It is what it is…

 

By Marc Chayer

CARIBOU!

This one word has come to personify what is perceived to be the single largest threat to a key industry in our region. On Thursday night I, like a lot of people, attended a meeting to hear what the reasoning was for a new Caribou range plan.

The panel in my mind had eight individuals who were “pro plan” which was made up of the MLA along with five government staffers (four provincial, one federal) along with two environmentalists out of that caribou paradise in Edmonton. (Not that I have seen too many caribou roaming the halls of West Ed.)

Rounding out the panel were three individuals who one might say were representative of our local industry. (The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Alberta Newsprint, and the Alberta Forest Alliance).

In a nutshell, what I understood was the fact that if Alberta does not do something quick, the caribou run the risk of going the way of the Dodo bird.

Folks, the caribou are threatened and they will soon be as extinct as T-Rex. Our MLA went on to say that we do something or the feds will march into town and slap orders on all of us and basically shut down the forest to any of our traditional resources based activities… and we all know how much Trudeau loves us Albertans!

Now, with that said, I do not profess to be an expert on the subject. However, what I did hear a lot of in this meeting was a lot of “protecting’, ‘limiting”, concerns for the ‘socio/economic” effects, etc.

As the meeting went on, conversations kept circling back to actions needed to save the caribou.

My take on the meeting? What the hell are you guys talking about? What I saw in the room was a lack of conversation about the protection of the Whitecourt/Woodlands habitat, namely the people who are inhabitants of the region.

Sprinkled throughout the audience were a lot of let’s say “mature’ individuals who I guess have probably worked in forestry their entire lives. While I get it that we have no less than eight people here to tell us how to save the caribou, what I did not see was anyone with a plan on how to replace those high-quality jobs that could and would be lost.

Mayor Chichak of Whitecourt, in the pre-amble to her question to the panel, reported that ANC had already scaled back 80 positions within their organization. Eighty is a big number around here but, folks, it gets worse. Conventional thinking states that of every job loss directly in the resource industry, at least another three are lost in the community. Eighty becomes 240 quickly.

I don’t believe for a second that anyone in the room wants to wipe out the caribou, but they are more concerned with the herd at home that they feed and care for, namely their families.

Questions for the Caribou Rescue Team

Where is the 50+-year-old worker supposed to go to maintain his household at an income they need?

What are the job opportunities that will keep the young workers we need to remain in the community to foster our growth?

It has been made clear that our provincial government takes its lead from those in Edmonton who seek to save the world. The “socio/economic” impact they speak of is in the abstract but what has been missing from these discussions are the real issues as to what comes next.

These are real people who have real fears.

ANC, Millar Western, and West Fraser are all companies that have invested millions into our region through direct investments, jobs, etc. Yet, when we speak of the caribou, nobody has an idea of where these investment dollars are going to come from in the future.

What alternative industry is going to move into Whitecourt/Woodlands? Who does the NDP have in mind to change the nature of this province and what we do to make a living?

Yes, I sat and listened for hours at a conversation that was completely focused on caribou and heard platitudes like, “Yes, we understand there are concerns about jobs.” Umm, no we are not concerned… rather some of us are terrified at the path that has been chosen by a seemingly tone-deaf MLA and, by extension, the provincial government.

Mayor Chichak asked one of the environmentalists on the panel why she had not come to Whitecourt to take the industry tours offered at our expense and at council’s invitation to see for herself our industry and how we do business. Answer, “Sorry, been busy.”

In the end, what did I take from the meeting? Well, I am not so sure we really matter to these guys. Caribou matter a lot and somehow the government thinks that a couple hundred caribou will make this province great again.

Note to those who came from Edmonton for the meeting: eighty per cent of this province’s revenue comes from north of Edmonton.

Your houses are built with our wood. Your heat comes from our gas. We are the foundation of the province and it is through the history of resource-based industries that we find the growth and innovation that has made Alberta a world leader.

What does the future hold for the caribou? I don’t know, but I am reasonably sure all those wolves out there are not helping much.

As far as the political take on this, the meeting was moderated by Rob Merrifield. There’s a name you remember and might want to write down. I suspect you will see him again soon as the UCP nominee from this riding. Heaven knows we need the help.

It is what it is…