Danielle Smith needs to lower the price of gasoline for Albertans
By Lethbridge Herald on July 10, 2024.
Editor:
Lydia and I travelled to Winnipeg about two weeks ago and surprisingly filled our tank in Brandon, Manitoba at $132.9 per litre.
The prices were the same in Winnipeg and wondered if every gas station there had a price war. Taber was cheaper than Coaldale and Lethbridge at $150.9 per litre. Saskatchewan’s prices were lower than Alberta. I cannot understand why Premier Smith does not lower the gas prices at the pumps in Alberta when she has control over all the revenues from oil and gas.
Yellowhead Highway 16 was very rough and construction on Number 10 highway held us up.
We waited almost an hour to get through. On the way back from Winnipeg we had to take a detour, about 100 kilometres away from Highway 1 because CN closed the road in Headingly for a week for repairs of the railroad tracks in the area.
Highways 6 and 248 were narrow and bumpy. McPhillips Street in Winnipeg is no better than highway 101; the streets were rough as washboards. I
f there was any consolation, we found a Chinese restaurant near our hotel that offers numerous dishes that one cannot eat everything they have to offer at once, thus one had to go back several times to taste everything. It was also inexpensive and could accommodate over 100 people in one seating. We liked the food so much that we ate there three days in a row. We did not like the drivers in Winnipeg because they make illegal U-Turns at intersections and in the middle of a block. This can be dangerous when someone from a different province does not expect what they do. One wonders how they got their driver’s license.
The front desk staff at the Hotel said that U-Turns are allowed in some cases to be legal, when we mentioned our observations to her.
After spending almost a week in Winnipeg Lydia’s brother-in-law’s situation improved from a major surgery, and a bout of cancer. I think our visit inspired him to pull through this ordeal. We travelled back to Manitou Beach, Saskatchewan taking Highway 1 all the way to Regina from Portage la Prairie. Road condition was better but seated behind the wheel for eight to10 hours was not a pleasant drive. My left leg became numb, and the back of my neck ached. We stopped a few times for a breather when we could not bear it anymore.
We spent Canada Day at Manitou Beach, Saskatchewan; the weather was cloudy and cold but no rain.
The village had exhibitors on Main Street starting at 9a.m. and a short parade at 10. We listened to Buskers all day long, enjoyed Ukrainian dancers from Saskatoon, watched a flotilla of different boats, and fireworks in the evening.
On the way home the following day we admired a huge dealership with about 100 SUV’s and trucks on their lot. We were astonished by this for the town of Watrous only has a population of 2,000 people.
Going back to the price of gas at the pumps in our province, we hope Premier Smith will share the wealth with the taxpayers of Alberta and listen to what they need not dictate what she wants.
Paul Jones
Coaldale
16-15
Smith was a well known oil company lobbyist for many years and what we have found is that while she helps Rural Albertans get breaks on their gas as a reward for helping her get elected while those of us in the cities are paying a lot more.
While we have been paying $1.58.9 in Edmonton the people in Leduc and other small communities were paying $1.35.9. When I lived and worked in Rural Alberta gas at the pumps was more than it was in the cities. The excuse was transportation costs and we accepted that. Smith is rewarding her friends in rural Alberta for getting her elected.
Who is she screwing people in the cities who blindly supported her. She doesn’t care.
Pump prices aren’t set by the provincial government.
Thanks for making my day Paul. I don’t often read the editorials, but I’m happy I didn’t miss this one.
Smith’s UCP not only reinstated the Alberta Fuel Tax on April 01, 2024, but raised Alberta’s taxes on fuel another 4 cents per litre. — (during a period when royalties are creating a large surplus in Alberta… or is it her tax with increases?) Turning her face to the right, Danielle Smith then started to rant and rail against Trudeau’s carbon tax.
Personally I am not against higher taxes so long as those taxes benefit ALL Albertans; we need to play catch up on so many fronts. But I have witnessed far too much of taxpayers’ money go to Smiths political buddies in one guise or another to give Danielle a pass on this fuel tax hypocrisy.
For someone who probably considers themselves well informed you are not. Fuel tax reduction is an attached to the price of oil. Look it up.
Manitoba has a 796 million deficit, Saskatchewan has a 250 mil plus deficit. Alberta has a 4.3 billion surplus. So for the sake of 3.00 a tankful you yell at Smith. lol immature.
Being the conservative genius that you think you are, while you whine about a $796 million deficit in Manitoba and a $250 billion debt in Saskatchewan plus deficit and brag about the UCPs $4 billion surplus this year but conveniently ignore the fact that Alberta is $77 billion in debt plus billions more in deficit like road repairs, shortages of schools and hospitals plus a $260 billion oil well cleanup mess.
Are you really that ignorant?
Maybe you should pull this up and watch how ignorant you are.
“ Alberta Debt Clock
Road workers feel that it will cost Albertans $20 billion alone to fix the roads and oilmen point that the orphan well cleanup mess will continue to grow and it will. The last two years that I was involved with it Imperial oil shut down 450 wells and 250 the next year just in the Devon area.
Yep… and despite all her grumbling about feds sticking their nose in Alberta’s business, plus demanding to control any federal government funds, Smith failed to demonstrate her extraordinary business and government management acumen and left $41million of remaining federal funding on the table for oil well clean up (I might be incorrect on just how much was left despite more wells need to be dealt with).
I am totally aware of the UCP fuel tax policy Buckwheat. In fact I reviewed the tax and policy outline just before posting to be certain that I had the date and increase correct. Reread my comment. I am speaking regard the hypocrisy of Smith ranting at Trudeau in the manner she does regarding how destructive the federal tax is to people’s lives, and yet she institutes her tax DESPITE the surplus… ?!?!?! WT?! Further, I personally feel no great concern with paying that amount more for filling up my tanks (though I do recognize more must be done to aid those who are hurt by rising costs, to effect policy and assure that more citizens are earning a living wage). But as I also noted, I would prefer that tax goes to benefit ALL Albertans somehow, someway. Sadly the UCP has blown many millions on war rooms, high paid consultants who are little more than the benefits of political nepotism, and wasted administrative fiascoes such as the medical lab fiasco and the wasted pharmaceuticals that are not legal in Canada. If I am immature to speak out about same… I’ll wear your irrational immature “slur” like an award !
No she didn’t, the fuel tax has been 13 cents a litre for years. After being totally rescinded 2023 it was raised to 9 cents in January and fully reinstated to 13 cents in April.
gs172 I have reread a variety of information regarding the historical rates and stand corrected relative to what you are correctly pointing out… the tax had been reinstated at 9 cents per litre in January, 2024 after a a one year break from the tax period due to inflation. The 4 cents per litre addition to ultimately return TO the historical 13 cents tax was key. I admit that I misinterpreted that 4 cents as a totally new increase to the historical high. My bad indeed. This does not change my sentiment that I find it hypocritical for Smith to rant about federal taxes hurting Albertans, when the cost of living crisis was/is still a major concern for so many and apparently Alberta is benefiting from a significant budget surplus according to the UCP. bookkeeping. The logic for the 2023 break, but no similar concerns for 2024 relative to this surplus is rather poor despite any oil pricing : taxation strategy conceived. And again I will not concede to respect the UCP for their recurrent wasteful management of taxpayer funds and repugnant nepotism. If the former NDP government had acted even half as poorly in these manners the Cons would have been throwing pitchforks and burning down the legislature. The lack of consistency in principles, the fickle ethical stance for accountability, is simply farcical, laughable. Blinders have been pulled out of storage once again.
Hate to break it to you Paul but u-turns in intersections are legal in manitoba unless prohibited by a sign. I wonder if the hotel receptionist was wondering where you got your license. Traffic laws vary by province and sometimes city. Try making a right turn on a red in Montreal or California. Better have your wallet handy. I recently found out that people passing on the right at intersections in the curb lane while people are stopped making a left is 100% legal.
Dern right! Almost too expensive to drive my Ram 2500 (with 6.7 liter turbocharged Cummins) to get the the mountains and subdue some nature, bag me a grizzly before they’re all gone .
you know, if you can also bag a big horn and include some atv vehicle trampling all in the same trip, it saves gas. saving gas means one pays less less of their pile to stupid socialist taxes that get in the way of freeing up cash for lift kits and bigger wheels. in addition, one still gets to show off how gruff and tough one is, what with not getting all sentimental and all about other sentient creatures and their stupid right to habitat and living their lives without relentless human interference.