Does public policy have to come from a manure spreader?
By Lethbridge Herald on February 13, 2025.
LORNE FITCH, P. Biol. –
A smell permeates the Alberta air these days. It reminds me of manure-spreading time on the farm. The smell is from the UCP’s bad public policy wheeled out without adequate (or any) time for public review, engagement or consultation. It takes the form of suspect motives, incestuous lobbying, perverse ideologies and badly written scripts. It’s sometimes hard to discern where the “public” is in policy.
Like the material from the end of a manure spreader, these policy initiatives fly at us thick and fast, with little time to dodge the inevitable feeling we’re going to wear some of it whether we like it or not. The strategy is to overwhelm our senses, dulling our ability to smell the content.
Examples include privatizing public land for four season resort development. Breathing life into a dead coal project with a confused policy interpretation in spite of a federal/provincial panel decision. Reversing a moratorium on coal development to “protect” Albertans from legal claims. Wildlife policy development seems to be in the hands of commercial sector insiders.
It required four years of public engagement to complete the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. The recent perfunctory ten-year review where participants were barely able to scratch the surface to detail the issues that have arisen in the intervening decade, let alone provide advice for the future.
In putting the manure spreader before the horse, the Alberta government is funding dam studies, endorsing irrigation expansion, while hosting forums to hear how to use more of the province’s declining water supply. These are all flowing forward before we fully understand what the effects of climate change will be on water availability.
This doesn’t include the “go fast and break things” strategy in health, education, social services, pensions and who knows what else. It might be evident the UCP have succeeded in breaking things.
All this frantic activity seems designed to thwart much, or any public review. Premier Smith said as much in an address to the Canadian Club of Canada recently.
In a better Alberta we would have a level playing field for policy development where vested interests do not strongly influence “public” policy. There would be timely, fulsome public engagement and consultation. Feedback to participants would assure them they were heard and how those concerns were incorporated (or not) in policy. Lastly, there would be robust monitoring and reporting so the public can easily discern progress (or not).
If we don’t influence policy, it will surely influence us, one way or another. The welter of bad policy decisions coming out of the UCP government has the potential to take Alberta to an unfortunate place. These policy initiatives range from absurd to cruel to dangerous.
On so many, coal being an example, the UCP have thrown off the long term tradition of objective advice in favour of some giddy, adolescent romp through the wild woods of distorted ideology, economic fantasy and fidelity to foreign corporations.
It’s time Albertans ask of the policies delivered—are they fair, equitable, honest and do they serve the needs of all, or the interests of a few. Since much policy is economically inspired, ask if it also respects the environmental underpinnings of the economy. Irrespective of your political stripe, look closely at the policies and decide whether you can support the direction Alberta is headed.
It may not be the destination you envisioned or voted for.
Tommy Douglas once had to stand on a manure spreader to give a speech. Always the consummate humorist, he quipped he was standing on the Opposition’s platform. Unfortunately this isn’t a joke in Alberta anymore as this is the current government’s platform.
As Oscar Wilde might have put it, one bad piece of policy could be overlooked as misfortune, but dozens quickly foisted on us begin to smell like the manure of malfeasance.
Lorne Fitch is a Professional Biologist, a retired Fish and Wildlife Biologist and a former Adjunct Professor with the University of Calgary. He is the author of Streams of Consequence and Travels Up the Creek: A Biologist’s Search For a Paddle.
17-16
Well said Lorne Fitch!
Today’s news:
Alberta Energy Regulator names former oil and gas CEO as top executive
https://www.thestar.com/business/alberta-energy-regulator-names-former-oil-and-gas-ceo-as-top-executive/article_07177b30-25b8-541f-8c1f-4e684650659f.html
Conflict of interest
Sounds like the words of a city cowboy. Difference between a city cowboy and a country cowboy is the country cowboy has the manure on the OUTSIDE of his boots.
Whole heartedly agree! To add: The allegations re: the probe into the procurement and contracting processes within AHS and the $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against AHS and the province may possibly be emanating some unpleasant odours….a reminder of the old adages, “I smell a rat,” and, the smell of smoke…”Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
This:
“If the UCP hopes to turn the page on the Dodgy Contracts Scandal, someone’s going to have to fall on their sword. The most obvious candidate to walk the plank to save the premier would be Health Minister Adriana LaGrange.”
http://www.albertapolitics.ca
The “manure of malfeasance”. Spot on.