two months. At 23, she had never been laid off before. She was […]

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Make new pension plan mandatory: Union

Canadians desperately need a mandatory pension program to ensure they don’t retire into poverty, but a supplementary pension plan being considered by the Alberta and British Columbia governments is a […]

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Albertans need mandatory pension plan: AFL

EDMONTON – Albertans desperately need a mandatory pension program to ensure they don’t retire into poverty, but a supplementary pension plan being considered by the Alberta and British Columbia governments […]

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Good for the goose, not for the gander: Critics charge bias, hypocrisy in new rules on municipal elections

Municipal elections in Alberta may become more transparent with the passage of a provincial bill which restricts the amount of money candidates at the local level will be allowed to […]

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Labour group worried about oilsands jobs seeping out of Alberta

CALGARY – It used to be a foregone conclusion that the gigantic shovel-and-dumptruck operations in the oilsands would go hand-in-hand with an upgrader – a multibillion dollar facility to turn […]

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Labour federation warns jobs will head south

Though some herald the job creation resulting from Imperial Oil’s decision to go ahead with its Kearl project, the Alberta Federation of Labour warns the long-term benefits will be shipped […]

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AFL fears Kearl will send Alberta jobs to U.S.

EDMONTON – The Alberta Federation of Labour is worried Imperial’s $8-billion Kearl Lake oilsands project will send most of the bitumen – and good jobs – to the U.S. once […]

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Oil jobs being sent south, charge critics

The provincial government is content to see oilpatch jobs shipped to the U.S., charges the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. Gil McGowan made that charge yesterday in the […]

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Imperial gives Kearl project green light: Battered oil sands industry welcomes decision to proceed with mine’s $8-billion Phase 1

Imperial Oil Ltd.’s (IMO-T42.09-0.14-0.33%) approval of a major new $8-billion project is sparking optimism for a revival in the oil sands after months of project delays due to low crude […]

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Imperial saved up to $1 billion by holding off on Kearl decision

CALGARY – Holding off on approving construction on the Kearl oilsands mine until Alberta´s overheated market cooled off saved Imperial Oil Ltd. (TSX:IMO) as much as $1 billion, the company´s […]

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AFL wants oil sands jobs to stay in Alberta

The Alberta Federation of Labor sees the Kearl oil sands project as a pipeline for shipping jobs to the United States. Construction of the mega project northeast of Fort McMurray […]

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Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program under review

In recent years, Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has been opened up to make it easier for Canadian employers to hire foreign workers to fill labour shortages in their […]

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Sitting on Kearl project announcement saved Imperial Oil more than $500 million

CALGARY – Waiting nearly a year to announce formal approval of the Kearl oilsands mining project saved Imperial Oil Ltd. between $500 million and $1 billion in capital costs, chairman […]

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Harper refuses to ease EI rules: Opposition demands called an ‘absurdity’

In the face of steep job losses and a battering recession, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday his government won’t ease eligibility rules for unemployment benefits. Harper, who was in […]

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Alberta prepares to launch new safety code in July 2009

A new Alberta safety code is coming into effect in July after a lengthy public consultation process. “Our members are supportive of the changes to legislation that improve safety, but […]

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A Green Economy to Lift Recession Blues

Alberta has the capacity to create over 20,000 jobs in the short run, and tens of thousands more long term by shifting its focus to a green economy, according to […]

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Alberta’s left wing discusses alliance: Liberal MLA meeting with other opponents of Tories

Calgary Liberal MLA David Swann has been quietly meeting with MLAs and other interested people about starting a new party based on green politics, accountability and democratic reform. Swann’s work, […]

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