GO RIDERS!

No CP article on the Canadian Wheat Board is complete without a) a helpful response from the National Farmers Union, and b) a reminder that the “Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.”
So, that must mean someone else was covering the costs to send their “confidential personal financial data” to Canada Revenue Agency.
(Via)

Now is the time at SDA when we juxtapose!
October, 2009 – Under the Green Options Plan, SaskPower intends to procure up to 175MW of wind power from independent power producers.
November, 2009 – Wall Govt Scrambles To Cover Deficit
Previous: As goes Ontario…

“I just got a call from the socialist political party I support. It turns out they’re beating the bushes and digging in the couch cushions to try to find financial support for their upcoming election drive. The very nice young woman who called me warned me that the opposing party (which is doing a pretty okay job of running the province, if you ask me, which you haven’t done, but I’m telling you anyway) starting to fundraise for their party already (DANGER! DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER! UPCOMING ELECTION!). I would have been *far more frightened* had she been able to pronounce the leader of the provincial opposition’s name. ”

Goldsource Announces Initial Border Coal Resource

Overall, the estimated coal resources at Border consist of 63.5 million Indicated tonnes plus 89.6 million Inferred tonnes, and 18.7 million Speculative tonnes. The Inferred and Speculative resources are limited only by the current lack of drill hole data within an already defined geophysical anomaly. Further drilling is planned that may convert the majority, if not all, of the Inferred and Speculative tonnes into the Indicated Resource category. As defined in GSC Paper 88-21, “Speculative resources are those based on extrapolation of few data points over large distances and are confined to regions where extensive coal exploration has not yet taken place”.
[…]
This initial coal resource with estimated coal quality represents a new significant energy resource for Saskatchewan and Canada. Conceptually, this resource could potentially generate 300 to 600 Megawatts per year of affordable electricity for 30 to 50 years. This would be equivalent to approximately 10 to 20% of the current annual electricity needs for Saskatchewan.

Riders are First in the West!
The game was clinched by a 30 yard scamper and subsequent touchdown by Regina City councillor Chris Szarka!
Have fun next week in Calgary, Eskimos!

Flashback: Sort of related

During a media panel I attended in Regina last week, we were asked for our thoughts on the political prospects of Dwain Lingenfelter. I answered this way – “He has the same problem as Michael Ignatieff. The campaign signs will read “Saskatchewan. Not worth living in unless they make you Premier.”

So two years after the election here’s the bottom line: The Sask. Party (despite a worsening economy and ministerial miscues) appears to have increased its support by almost nine percentage points to 59.5 per cent from the 50.9 per cent it received on election night two years ago. The NDP (despite a reinvigorated leadership race and new leader) sees its support dramatically slip by almost 11 percentage points to 26.4 per cent, compared with the 37.2 per cent it got in the 2007 general election.
This is heart-stopping news for Saskatchewan New Democrats who need to do some serious soul-searching as to where they have gone wrong.
And that won’t be particularly easy to do, because — by every indication right now — it appears their biggest tactical error has been selecting Dwain Lingenfelter as leader.

Good times!

I just got back from a round trip to Lloydminster, and I’m kicking myself for leaving the camera behind – the harvest moon isn’t typical for November.
Neither is the scent of grain dust in the air.
What’s that to do with “global warming”? Well, the combines aren’t out there because it’s been warm and dry.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you guys.

Leader Post;

Saskatchewan is sitting on a massive energy source that could fuel our vehicles and power our homes and businesses for centuries to come, without contaminating the environment with harmful emissions, including greenhouse gases.
[…]
Cruickshank, NuCoal’s president and CEO, and Burns, its managing director, are proposing to a build coal gasification plant that will turn 6,000 tonnes of coal a day into 150,000 barrels of gasoline a day for about $650 million.
If you think that sounds ambitious, they plan to build 10 such plants, turning 60,000 tonnes of coal a day into 150,000 barrels of gasoline per day, for a cool $6.5 billion.

h/t Eric A.
Good catch by Atlantic Jim in the comments – “Good to see that the editors were wide awake on this one. 6000 tonnes for 150,000 barrels a day or 60,000 tonnes for 150,000 barrels a day?”

Taken yesterday, in Saskatoon.
Ugh.
Related – it seems a lifetime ago that we were on the road to Montgomery, enjoying better times….

SaskPower expects need to increase energy rates so they can throw money at stuff that doesn’t work;

Research suggests Saskatchewan might be able to double the amount of wind power, he said. “If we did add that, we would go up to about eight per cent of our capacity or thereabouts from wind.”

Morons.

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(Update: Joke all you want down there in the comments… I just heard a weather man on NBC affiliate K5 from Seattle utter the words “First Nations summer”….)

“Kidnapped garden statue of monk travels Regina”

An email from Darcy Moen of Second Time Office Equipment;

Second Time Office Equipment has seen a huge influx of 48 pallets (30 tonne) of ewaste come in during the past few days. The public has turned out in a show of support and dropped off more eWaste at our facility than usual. I suspect it has much to do with the multi-media comments coming from your blog, CTF, and radio.
Our yard is totally full, and we are working a double shift to clear some space.

(SWEEP: Revisiting The Rent Seekers – Part 1, Part 2)

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation plays “follow the money”;

In 2003, the Electronics Product Stewardship Canada was formed to help influence governments on what environmental legislation was coming. David Betts, formerly of ITAC became its CEO and president. Incredibly, he also became Chair of the Board of SWEEP itself while still holding the EPSC post.
Shortly after the SWEEP program was implemented, David Betts resigned from both SWEEP (see page 3 of the annual report) and the EPSC. On June 1, as soon as his resignations had taken effect, Betts joined the management team at eCycle Solutions where he is currently a vice-president.
Ever since the SWEEP program was first implemented in 2007, Alberta-based eCycle Solutions has been exclusively tasked with recycling the televisions and monitors collected at SARCAN and in B.C.’s similar program. For eCycle Solutions and EPSC companies, industry-led, government-mandated programs have proven lucrative. However, a system that de-emphasizes re-use and restricts private sector participation is second-rate for the environment, consumers slapped with eco-fees, and recyclers shut out of the system.

Lots more at the CTF link, including an eCycle website that’s developed a streak of shyness.

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(Previous)

SDA: August 13, 2007:

In, Feb 2006, EPSC submits an industry led product stewardship plan to the Government of Saskatchewan. In May 2006, the Government of Saskatchewan approves the stewardship plan submitted. (Well, it appears that the EPSC has found its compliant Government.)
Shortly there after, EPSC then creates a non profit organization called SWEEP to administer the plan.
Now, let’s have a look at the board of directors of SWEEP:
We see Sean DeVries of Panasonic Canada as Chair, Nick Aubry of Sony Canada, Rebecca Brown of Dell Canada, etc, etc, etc and David Betts of EPSC as Executive Director. Oh, wait a moment, let’s have a look at the board of directors of EPSC. (See: http://www.epsc.ca/a_board.html) We see the brands of Dell Canada , Sony Canada , Panasonic Canada listed (amongst a few other well known brands such as HP, Toshiba, etc) and David Betts as President and CEO of EPSC. (David Betts has recently stepped down and has been replaced)
What is up with this? Many of the same people and companies of EPSC are also represented on the board of SWEEP. It would appear that the industry not only makes products, but it is now in charge of the disposal of the same products they make. Have the foxes just been put in charge of the hen house?
Can we trust electronic producers to police? Has our government sold our environment out to product producers or representatives of producer’s interests? How independent and arms length is this program, and does it represent the public’s best interests? Or does this ewaste program reflect only the interests of the corporations behind it?
These might be some very tough questions to put to the Minister responsible.
Who is exactly paying for development of the SWEEP program? Again, I refer to Mr. David Betts’ speech in Orlando : (see: http://www.epsc.ca/pdfs/betts_orlando_speech.pdf) and I quote: ‘We consider the financing we have received an advance that will be paid back to members following program introduction.’
Just how much money raised from Ewaste recycling fees are being diverted to repay EPSC and it’s member companies? Can the general public who is PAYING ewaste fees every time they purchase a computer or television review or audit the funds and how they are spent?

Canadian Taxpayers Federation: July 17, 2009

As the largest e-recycler in Saskatchewan, Moen’s business was already recycling 60 tonnes of e-waste per month before SWEEP ever existed. Recycling was profitable enough without any government programs. Moen picked up unwanted electronics for free and refurbished what he could for resale. The rest was dismantled and the remaining gold, silver, lead, cadmium, mercury, ferrous metal and plastic was separated and recycled.
Yet, Moen’s company was shut out from SWEEP by the provincial government. Instead, SARCAN became the sole collection agency for the SWEEP program. SARCAN would have the computers dismantled, while all televisions and monitors would go to eCycle Solutions, an Alberta-based company. That company also recycles e-waste collected from other government-mandated recycling programs established in British Columbia and Alberta.
Moen’s competitive disadvantage in the current climate is made clear on the eCycle website. There eCycle admits, “Because we are government subsidized our services represent a significant cost savings for you”; Nearly $2.3 million was spent by SWEEP on collection, processing, and its environmental audit last fiscal year, almost all of which was sent to eCycle and facilities contracted out by SARCAN. Unfortunately for consumers, SWEEP collected more than twice as much ($6.2 million) in Environmental Handling Fees (read: taxes) during that time.
Even greater excesses could soon follow, to the harm of recyclers like Moen and consumers alike. By 2010, SWEEP expects to expand its application of eco-taxes. The EPSC has already identified a list of items to tax, including: copiers, palm pilots, scanners, telephones, cell phones, stereos, speakers, MP3 players, iPods and DVD players.
The worst part is that, unlike private sector recyclers such as Moen, SWEEP has had much talk but little action on refurbishing and re-using electronics. Not only is this worse for the environment, this leaves second-hand computer stores in Saskatchewan having to import products from out-of-province.

Call your SaskParty MLA. They were elected to rid us of the NDP mindset, not emulate it.

Eric Anderson does brief business interest pieces for Ralwco radio called “Prosperity Saskatchewan” that I’ve long enjoyed – they’re well explained, to the point and factual.
Recently he made a tour of the McArthur River underground uranium mine and the McClean Lake mill/open-pit mines. He sent this report, along with some photos by email;

The McArthur River mine has the highest grade uranium ore on earth at an average of 20% (that is the amount of U3O8 per load of rock) vs. the rest of the world at 0.1%; some of McArthur River’s is over 80%. While it is not recommendable to live in a house made of the ore itself (which is in a deposit between 530 and 640 meters underground), it is obviously safe in the short-term. Depending on the grade of this specific bucket-load of ore (photo taken 640 meters underground without a flash, no telephoto lense, yes I was safely that close), it could be worth more than $1-million.

The barrels of yellowcake are ready for loading onto a truck before they leave McClean Lake for Ontario – yes, I am touching them. Each barrel weighs 894 lbs, with 856 lbs of that being the yellowcake itself. The yellowcake is actually “yellow” before the final step (see image of it being poured, no telephoto lense, also see today’s SP image), but closer to black when packaged into barrels. There are 48 of theses barrels loaded into each semi heading to Ontario for fuel fabrication.
The loader is just cool to see – the trucks are even larger.

And if you have thoughts of some sort of massive conspiracy or cover-up regarding the safety of uranium mining – there’s not. The head of Areva Canada (the parent company to Areva Resources that is located in Saskatoon, and also oversees reactor sales, fuel sales, power transmission sales, and spent-fuel management) was standing beside me for the entire tour. If I was in any danger, so was he. If it was Erin Brockovitch, the head of PG&E was willing to drink the water from Hinkley in this case. The uranium industry is the most regulated and scrutinised industry in Canada – it’s extremely safe.

Thanks, Eric.
You can listen to some of his pieces in the archives here. I especially recommend this one (mp3)

Now granted, it’s just the preseason, and the first game at that, but woot! Go Riders!

From Rod Pedersen:

The Riders have 68 players along on the trip (if my math is good). Here’s a breakdown:

4 quarterbacks
10 offensive linemen
6 running backs
12 receivers
10 defensive linemen
6 linebackers
14 defensive backs
4 special teams players

Cheers,
lance

Quoted in its entirety as this is the category of blog post that sometimes goes *poof*…

I happened to be passing through the lobby during the last morning of the NDP convention today when I came upon Dwain Lingenfelter threatening to have a party member charged with assault while the member was being physically restrained by two other people.
I didn’t see the start of the incident but from what I was able to glean, it sounds like the member had bumped into Link with his shoulder, possibly after having an exchange relating to this story where Link appeared to be contradicting the will of the party’s membership almost immediately after winning the leadership.
I don’t know if Lingenfelter feels that he’s begun reaching out to the supporters of other campaigns as he promised to do in his acceptance speech. But obviously, they’ve begun reaching out to him!
(Bad joke, I know. But I share the frustration of many in that it appears that Mr. Lingenfelter’s words are empty – both in terms of how he intends to be a leader of all NDP members and also in how swiftly he appears to be ignoring the will of the majority of the delegates at convention who voted for a strongly worded anti-nuke resolution.)