By Rebecca Penty, Calgary Herald; With Files From Dan Healing December 30, 2011


The Alberta government is pushing ahead with a regulatory overhaul to handle an expected boom in light oil production from resource plays, attributed to the application of advanced oilfield technology.

Energy Minister Ted Morton is committing the province to updating its rules, amid public concern across the continent about the safety of multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, which is being widely employed to tap previously unproductive reservoirs.

"We have the opportunity here to be leaders in the safe and responsible development of unconventional oil and gas," Morton said in a year-end interview.

"The Americans are a little bit further down the road than we are and they've had some success stories but also some failures."

Hydraulic fracturing typically involves forcing large amounts of water, mixed with chemicals and sand, down a well at high pressure.

The activity creates cracks in the impermeable rock that are propped open with the sand, to make paths for oil or natural gas that's pushed up the well bore to the surface.

Morton cited various best practices he'll pass on to the Energy Resources Conservation Board undertaking a review of well drilling and completion rules that began this year.

The New West Partnership, Alberta's economic relationship with Saskatchewan and British Columbia that includes the streamlining of unconventional gas development rules, is committed to starting a public online registry similar to fracfocus.org in the U.S., where companies voluntarily post chemicals used in fracking fluids, Morton said.

Click here to read the full article from the Calgary Herald

Journal: RBC and the other bank economic forecasts have Alberta at or near the top of the country in terms of GDP growth for 2012 … but when I look at the market the TSX energy subindex is way below its highs from last spring … what do you make of that apparent inconsistency?

Morton: Well, there’s no question that the Alberta oil and gas industry will be sensitive to global expansion and contraction, but if you knew what the world was going to do in the next 12 months you could make a lot of money. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there. So maybe from an investor point of view that’s what you’re seeing.


But, I think what the economists are looking at is the continued capital investment in the oilsands. If you add it up for the decade that’s just finished, it’s over $100 billion, and we’re still averaging $10 billion, plus or minus, a year.


That’s a lot of investment that translates into pretty immediate activity. And then at the same time one of the other important stories of 2011 was that land sales basically blew the roof off of the projections. I think our projection in the budget for 2011 was around the $500 or $600 million mark, and they’re up to $3.54 billion now. And most of that is outside the oilsands, which is an important shift.

And again, I think that is seen by economists as a prelude to significant expansion of E&P (exploration and production) activity for unconventional oil and gas. On the gas side obviously gas with liquids, not dry gas. So I think that’s part of an explanation in terms of the divergence of the two.

Journal: So when you look out into 2012 you seen continued healthy levels of activities in the oilpatch?

Morton: Yes, barring a significant global contraction. I’m quite optimistic in terms of GDP growth for Alberta and for Albertans. I think gas continues to be a negative factor frankly. The first year I was an MLA in 2005, the government of Alberta collected $8 billion worth of gas royalties. And if you look at our Q2 projections for 2011 we’re down to $1 billion. And that’s a reflection not just of a collapse in prices, but a collapse in production (Alberta produced 11.3 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas in 2010, down from just under 14 Bcf in 2006).

So that’s an issue for the industry, and it’s an issue for the government of Alberta when it comes to our income sources.

Click here to read the full interview in the Edmonton Journal

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Oil and gas sector praises new minister

By Dan Healing, 
Calgary Herald, October 13th, 2011

CALGARY - Premier Alison Redford’s choice of former leadership rival Ted Morton for the energy portfolio in her first cabinet drew praise from the oil and gas sector — and environmental groups — on Wednesday.

The Pembina Institute was one environmental group that endorsed the selection of Morton, the province’s former finance minister, as head of the ministry that oversees Alberta’s primary source of revenue, jobs and economic growth.

“It bodes well for the experience he’ll bring to energy,” said Ed Whittingham, executive director of Pembina, adding Morton is “definitely a straight shooter, he tells it like it is and he’s not a guy to pander.”

Whittingham said he liked Morton’s work on the Alberta Land Stewardship Act, a contentious land use planning bill, even though it was criticized by some as an erosion of individual property rights.

Morton had previously served as minister of Sustainable Resource Development and was one of six candidates to replace retiring Premier Ed Stelmach.

Click here to read the full article from the Calgary Herald.

As a PC leadership candidate, I’ve promised to put “conservation” back into the meaning of being a “conservative.” The Alberta Land Stewardship Act does this. Part of being a conservative is thinking not just about today, but also about tomorrow; not just about what we need; but what we will leave to our children.

As Conservatives, we know that it is wrong to leave unpaid bills to future generations, and that it’s just as wrong to leave them an environmental mess. For these reasons, I helped to design the Land Stewardship Act, and as leader of our party, I would continue to implement it.

Some may think provincial land-use planning is something new to Alberta. It is not. Back in 1948, Premier Ernest Manning created the green, forested areas and the white, settled areas of our province. That was, in its day, a land-use plan. And it responded to the rapid growth Alberta experienced after the discovery of oil at Leduc in 1947.

The next land-use plan was Premier Peter Lougheed’s 1978 Eastern Slopes Policy to address development during the last period of rapid growth. Alberta leaders with foresight — like Ernest Manning and Peter Lougheed — have responded to our growing population and economy by putting in place new land-use guidelines.

The Alberta Land Stewardship Act builds on this tradition. Like the previous plans, the act is a response to the rapid growth Alberta has experienced in recent decades — and the growth that is forecast for the coming decade. In the past 40 years, we have seen the population of this province grow by two million people, from 1.5 million to 3.5 million. It is projected that we will hit four million before the end of this decade and five million by 2030.

More people means more activities on the land; more subdivisions and acreages; more cars, trucks and roads; more wells and pipelines; more transmission lines and more off-roaders, hikers and trail riders. That’s on top of the forestry, mining and grazing that already take place on many of the same lands.

While the number of Albertans keeps growing, the size of our province does not. There are more and more people doing more and more activities on the same piece of land. Once again, we have reached a tipping point, where sticking with the old way of doing things just won’t work any longer. Allowing anyone to do anything, anywhere, any time may have worked when there were only one or two million Albertans. But with three, four, five million, what worked before will not work in the future.

And don’t forget, 80 per cent of us live up and down the Highway 2 corridor and use the Eastern Slopes — the headwaters of all of Alberta’s major rivers — as our preferred place for recreation. So I challenge the critics of the act: Do we really think that when we double and even triple land use on the Eastern Slopes, everything will just sort of work out?

Well, we all know it won’t. Failure to plan is planning to fail. Our options are not planning versus no planning. It’s good planning versus bad planning. It’s not land stewardship or property rights. It’s land stewardship through the protection of property rights.

That’s what the Alberta Land Stewardship Act does. It preserves all existing protections for property rights — administrative and judicial — and adds compensation for regulatory taking, making Alberta the first province in Canada to do so. It puts in place a process to build seven regional plans based on the major watersheds of Alberta — a process that consults with Albertans before, during and after the development of each plan. It anticipates the challenges that come with growth and solves those problems before they occur.

The Land Stewardship Act is not only the right thing to do. It is also necessary to protect market access for our oil exports and to retain control of our northern oilsands resource. Federal bureaucrats in Ottawa are ready and willing to come in and regulate the development of Alberta’s oilsands if we don’t do it and do it better. Those who call for its repeal or stalling on the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan are not only compromising our environment, but also our economy. If we want to control our economic future, we have to control our environmental future.

If we want to keep what we value in Alberta, we have to change the way we make decisions about land use. My goal — the goal of the land-use framework — is to ensure that in 20 years, we won’t have to tell our grandchildren, “I wish you could have seen what Alberta looked like 20 years ago.”

Implementing the Land Stewardship Act will ensure that as Alberta continues to grow, plans will be in place to keep Alberta the clean, green, healthy and beautiful province that we all love and call our home.

Ted Morton is a candidate for leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Morton+Conservation+part+being+Conservative/5409887/story.html#ixzz1Y8tQpsvi

CALGARY - Ted Morton today released his plan for new Canadians.  More and more people are choosing Alberta because of our strong economy and the opportunities we provide to live, work and raise a family.

"As our economy grows, new Canadians will provide the much needed labour and expertise to strengthen the Alberta advantage," said Ted Morton. "In order for Alberta to prosper we must realize the full potential of integrating immigrants into our society and economy."

A Morton government would:

· Reinstate the Family Stream option in the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, with clear rules: the family members coming to Alberta must be able to join Alberta's workforce, and will have to have post-secondary education, work experience, and be between 21 and 45 years old.

· Expedite entry of foreign-trained professionals into the Alberta work force.

· Negotiate an immigration agreement with the federal government to move decision-making on immigration to Alberta. Alberta should assume greater control of our immigration system to ensure we meet the economic needs of our province.

· Expand the role of Alberta's International Trade Offices to review immigration applications, provide orientation for foreign professionals before they immigrate to Canada, and start the professional accreditation recognition process for Alberta-selected applicants before their arrival in Alberta.

· Create more bridging and transition programs to facilitate entry of foreign trained professionals into the Alberta workforce while they work towards accreditation.

· Work with Ottawa to make professional examinations tax deductible for foreign trained professionals.

· Crack down on crooked consultants that abuse the desire of immigrants to come to Canada or bring in their families.

As Premier, Ted will actively develop a welcoming culture for New Canadians and be responsive to the needs and challenges they face.  A Ted Morton government would establish two committees to achieve these objectives and create a direct contact for New Canadian communities to communicate with government:

· MLA Task Force on Multicultural Issues - this MLA Task Force will focus on current challenges including: the cost of second-language education, recognition of foreign credentials, barriers for entrance into the workforce, and health issues that new Canadians face. The Task Force's report must be tabled within six months.

· Premier's Council on Multicultural Issues - this council will focus on long-term issues and serve to better connect government with our ethnic communities.  This Council's mandate will be to advise on social, cultural and economic issues.

To view the whole plan visit: http://www.tedmorton.ca/immigration-policy.html

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Media Inquiries:
Ryan Sparrow
780-221-5698

CALGARY - Alberta PC Leadership candidate Ted Morton today released his plan for Alberta seniors.  The Morton plan will enhance seniors programs and services to focus on dignity, independence and choice.

"Alberta seniors have played an essential role in building Alberta into the vibrant province that it is today," said Ted Morton. "With our population aging, Alberta needs to be prepared to address current and upcoming demands for seniors care. That is why a long term care strategy is so important. This strategy needs to be in place to ensure that seniors can age gracefully and with dignity in their communities, close to family and friends."

The Ted Morton plan would:
· Establish a property tax deferment program.  This program would assist with some of the financial barriers seniors face to remaining in their own homes, allowing them to retain independence longer.
· Simplify service delivery for seniors by establishing a one-stop shop for seniors programs. 
· Increase seniors accommodations through a process that draws on the expertise of government, the private sector, local communities, and Alberta's many non-profit organizations.
· Expand homecare options to allow seniors to live in their homes with dignity as long as they are able.
· Follow the lead of the Stephen Harper government in providing a tax credit to family caregivers in Alberta.

Learn more at http://www.tedmorton.ca/caring-for-our-seniors.html

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Media Inquiries:
Ryan Sparrow
780-221-5698

The plan will improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare for Alberta Families

CALGARY, Alberta - September 8, 2011

Alberta PC Leadership candidate Ted Morton today released his plan to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare for Alberta families, reduce wait times and relieve the pressure on our emergency rooms.

"My kids grew up here in Alberta and I understand the importance of a quality and accessible healthcare system that Alberta families can rely on when they need it," said Ted Morton. "Healthcare is not about politics or ideology it is about making sure that when Albertans are sick the system is there for them. That means reducing wait times and relieving the pressure on our emergency rooms."

 A Morton government will:

· Work with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to ensure that Albertans are treated equitably and that our healthcare system isn't unfairly penalized by lower federal transfers.

· Honour the 5-year funding contract with Alberta Health Services; but he will also hold AHS accountable - more effective management of our healthcare system is required.

· Improve accessibility to quality healthcare for Alberta families. Ted will work with our doctors, nurses and health professionals to strengthen the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), develop a plan to train and recruit more family doctors and nurse-practitioners and support the Rural Physician Action Plan.

· Enhance seniors programs and services to focus on dignity, independence and choice for our seniors. Ted will take a three-pronged approach to seniors' care that will focus on increased seniors' accommodation, expanded homecare options and supporting family caregivers.


· Promote a healthy lifestyle, especially with younger Albertans.

 To view the whole plan visit: 
http://www.tedmorton.ca/healthcare-that-works.html

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Media Inquiries:
Ryan Sparrow
780-221-5698

CALGARY, Alberta - September 7, 2011

Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Ted Morton is pleased to release a summary of donor contributions to his PC leadership campaign. Morton publicly committed earlier in the campaign to publish a list in advance of the September 17th ballot.

The list and the total, amounting to just over $1 million in donations, are evidence of the strength and broad-based support of his candidacy. "A campaign's ability to raise money from a broad cross-section of individuals and businesses is a pretty accurate measure of its vitality and its position in this sort of contest," said Mr. Morton. "I am very happy with our work to this point. I think it bodes well for us as we close in on the September 17th vote."

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Media Inquiries:
Sam Armstrong
403-703-4752

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POLICY RELEASE

CALGARY, Alberta - August 24, 2011

Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Ted Morton released his common sense fiscal plan today. The Morton Fiscal Plan will balance the Alberta budget by 2013, end wasteful spending and save for the future.

Morton said that, "As Premier, I will not allow government debt to undermine adequate funding for healthcare and education. This happened in Alberta in the 1990's. It's happening in Europe and the US today. Under a Morton government, it will not happen here in Alberta."

The Morton Fiscal Plan will:

• Return Alberta to balanced budgets by restraining spending, not by making deep service cuts or tax increases.
• Limit the annual growth of government spending to no more than population plus inflation ensuring that the public sector grows no faster than the private sector.
• Ensure the Alberta Advantage by not raising income taxes or introducing a PST. And a Morton government will legislate that no future government can increase income taxes without Albertans' approval by referendum.
• Reduce the size of Cabinet and promote a more efficient and accountable bureaucracy.
• Roll back the 2008 MLA pay raise and create an independent commission to set MLA salaries.
• Re-instate the Debt Retirement Account to ensure the timely repayment of the $3.3 billion dollars that has been borrowed over the past three years.
• Protect Albertans from short-term fluctuations in government revenues by rebuilding the Sustainability Fund.
• Protect Alberta's future by rebuilding the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund

Ted's fiscal plan strikes a balance between today and tomorrow, between what we need now and what we want to leave for our children and grandchildren. It puts our children's interests ahead of politicians who like to spend today and not worry about who pays in the future-when they are long gone.

Ted understands that sound financial management is the foundation of good government. He will work with Albertans to implement this common sense fiscal plan... and restore the Alberta Advantage.

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Media Inquiries:
Sam Armstrong
403-703-4752

Click here to read the full policy release.

EDMONTON, Alberta - August 21, 2011

 Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Ted Morton is pleased to announce a policy that takes yet another step toward putting "conservation" back into the meaning of "conservative". A Ted Morton government will create a new fund - Go Alberta Outdoors (GOAL) - to provide a stable, predictable revenue stream for new parks and recreation areas. "I strongly believe that Alberta needs a plan in place to pursue policies that enhance conservation and promote outdoor activity and healthier lifestyle choices for Albertans."

 Specifically, GOAL will help fund conservation priorities such as:

- the purchase of land for parks and protected areas
- the development, with the Capital Region municipalities, the River Valley Alliance and community groups, of the Ribbon of Green vision for the North Saskatchewan River Valley
- the proposed Woodbend/Big Island Natural Area, a potential anchor in the development of the Ribbon of Green
- support of Alberta's land trust organizations, including the Alberta Land Trust Alliance
- development of trails and outdoor recreational infrastructure

 GOAL will be funded by capturing 1% of annual provincial lottery revenues. One percent of lottery revenues (approx. $2 billion/year) would see the fund begin operating with about $20 million at its disposal. As priority capital projects are identified and costed, the percentage of lottery funds directed to GOAL would increase to 2% or about $40 million per year.

 "I know first-hand how protection of our natural capital strengthens our communities and provides yet another Alberta Advantage: people come to our province for our strong economy but end up staying because they fall in love with the land," said Ted.  

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 Media Inquiries:
Sam Armstrong
403-703-4752