Question Period on Alternative Energy Investment
Ms Blakeman:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, in defending his lack of support for renewable energy in Alberta, the Minister of Environment stated, “This government believes that it’s not the role of the government to invest in energy.” Well, I’d say that spending $2 billion on carbon capture and storage, $200 million on technologies to improve oil and gas production, and $30 million to clean up abandoned wells, drilling credits, and new well incentives all add up to a government investing in energy.
My questions are to the Minister of Environment. Why is this government willing to invest only in fossil fuels and not in the wind and solar energy sector?
Mr. Renner:
Well, Mr. Speaker, the member is referring to an exchange that we had yesterday when she talked about the fact that there was an investment that was ongoing in Ontario that was encouraging the development of renewable energy in Ontario. The difference is that in Ontario all of the power production is owned by a Crown corporation, Ontario Hydro. The same situation doesn’t exist in this province.
In this province the power production is owned by individual, privately owned companies. Those same privately owned companies that we have operating in Alberta have had significant investment. In fact, the CCS dollars went to an electric generator here in Alberta.
The Speaker: The Hon. member
Ms Blakeman:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister. Well, Alberta enjoys more sunny and windy days than almost anywhere, yet Ontario will be the wind and solar power capital of Canada and will have created 50,000 green technology jobs in doing so, not even to mention what they’re doing in Texas. Why is the minister letting our jobs and investment in our province leave the province for Ontario and Texas?
Mr. Renner:
Mr. Speaker, the process that’s being used in Ontario is a process that has been broached with the Alberta government. Frankly, as Minister of Environment I’m not entirely opposed to it. It’s something that’s called feed-in tariffs. Essentially what it means is that all of the consumers of power in a jurisdiction would pay an environmental surcharge on their bill, and then that surcharge, that lump of dollars that is an environmental tax, for lack of a better term, is then reallocated to the producers of environmentally sustainable power. It has some merit, but it’s something that I’m not sure the government would arbitrarily impose upon Albertans without first asking them if they are in favour of it.
The Speaker The Hon. member
Ms Blakeman:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Back to the same minister. This government is willing to compete fiercely with Ontario and with some other places in the States for everything else. So why – why? – is this government willing to let Ontario and Texas walk away with our jobs and walk away with investments in green energy technology?
Mr. Renner:
Mr. Speaker, I remind the member once again that in Ontario the electricity-producing corporation is owned by the government. It’s a Crown corporation. They’re moving money from one pot to another. It’s not the government that is doing it; it’s their Crown corporation. We don’t have that same situation in Alberta, and frankly I don’t think we want that situation in Alberta.
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