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LETTER: Provincial inquiry into anti-oil, gas industry groups waste of money

Editor: The public inquiry into foreign funds being used to aid environmental organizations hell-bent on spreading "lies" to damage our oil and gas industry was released Oct. 20. The hefty report was commissioned by Jason Kenney in 2019 and was heavily

Editor:

The public inquiry into foreign funds being used to aid environmental organizations hell-bent on spreading "lies" to damage our oil and gas industry was released Oct. 20. The hefty report was commissioned by Jason Kenney in 2019 and was heavily influenced by the input of Vivian Krause.

There is definitely a dichotomy between environmental groups' interpretations and the words of our Energy Minister Sonya Savage. She "cherry-picked" through parts of the report that supported her beliefs and those of the UCP. Although it is called a public inquiry, there wasn't any public consultation.

But most of what she said in regards to the report was how surprised she was as to how these groups were so "coordinated and sophisticated and well funded." She also said Albertans should be "outraged" as this report hurts Albertans and the oil and gas sector. As a matter of fact, she was so impressed by the environmentalists, she said they hope to use their plan and organization to prepare for the "next one."

Allan's report did find funds coming into Alberta for environmental groups, but could not say how much found its way to these so-called anti-oil and gas groups. But she conceded that the report didn't find "anything illegal going on."

Although a lot of figures were thrown about, they found that it averages $3.5 million per year. That is how much the commission cost us too. The report came out a year late with overruns of $1.5 million. Nor did they find any wrongdoing by any groups or individuals.

Savage believes it was money well spent, she said "it's a drop in the bucket." Someone even suggests that the report is just another embarrassment for Kenney.

All this money was spent just to better address "future campaigns against the energy sector." We better tell Bigfoot to go MIA.

So all of this because Vivian Krause had Kenney's ear. So who is she? A former nutritionist who is a "controversial Canadian blogger" whose material was "the foundation" of the report. This B.C. researcher's oilsands theories are being championed by Kenney. Just one problem – experts say they're not true.

Marilyn Foxford,

Canmore

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