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On October 25, Wildrose Party Leader, Brian Jean, will be stopping in Vegreville at Tim Horton’s from 10 - 11:30 a.m, in Vermilion at Sammy’s Restaurant from 1:30 - 3 p.m, and in Lloydminster at the Royal Hotel at 7 p.m.
The purpose of his visit will be to share the Wildrose vision and listen to concerns from the people in these constituencies, to better adjust their platform based on what they hear.
So far, the largest concerns that Jean has heard across Alberta include the proposed carbon tax, the accelerated shutdown of coal, and the tremendous fear of continued job loss.
“We plan on getting rid of the carbon tax as soon as possible should we get the privilege of being elected. It is an unnecessary way of hurting hardworking Albertans and with Vermilion residents having to drive more than citizens in our major centers; the increased petroleum and heating costs are major worries for rural residents.
About the accelerated shutdown of coal, I think we’re missing a tremendous opportunity here. I would suggest investing in making sure corporations are competitive and have technologies to implement to avoid greenhouse gas emissions; whether it be the use of wood pellets in coal-fired plants, or other technology as far as scrubbers go,” said Jean.
He went on to say there are coal power plants in existence that seem to be as efficient as natural gas. If Alberta continues to expand coal technology, providing ideas for clean coal exports and taking production into the 21st century, those ideas and technologies can be marketed to places like China, India, and if necessary the U.S.A.
“Canada has an obligation to show the developing world how to transition from using dirty coal to clean coal practices. We have lots of supply, and we need to look at other options besides shutting plants down and terminating all of the jobs. This strategy would create jobs in Alberta and create a better environment for everybody,” said Jean.
Jean is a big fan of energy diversification and would like to see as many industries coming to Alberta as possible. He suggested the way to continue attracting new energy suppliers is to lower taxes, encouraging people to set up industries and create jobs. He also suggested that as Alberta’s second largest industry, a continual investment in agriculture is very important.
“Agriculture employs a lot of Albertans, and as a renewable resource we want to support our competitive advantages - our land and our great people - to ensure that Albertans can continue production over the next 1,000 years,” said Jean.
Jean would like to see more local autonomy to decision making and see governments at all levels working as partners.
“We’ve always had good support in this area, and feel that Albertans are looking for hope and a new path,” said Jean.
For more information, you can visit www.wildrose.ca, or call Garth Rowswell at 780-853-6119 or Danny Hozack at 780-808-0271.