A Land of Milk & Honey ?

As some of you know, I am relocating to Edmonton during the second quarter of this year. The Alberta economy as a whole has been cresting ever higher of late, due in the largest part to the Oil & Gas boom of the last few years. This is expected to continue - barring the discovery of large, proven, and accessible reserves elsewhere.

The Transnational Oilcos have also recently announced that they expect to quintuple their investments in the Oilsands over the next decade - thereby heartening those of us who will be living there and seeking to benefit financially from this carbon lottery.

I have been travelling to Alberta on business for close to a half-decade now, and so am familiar with the chronic labour shortages that have been driving-up both wages, and, sadly for me, home prices. I have also been watching the economic trends there over the same period.
But somehow, this tidbit from 2005 escaped me.

How horrifically shocking !

What a terrible solution to the problem of labour market shortages.

But now, some would claim - good news.

But I guess how this is, and will be, interpreted is all relative.

I mean, they were considering allowing children as young as 12 years of age to work in the non-serving area of Bars !

How unbelievably Dickensian !

That Premier Stelmach was "not in favour of the idea" seems to me at least a very minor form of relief; but couldn't he have come out firmer against this idea?

As a Father and great admirer of the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, I am truly appalled by the very idea. I truly wonder if we all fully understand that this is just what an unfettered marketplace can lead to. Do we really want to return to this kind of dark age?

Have you seen your Mother Baby, standing in the shadow?

Although polling data is mutable and subject to changes down the road, the fact remains that Stephen Harper has enforced a high-level of discipline over the CPC caucus. Today's results seem to vindicate his approach.

I still stand by my contention that the LPC has miscalculated in selecting Dion as their Leader. Dion's appeal in Ontario is limited, and the Nationaliste plurality in Quebec dislike him. I personally hold hope for a minority government, but if Dion's bleeding in Ontario turns into a hemorrhage - then I just do not know ....