blog2007: Royalty review muddle hands Stelmach options

Royalty review muddle hands Stelmach options

Don Braid
Calgary Herald
September 13, 2007

Before the royalty review panel even reports, its chairman has managed to annoy both the industry and the government, and thoroughly confuse the rest of us.

On Tuesday, and again Wednesday, Bill Hunter said this is a take-it-or-leave-it report. None of it will work unless the whole thing is accepted. This isn't a "Chinese menu" -- no steamed rice on the side.

At the same moment, though, Hunter was asking for a four-day delay in presenting the report, in order to get the numbers right. Huh? This panel is telling everyone it has the answer to royalty rates, but still isn't sure about numbers it used to find the answer?

Is Hunter saying the most important economic report in a generation is already written, but on a foundation of shaky numbers? That's certainly the implication. The timing is also so wildly peculiar that it creates the suspicion something bigger is up.

This week Hunter said the report would be presented to the government on Friday; then he urged the government not to cherry-pick; then he asked for the delay.

Government strategists were immediately terrified they'd be accused of last-minute meddling because of Hunter's insistence that the report be swallowed whole. To avoid this impression, the politicos urged Hunter to explain himself publicly. That's why he and Finance Minister Lyle Oberg held that testy little newser.

Industry players were deeply spooked by the strange delay. Everyone was expecting this report on Friday, including investors in New York, London and points far beyond.

As the tension rises, Premier Ed Stelmach has put out word that he will take total control over the political reaction to the report, as well as the policies that result. Any loose cannons in cabinet or caucus will be unbolted and shoved overboard.

Stelmach does not want a repeat of the housing fiasco, when caucus refused to accept rent controls, a key recommendation of the task force set up to deal with the housing crisis.

The Tories looked weak and uncertain for weeks, even though they ended up spending nearly $400 million on housing.

The stakes in the royalty review are far bigger -- nothing less than Alberta's economic future -- and the political omens are more troubling.

The government could quickly find itself in dangerous conflict with a volunteer citizen panel that consulted people all over the province.

But the premier's handling of this is also a huge opportunity. If he acts wisely and firmly, he can erase his early reputation as a ditherer.

So Stelmach is aiming for what the strategists call a clean kill. He'll make a clear policy decision very quickly -- within a few weeks -- and stick with it.

In a weird way, and surely without guile, Bill Hunter is also giving the government an out. By saying the report should be accepted whole or not at all, the government can say, OK, this is not reasonable, so we choose not at all.

The Tories could then bring in a sensible new royalty policy and put the issue to bed.

Oberg seemed to keep this option open Wednesday when he said the government will make its own decisions. Muttering in private, they've probably already made another decision -- never to create another damned inconvenient advisory panel.

dbraid@shaw.ca

[commment by jess: you should have heard me howl w laugher when i read the terrified bit ... HA!]

Tories have right to pick over royalty proposals, Oberg says

Archie McLean and Tony Seskus, with files from Jason Fekete and Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald Calgary Herald

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Despite warnings from the chairman of Alberta's oil and gas royalty review panel that the government shouldn't pluck recommendations from its report, Finance Minister Lyle Oberg said Wednesday that the province may do just that.

"I haven't seen the report, I don't know what's in it and I do reserve the right, as government, to be able to pick and choose," Oberg said in Edmonton.

[? by jess: what if the panel sums up what the people want, but it is opposite to what industry and the govt want?]

The panel's chairman, Bill Hunter, told the Herald this week the report's recommendations shouldn't be treated like a "Chinese menu," with the government picking and choosing which ones it adopts.

He reiterated Wednesday that the landmark report is designed to be taken as a whole and accepting only parts of it may affect the entire thing.

"It's a package," Hunter explained. "The specific outcome we were shooting for is affected by at least a dozen different inputs. If you change one or extract one it has an impact on all the rest, so it doesn't work."

The highly anticipated report will be released on Tuesday, four days later than was originally planned. It's the second time the review has been pushed back; it was originally slated for release in August.

Hunter said the latest delay is simply to make sure the numbers are correct and he brushed aside the suggestion that it was politically motivated.

Premier Ed Stelmach pledged during the PC leadership race to review the province's take from oil and gas extraction, which netted government coffers $12.3 billion last year. The six-person panel was convened early this year.

Political observers see the government's response to the review as a major test of the rookie premier's leadership skills, which were criticized this spring when he refused to implement rent controls as recommended by a housing task force.

Adding to Stelmach's headaches is the fact Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams -- who has a reputation for standing up to multinational oil companies -- unveiled this week a new energy regime that will see it take 10 per cent of future oil and gas developments on the East Coast.

"It's an incredible test of his leadership simply because (Stelmach) has to satisfy a lot of different constituencies," said political analyst David Taras of the University of Calgary. "He does have to appear strong."

Taras said the challenge will be to meet public expectations without scaring off investment, something oil executives have warned could happen if royalty changes harm their multibillion-dollar projects.

But the head of Europe's largest oil company, which has a huge stake in the Athabasca oilsands, said while consistency is important it doesn't mean alterations can't be made.

"I don't say consistency of fiscal regimes does not mean you can never change anything -- that's nonsense," Royal Dutch Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer said in Calgary on Wednesday.

Stelmach said the panel's report would be made public as soon as the government received it, but Oberg added he doesn't know how soon the province will respond to it because he is unaware of its contents.

As for acting on the report, Oberg said he is "leaving the options open," explaining it would have to proceed through caucus and cabinet. "And I can't hazard a guess as to what caucus will or will not accept."

Hunter later said he doubts the government will cherry-pick parts of the report when the outcomes are dependent on it being accepted as a package.

Hunter said he has no concerns "whatsoever" that the panel's desired outcomes could be rejected.

"I'm trying to bring an integrated, holistic package with some very defined recommendations -- not a hell of a lot of them -- and am hoping they'll look at it as an integrated package."

Michael Percy, dean of the University of Alberta's school of business, said tension between such panels and government often happen.

"The panel, and its chair, is doing what you'd expect them to do -- they've spent a lot of time, a lot effort, on this. Government, on the other hand, has been elected to make decisions and . . . they have to make the calls that they think are best."

tseskus@theherald.canwest.com © The Calgary Herald 2007

APEC sidesteps climate change urgency James McNulty, CanWest News Service Published: Thursday, September 13, 2007 As a global-warming fighter, the latest APEC declaration has less power than the peep of a doomed canary heading down a Chinese coal shaft.

The world's four greatest emitters of greenhouse gases -- the United States, China, Russia and Japan -- were among those joining Canada at a summit farrago that ended with calls for a non-binding, no-target "long-term aspirational goal" to slow fossil-fuel carbon growth.

Tellingly, the declaration fails to even mention the Kyoto greenhouse gas reduction pact, which remains unsigned by the U.S. and APEC summit host Australia.

It was absurd, but not unexpected, to hear host Prime Minister John Howard laud the declaration as "highly significant." The Kyoto denier and conservative crony of George W. Bush and Stephen Harper is looking for anything to burnish his environment credentials as he hurtles toward a likely election loss this fall.

Also laughable was the singling out of Canada and Japan for their great work in forging the meaningless APEC aspiration.

Between 1990 and 2004, Japan's greenhouse gas emissions rose 14.8 per cent, while Canada's rose by more than 30 per cent.

In the same period, European Union emissions barely nudged up by 1.6 per cent. Sadly, there were no EU surgeons in Sydney to stitch new backbone into their dreaming APEC cousins.

Team Tory touted Harper as an important broker in promoting the monumental consensus to aspire.

In fact, Harper spent the week falsely pitching Canada, under his watch, as a global leader in the urgent battle to reverse man-made climate change.

This is nonsense. If Harper were a true world leader on climate change, he would have flown to Australia fully endorsing the Kyoto process and announced that his government was about to pass his much-vaunted Clean Air Act.

Instead, the Clean Air Act is dead, abandoned by Harper after it was toughened by the opposition and now one of many bills killed when he prorogued Parliament to bring in a new throne speech.

A year ago, Harper promoted "action for clean air" with the gusto of Rona Ambrose's hairdresser, claiming "Canada's first Clean Air Act will set hard targets to reduce air pollution and bring down (greenhouse gas) emissions."

So much for that promise. Harper is now down to a lame regulatory agenda that will see Canadian greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Harper and Howard weren't the only guilty parties in Sydney.

Chinese President Hu Jintao sternly lectured the rest on their need to meet Kyoto targets, blithely ignoring the fact that his nation -- a Kyoto signatory -- has no targets and is about to overtake the U.S. as the world's worst greenhouse gas emitter.

Collectively, APEC may have agreed to aspire, but its climate-change cup doesn't carry enough seed to feed a coal-mine canary.

James McNulty is a columnist with the Vancouver Province. © The Calgary Herald 2007

Privacy commissioner rules against EUB Private eyes working for board breached privacy of power-line protesters, says report Charles Rusnell, Edmonton Journal Published: 11:06 am EDMONTON - Private investigators working for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board breached the privacy of power-line protesters in Rimbey by collecting their personal information, says an investigation by the provincial privacy commissioner.

Commissioner Frank Work also found the EUB's response to an assumed security threat was inappropriate, and there was no need to hire the investigators to spy on the public.

"It seems to me that uniformed security personnel would also be able to observe and report any incidents to the EUB security team leader, the RCMP or the community centre proprietor," Work wrote in his decision released today.

"It seems to me that the EUB wanted to ensure that Rimbey proceedings were able to be conducted in an orderly manner, without disruptions from observers and groups, and that panel members, hearing staff and participants would be protected from confrontations. I find the security arrangements that were taken at the Rimbey Court House demonstrate that this objective could be met without the need to collect personal information."

Work rejected the EUB's contention that it needed to collect the personal information for the purpose of carrying out its hearing peacefully. He said he found no evidence to support this EUB's claim that it needed to conduct an ongoing "threat assessment." An earlier threat assessment and the security measures taken at that time were sufficient to protect the panelists, staff and public, he said.

"There was no evidence before me that any staff or hearing participants feared for their safety at the Court House and as stated earlier, the EUB staff based at the Community Centre said they did not feel threatened."

The EUB said in a release that it accepts Work's recommendations.

"We take these recommendations very seriously and the EUB has already taken steps to ensure that similar situations never happen again," said EUB acting chairman Brad McManus.

The four private investigators hired by the EUB mingled for almost a month among landowners and their lawyers as they gathered in Rimbey's recreation centre to watch closed-circuit TV coverage of an EUB hearing being conducted in a nearby courthouse. Members of the public were barred from those hearings because of disruptions at earlier hearings in Red Deer.

To blend into the Rimbey crowd, the investigators pretended to be landowners concerned about the construction of power lines through their property. Eventually, a private investigator obtained the password to a conference call system organized by the Alberta Environmental Network which allowed him to participate in those calls.

"It is important that Albertans understand that the security measures at Rimbey were taken solely because of serious incidents where our staff were physically attacked and other threats and actions led to an atmosphere of intimidation at the hearing," McManus said in the EUB release. "The report clearly indicates that the security arrangements taken at the Court House minimized the potential risk of disruptions to the proceedings and the confrontations between hearing participants and protestors."

Watch edmontonjournal.com for updates throughout the day, and see Friday's Journal for more.

Geoffrey Scotton Calgary Herald

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Opponents of a controversial $600-million proposed transmission line won at least a temporary victory Wednesday when the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board agreed not to move forward with permitting the line until legal challenges before it or the Alberta Court of Appeal have been completed.

"What this is all about today is safeguarding our right to due process. All we want is our day in court," said Joe Anglin, co-chairman of the Lavesta Area Group of landowners in the Rimbey area, after lawyers for landowners, the EUB and AltaLink LP were able to reach agreement. "The compromise . . . is acceptable," Anglin added.

"The board will engage a process to allow parties to come before it and request a stay," said EUB lawyer Richard McKee, who told the court an EUB decision on an application by AltaLink LP, completed Aug. 24, to build the line is now unlikely before November. "Work is progressing. It's a difficult decision with voluminous evidence," said McKee.

Landowners had been seeking a legal stay of the yet-to-be rendered decision by the EUB on a 500-kilovolt line from west of Edmonton to east of Calgary, but were able to negotiate the same effect as the stay they sought. Their motion was adjourned, but the EUB has committed to ensuring opponents will have a chance to appeal a permit order to the EUB before it takes effect, and if that is unsuccessful, pending the outcome of an Court of Appeal case slated to get underway Nov. 14.

"Our fear here today is that if the EUB issues the licence one day, the bulldozers will be rolling the next," Anglin noted.

The agreement, brokered by Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Peter Martin, came ahead of today's release by Alberta Privacy Commissioner Frank Work of a report into private investigators hired by the EUB to monitor and report on landowners and their activities during EUB hearings. Landowners have alleged the private investigators breached client-lawyer confidentiality by listening in on conference calls and conversations and that their hiring and actions are adequate evidence of a reasonable apprehension of bias against line opponents by the EUB.

"Our investigation focused on the collection, use and disclosure of people's personal information by either the EUB or the private investigators that had been hired by the EUB," Wayne Wood, a spokesman for Work, said Wednesday.

"If we find there has been a contravention, then generally we make recommendations . . . and then we would ask that they implement those recommendations. We don't have the power to issue fines or any of that kind of thing," he added.

Wood could not say whether the private investigators involved had been questioned as part of the investigation and noted this latest examination is the second time this year the EUB has been investigated for contravening privacy guidelines. In March, the EUB was cited for posting on its website sensitive personal information -- health information, whereabouts of children and when homes would be vacant -- about residents in the Drayton Valley area.

Work's report is just the first into the controversial transmission project, which opponents have charged is a $1-billion gift to private industry to allow them to export power on the backs of ratepayers and taxpayers.

Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said Wednesday the EUB is clearly in trouble.

"We have very serious concerns," Taft said. "It is hemorrhaging credibility."

Next week, Alberta Energy Minister Mel Knight is set to release a report by former Alberta Court of Queen's Bench justice Del Perras, ordered by Premier Ed Stelmach, that also examines the actions of the EUB and its private investigators. A spokesman for Knight said this week the report's release had been pushed back to give more time for the government to formulate a response.

A third investigation by Alberta Ombudsman Gord Button was suspended pending the outcome of court actions. Landowners are also calling for criminal charges.

gscotton@theherald.canwest.com © The Calgary Herald 2007

Albertans 'depend on coal' to meet energy security

Calgary Herald

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Re: "Still waiting for democracy," David Swann, Letter, Sept. 5.

It was interesting to read Dr. Swann note that "governing requires hard work, good scientific advice and honest listening to the value of citizens," then make reference to the strip mine proposed for Dodds-Roundhill as being a free-for-all project that only favours the private interests of the developers.

What Swann overlooks is that supporting communities, mitigating the environmental footprint and a strong commitment to research and advancement of new technologies is an important part of the mining process.

Long before any mining begins, industry plans for a process that will have minimal long-term impact. Mining companies employ environmental engineers, geologists, biologists and other scientific and environmental professionals to aid in the planning process.

Reclamation involves studying the current state of the land and developing strategies to ensure the area is returned to a state of productivity that is equal to or, as is the case with many projects already, better than before the development of the mine. It is a process that is very public and very transparent, also requiring mining companies to report on their reclamation plan and progress to the government.

For the coal industry, being responsible and listening to the value of citizens is about removing barriers between itself and the communities in which it operates. Discussions with stakeholders, such as local residents, First Nations, environmental groups and all levels of government begin long before any mining commences. Consultation continues throughout the life of the mine and information is collected to ensure that development meets the needs and priorities of the local communities while limiting impacts on the environment.

On the technology side, by processing coal to produce synthesis gas (syngas) and hydrogen, the Dodds-Roundhill Coal Gasification Project is designed to provide Alberta with a new source of economic and environmentally sustainable energy. The Dodds-Roundhill Coal Gasification Project represents a key step towards Alberta's future as a global centre of excellence in innovative "clean coal technology." Such technology can lead to a critical mass of jobs and intellectual capital with tremendous export potential. This new technology will help preserve natural gas resources for higher-value uses and unlock the full energy potential of low-grade coal. This new energy source can support the development of Alberta's vast oilsands resources in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The public demands less development but still expects the economic benefits associated with growing industry -- expanded health care, improved infrastructure and more money for education.

The energy sector directly contributes more than one-third of provincial revenues. In addition, jobs are created, taxes are collected and consumer spending increases, all of which contributes significantly more to the provincial economy. Without this economic activity, the wealth for these necessities is not created and cannot be provided.

Our society is dependent on the availability of inexpensive and plentiful resources -- including electricity. Coal is an abundant, affordable and reliable source of power, currently accounting for nearly 70 per cent of electricity generation in Alberta. Coal is meeting the needs of our energy security.

Albertans rely on coal as part of a balanced energy mix. Coal, complemented by other energy sources like oil, natural gas, nuclear and alternative/renewable energy sources, plays a significant role in providing Albertans with electricity, heat and other essential services and products.

Sustainability will mean managing a balance on economic activity and creating a mix of sources that can meet growing energy needs with minimal impacts on the environment that can be developed responsibly - in the interest of all.

Allen Wright

Allen Wright is executive director and CEO of The Coal Association of Canada. © The Calgary Herald 2007

EUB controversy overshadows fact that power line not needed The Edmonton Journal Published: 2:06 am The current brouhaha over the miscues at the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board's hearings into a proposed $500-million-plus power line between Wabamun and Calgary is obscuring the real issue, which is that this power line is not required. It is an example of what is wrong with the deregulated power industry in this province.

To minimize losses, new powerplants should be built close to growing demand areas like Calgary. Unfortunately, the Alberta Electric System Operator is interpreting the government's guidelines on preference for transmission upgrades over things like peaking generators, to mean that all new capacity will be built at Wabamun and that "someone" must build the transmission to get it to Calgary. The first stage of the approval process should allow the public and EUB a chance to question the rationale for this "need."

Unfortunately, consumers are not informed about what will drive their power costs, and the EUB's mission seems to be to ensure the continued profitability of the likes of Epcor, TransAlta, Enmax, and the hordes of traders that now have their hands in our pockets.

The long-suffering power purchasers may not know that in the last decade, to address the not-so-new problem of high demand in Calgary, this same AESO threw out tonnes of our money to encourage construction of several gas-fired powerplants in that area. One notable example is the Calpine Calgary Energy Centre, an efficient and low-polluting 250 MW combined-cycle plant. That is, it would be efficient if it actually produced power. The owners are making more money off us, again courtesy of AESO, for just being there than they would if they had to burn that expensive natural gas to make electricity! Why can't the AESO dispatch on these plants to meet Calgary's demand if the north-south transmission is constrained? Sure, their clean gas fuel costs more than dirty coal, but if Rising Star Oil wants to build its new office tower in Calgary instead of Edmonton, it should be prepared to pay more for the lights. (It should be pointed out that in the first half of the past century the shoe was on the other foot, with abundant cheap hydro power available in Calgary's back0yard).

What is so holy about the Wabamun area that the regulators have decreed that this is where coal will be burned? (There is coal in the south, as Enmax is aware.)

The smell I'm getting is not just from coal combustion!

Charles J. Jennissen,

Sherwood Park

Move EUB to Edmonton The Edmonton Journal Published: 2:06 am It is hard to maintain the EUB is not in the pocket of industry, when part of its yearly business is to collect funding for both the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and the Small Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (SEPAC). Both of the aforementioned are industry advocates, and having the regulator collect their funding is successful no doubt, however, it smacks of inappropriateness. How this is in the public interest will need explaining.

Also the direct payment of part of the EUB's budget by industry should not be allowed under any circumstances. The industry is very much the EUB's paymaster!

Supervision of the EUB has been lacking by government energy ministers, as events in the recent past plainly points out. Location plays a part in the government's ability to keep a reign on EUB endeavours.

Placing the EUB under everyday supervision by the provincial energy minister would give the minister a reason to show up for work, and put a different atmosphere around EUB staff. A move to Edmonton to become, in reality, a full government entity would place some confidence in energy regulation, that is very badly needed! The EUB set up "synergy groups" throughout the province. This caused some to note the duty of industry regulation had fallen to the general public! These "company owned" community groups prevented the EUB from being properly staffed in field locations.

A cursory review of the Caroline cover-up of March 12, 2003, will indicate the danger these company owned groups pose to the public! I have seen nothing that suggests, if indeed the EUB is a provincial entity, that it should not like other government bodies be headquartered in Edmonton under direct supervision of the minister of energy!

Stewart Shields,

Lacombe

Federal Tories see limited role for alternative fuels Lisa Schmidt, Calgary Herald Published: Thursday, September 13, 2007 Fossil fuels will continue to be Canada's main energy source for decades to come, even as Ottawa ramps up spending on developing cleaner biofuels, the federal energy minister said Wednesday.

Gary Lunn, in Calgary to launch a $500-million fund to support the development of cellulose-based biofuels, said renewable energy sources have made great strides, but still make a small part of the country's total needs.

"I think you have to look at the energy sources out there and they all will play a role in Canada's energy mix," Lunn said after making the announcement in a luncheon speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

"Renewable is still a relatively small part of the supply side in our total production of energy. Although it's important -- we want to continue to push these technologies -- we mustn't forget how important fossil fuels are to our energy mix and we need to continue to invest in those technologies as well." The fund, first announced in the federal budget in March, will be spent over eight years and be administered by Sustainable Development Technology Canada. Ottawa has mandated a five per cent renewable fuel content for transportation fuels by 2010 and a two per cent content mandate for diesel and heating oil by 2012.

Investments will go toward the so-called "next generation" of biofuels to produce alternatives to gasoline from feedstocks ranging from wood fibre to wheat stocks, as well as diesel alternatives made from waste oils and animal fats.

These types of biofuels will deliver even greater greenhouse gas reductions, and use less energy in the production process than current biofuels such as ethanol, said the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.

"Canada is now seriously joining the 'NextGen' biofuels race," said spokesman Robin Speer.

"This fund will ensure that Canadian companies can innovate and compete on a level playing field with our international competitors."

Large-scale projects involving the newer technologies are expensive and developers have had trouble raising funds to get new plants up and running, said Vicky Sharpe, chief executive of the organization that will oversee the fund.

"That creates a funding gap because there is a fair degree of technology risk still in undertaking these large-scale demonstrations," she said.

In addition to economic benefits, the biofuels would also offer alternative sources of income for other sectors such as agriculture or forestry by turning waste products into revenue generators, she said.

lschmidt@theherald.canwest.com

[comment by jess: if we continue to give most of it away, there wont be any left to keep us warm or worry about]

Alberta has one of world's highest rates of colitis Chris Zdeb, Edmonton Journal Published: Thursday, September 13, 2007 Edmonton Oiler winger Fernando Pisani may be the most famous Albertan diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, but he's not the only resident of the province with the disease, which causes an open sore to develop on the large intestine.

In fact, Alberta has one of the highest incidences in the world, particularly around Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie.

It's a condition prevalent in northern developed countries and is more common the further north you go, says Dr. Richard Fedorak, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Alberta, a leading research centre studying the disease.

This is common with a lot of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, he adds. No one knows what the geographical tie-in is yet, but two things need to be present for a person to develop the condition, Fedorak says: you have to be born with a specific genetic mutation and you have to have a type of bacteria growing in your intestines common to people living in northern developed countries. A popular theory suggests ulcerative colitis may be connected to bacteria on food and in the environment that a person ingests as a child, because bacteria here is, for example, different than bacteria ingested in Mexico or a warm tropical climate where there is no ulcerative colitis, Fedorak says.

The good news is that the majority of people with the disease -- more than 90 per cent -- can manage their condition with medications and lead normal, productive lives. So while Pisani, 30, has been temporarily iced, he's expected to be back in the lineup by the end of October or start of November once his condition is under control.

Here's what else Fedorak had to say about ulcerative colitis:

- Over time the condition wears away the lining of the large intestine, similar to skinning a knee when you fall off a bike. It leaves the surface red, raw and bleeding. This leads to pain in the form of cramping and diarrhea with blood.

- Patients tend to have five to 15 bowel movements a day which are quite urgent, and because the lining is worn away it feels like vinegar poured over a cut.

- Because the large bowel or intestine is irritable and can't hold any material, you get diarrhea, which means you have to always be near a washroom, which starts to negatively affect quality of life and the ability to concentrate.

- The onset of ulcerative colitis is most frequent between the ages of 15 and 25.

- The condition is easily diagnosed with a colonoscopy.

- Treatment involves a series of medications that become more potent when simpler ones don't work. This is determined by how severe the problem is.

- Mesalamine is the first simple medication prescribed. If the person is still having symptoms, a steroid medication is introduced, and, if needed, a number of immune suppressant medications.

- In some cases the large intestine must be removed and a new rectum created out of the small intestine to solve the problem, but this is rare. Some people have been able to avoid this drastic surgery since the introduction of two new medications, infliximab and adalimumab, to Alberta a couple of months ago. The medications heal the ulcerated walls of the large intestine, but must continue to be taken or the condition comes back.

- There is no cure for ulcerative colitis so sufferers must stay on medication all their lives. © The Calgary Herald 2007

[comments by jess: sour gas exposure adversely affects digestive system within hours. when i am in alberta, i cannot eat oats (my favourite), wheat, bread, cookies, etc without severe pain consequences re digestive system. when i am out of province, even in super polluted european cities, i can eat all these to the level of gluttony, without any discomfort - except being too full. sour gas also advserely affects sinus, and many other systems. when i am in alberta, my sinuses pound with pain. when i am out of province, bingo, problem gone. i have been tracking this for years]

Privacy rights loss alarms Canada's civil libertarians Gov't opens hearings on website data access Carly Weeks, CanWest News Service Published: 2:05 am OTTAWA - In an unexpected about-face, the federal government revealed Wednesday it will open up previously closed-door consultations it has been holding on plans to force Internet service providers to turn customers' personal information over to police without a court order.

The decision was made as privacy and civil liberties organizations voiced serious concerns Wednesday they were being deliberately excluded from providing input into the contentious proposal, which they have criticized for several years over concerns it would jeopardize privacy rights and could lay the groundwork for giving police power to eavesdrop on wireless and Internet communications.

"There's clearly been a conscious decision not to consult with us this time around," said Philippa Lawson, director of the University of Ottawa's Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.

"They know full well that my organization and a number of other civil liberties groups are very concerned about and interested in these initiatives." The Public Safety and Industry Departments have been conducting a limited consultation, which was scheduled to end Sept. 25, on potential changes that would make it easier for police to get customers' personal information from Internet providers without a court order or other legal justification. Those invited to participate in the consultation process received a letter and no information was made public on any government website.

Now, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day's office said it has decided to post information on the department's website and lengthen the consultation process to allow the public and privacy and civil liberties groups to have a say.

Spokeswoman Melissa Leclerc said the decision was made after the office received numerous calls Wednesday, but privacy associations and other groups have always been allowed to participate in these discussions.

"The minister was clear when he asked his officials to work on this. He asked for a thorough consultation as possible approach," Leclerc said. "He wants to hear from these groups on every element of this process."

However, numerous privacy and civil liberties organizations across Canada were not even aware the federal government was in the midst of a consultation on the issue until well-known privacy expert Michael Geist, who was included in the discussion, posted information on his blog this week.

"We have never been informed or approached or invited to be consulted," said Roch Tasse, co-ordinator of the

Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, which represents nearly 40 of the country's civil liberties organizations.

"None of our members to our knowledge have been invited to participate."

The secretive nature of the consultation prompted the federal privacy commissioner's office to voice concerns and urge the government to open up the process to include the opinions of privacy and civil liberties groups.

"From what I understand, they've asked people not to make it public," spokesman Colin McKay said.

"I do think there are a lot of people who would have an opinion about the lawful access proposal in general. We would hope they would open up the process to more people and wider points of view to feed into their policy development process."

The RCMP and other police organizations have been pressuring the federal government to make it easier for them to access the customer's personal information.

Posted by Arthur Caldicott on 13 Sep 2007