December 21st, 2009

Dear Mr. Xiao,

With respect to your Fall/Winter 09 newsletter and specifically on page 4 (On Topic), I read with keen interest the Hansard transcripts you provided for your oral question, reported to have been asked on November 17th, 2009, and your private member statement, which you read on November 23rd. On November 17th, Hansard actually shows Dr. Raj Sherman, MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark, asking about burying the proposed Heartland transmission lines. Your questions which, admittedly, very closely mimicked Sherman's, came on November 19, not 17.

Anyhow, you are absolutely right of course that this issue is causing many McClung residents and families a lot of anxiety and stress, so thank you for repeating its mention in the Assembly.

Of particular interest, however, is your second supplementary question and the answer given by Energy Minister Mel Knight.  First off, not all residents in McClung are sold on the urgency or need for new transmission lines or the fact that we, as taxpayers, will be on the hook for the costs incurred.  Your question gives the impression that if the new lines were simply to be buried, the issue would go away and people wouldn't object.

"Mr. Xiao: Thank you. Many of my constituents, while recognizing the importance of new transmission lines, would like to bring forward additional concerns and input. My final supplementary to the same minister: can he advise what avenues are available to my constituents to provide their input?"

"Mr. Knight: Well, yes, Mr. Speaker, I certainly can. The situation as it unfolds, of course, with any transmission development in the province of Alberta is consistent with what's going to happen in this area, and that is that at the correct point in time, when we get to a permit and licensing stage with respect to any of these pieces of infrastructure, the Alberta Utilities Commission holds an open public hearing at which any Albertans at their choice can go and intervene and have their concerns and requests and requirements heard by the Alberta Utilities Commission in a quasi-judicial setting."

Given Bill 50 (Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009) and its impact in cancelling the requirement for the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to determine if any prospective transmission line is in the public interest before it approves it, and taking away the Commission's ability to hear from concerned or affected Albertans if Cabinet deems any project "Critical Transmission Infrastructure," which they are doing in this case, how could the Minister make such a misleading statement and how could you accept this deceitful answer and promote it in your newsletter?

Bill 50, as you're well aware, was introduced in the Assembly on June 1st, 2009, passed 2nd reading on November 18th, entered Committee of the Whole the same afternoon you asked your question (November 19), passed third reading on November 25th and received royal assent on November 26th before the Assembly adjourned. The minister, you, and all other 81 MLAs knew it was before the House and that the Conservative majority was going to make sure it passed all stages of debate before the House rose.

As an Albertan, I am upset at this Energy Minister who refuses to listen to opposition from the public and rams through offensive and irresponsible amendments that are clearly not in the public interest and contrary to all promises of, and calls for, openness, transparency and accountability. And he doesn't stop there, he tries to sell us a bill of goods and has no worries using misleading statements, on record. It's a symbol of the Stelmach administration growing more secretive and dishonest each passing day and Albertans won't continue to accept or forgive that.

As a McClung resident, I am perhaps more concerned that you, as our elected representative, would betray your constituents by taking part in a campaign designed to limit the ability of Albertans to participate in discussions or voice concerns about issues that have massive long-term impacts on our health and our pocketbooks. You should have opposed Bill 50. You should have also more accurately represented our wide ranging views and concerns before your Caucus and in the Assembly.

And like the Minister of Energy, you didn't stop there.  In your latest newsletter, you may have helped pull the wool over Albertans' eyes by promoting what clearly amounts to a flagrant lie on the part of Mel Knight and the Stelmach regime.  Giving concerned citizens false hope or false assurances that there still remain some avenues for them to intervene or speak out, after your government, and with your support of Bill 50, has effectively removed that option, is simply wrong.

I am disappointed!