October 12, 2007
Honourable Ron Stevens, Q.C.
Deputy Premier
Minister of Justice and Attorney General
403 Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5K 2B6
Dear Minister:
As you know, APEGGA is the professional association charged under The
Engineering Geological and Geophysical Professions Act with regulating some
50,000 Members in Alberta. These professions are frequently referred to as the
wheels of the Alberta economy and, indeed, APEGGA Members are heavily involved
in, and lead, many Alberta companies, particularly in the resource sector.
Our mandate is primarily to protect public safety and
well-being and the environment, however, we also have a duty to represent our
Members in matters that affect the professions generally. On the matter of the
recent Royalty Review Panel report and the discussions around potential revisions
to the Alberta royalty regime, APEGGA has no specific comment, other than to
say that we encourage both government and industry to weigh the evidence before
them and make decisions that are in the long term best interests of the parties
involved – the people of Alberta,
the Government of Alberta, the industrial base of the province, and because the
Alberta energy industry is so important nationally, all of Canada.
Many of our Professional Members and Permit Holders have expressed concern
that the proposed new royalty model will have a negative impact on long-term
investment in the energy sector, particularly in the non-conventional resources
so important to the future of Alberta. These include: in-situ recovery of oil
sands and heavy oil; coal bed methane; shale gas; tight gas; deep gas drilling;
and all forms of enhanced oil recovery. In reaching decisions, the Government
will need to weigh all the information available and strike an appropriate balance.
We thank you for the opportunity to make this representation to you and wish
you well in the difficult deliberations with which you are faced.
Sincerely, |
