The Pipeline debate The Oil patch thinks it has won

A different perspective on the pipeline debate:

Northern Gateway pipeline reveals risks of unsettled land claims  By Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Herald February 16, 2012 7:47 AM

I think that Deborah Yedlin is off the mark in her column of yesterday. She asks some questions and then gives here answers, which I am sure would be a surprise to many. She is reporting on a breakfast meeting held by members of Petroleum Club in Calgary. It would appear that the Oil lobby in Canada think they have already won the battle over the Northern Gateway pipeline.
From her article (bold emphasis is mine)

But as the opposition and rhetoric continues to swirl around Northern Gateway, the question on the minds of many is, what exactly is required?

Moreover, how does the absence of land claims agreements with a number of the First Nations in British Columbia whose lands the pipeline will cross affect the process? Does an agreement regarding treaty rights need to be put in place before the project could proceed? (emphasis mine)

In a word, no. In fact, despite what many believe, no agreements need to be signed. Nor does any money have to be exchanged. The Crown has a duty to consult if the rights of the First Nations are affected by the government decision.

There is also a duty to ensure the First Nations in question are informed of what is going on. If there is a situation in which the traditional livelihood is affected as a result of development, the onus is on the government to make the group whole. In other words, other places must be found where the traditional life can be pursued, or an offer of financial compensation.  In the context of Enbridge, it means the company is under no obligation to offer First Nations bands any sort of equity interest in the pipeline.

She goes on to say

If there is a Supreme Court challenge on an approval granted to Northern Gateway, it won't automatically stall the process - but it's likely an injunction would be applied for to stop any activity.

Thus, it's likely the passing of a Northern Gateway Pipeline Act will be required to get the project built. Taking this step means the government has to prove the project is in the national interest.

That's pretty hard to refute - despite the efforts of some to present the view there are no real economic benefits to exporting bitumen to markets beyond the U.S. The fact remains the incremental demand is not coming from the U.S. - thus the only way to capture more value per barrel is to do it through market diversification.

There is some suggestion this is an avenue already being seriously examined in Ottawa.


Read more:  Here

The sandwich generation

In December, I received an email from Katelyn Roberts, Content Development Specialist
Assisted Living Today,  a Web publishing company that specializes in information about elderly living. The information on the website is  very good.

She thought a series of articles they publish on the subject of choosing the best care type for your loved one would be interesting and I agree.

Our generation has always had a unique way of making its way through the world. We now look after children who return home because the economic climate makes it impossible for them to make their way without help. We also have our parents living longer and we have to make decisions or help them make decisions about how and where they should live. In addition we have to start to pay attention to where we may end up.  The information on their site is useful for those making some tough decisions, the links and resources they provide are very good and I believe very useful in doing your research.  

I think that overall the information is generic enough to be of use, no matter where you live.

Assisted Living Today have created guides for each of five different care types, the aim of which is  to help people faced with deciding what type of care to choose for a loved one make the best possible decision.  They’re also designed to help those looking for care to determine which type of facility is best within a certain care type, and offer information like questions to ask, fees to look for, contractual issues you may run into, etc. The guides are below with links that will take you to the site.

• Assisted Living Care Guide

• Memory Care Guide

• Nursing Home Guide:

• Care Home Guide

• Independent Living Guide

Theyt also created this visual breakdown of the impact of growing elderly population and diminishing care home capacity: I would encourage you to take a look at this very interesting and valuable information.

Happy Valentines day

My wish is that for all of you that today is a day that you take the time to tell the people who are important to you that you care for them and how much they mean to you. I have many people in my life that I care for and I feel lucky to have these people in my life.

When we were younger, many of us looked forward to giving and getting Valentine cards, because they were, for some of us, an indicator of what others thought of us and that people cared about us.

Reach out, tell someone that you care for them, enjoy the day and keep in mind that any act of kindness will be appreciated and perhaps rewarded by the universe.

Happy Valentines day to all my friends, family, and readers.

Ideas for Valentine Day for kids

Children love to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their friends. This is the day of the

year that they can show their friends how much they mean to them. One of the  best crafts that your children can do is to make homemade Valentine’s Day cards to hand out at school. There is no need to spend money on the boring store bought  cards when your children can make cards.

Start out by helping your children to cut out card sized hearts for the cards. The hearts can be cut from red and pink construction paper. The front of the heart can decorated with stickers, glitter and even ribbon to make each homemade Valentine card special. A personal note written on the back and signed by your child finishes the back of the card.

Your children will need a way to carry their homemade Valentine’s Day cards to school. A special Valentine’s Day tote bag will be the best thing to carry cards to school and bring all of their cards back home. Start this simple craft with a paper grocery bag. Attach ribbons to the top of the bag to make handles for the Valentine’s Day tote bag. The tote bag it self can be decorated with cut out hearts, markers, ribbons, glitter and stickers.

Your children can make special treat bags to go with each of the Valentine’s cards that they hand out. Start by choosing either chocolate candies or conversation hearts to fill the treat bags. You can get pink and red color tulle from your local craft store that can be cut into squares to make the treat bags. Place the square of tulle on the table. In the center of the square, you can help your children to place a small pile of candy. Finish off the treat bags by pulling up the sides and tying them together with ribbon.

Create homemade chocolate candies for friends. The school may not let you bring these treats because they are homemade but your child can take them to a Valentine’s Day party at a friend’s house or a church gathering. Many stores offer kits that include the candy molds and instructions for melting the chocolate. Another idea is to create chocolate spoons. They can be used as stirrers in hot chocolate since February is technically still the winter season.

Many children like to give Valentine’s Day gifts to their teachers. There are a few gifts that your children can make for the many teachers that they have. The first gift idea is to give the teacher her own special candy stash. This usually works best with small chocolate candies but can be done with any type. Start with a clean dry mayonnaise jar with the label removed. Fill the jar with the candy that you have chosen to use. Cover the lid with a square piece of fabric in colors that remind syou of Valentine’s Day. Tie the cloth onto the lid with a ribbon. You can help your children to print up labels for the jar saving a special message for the teacher.

The second gift that you can help your children make for their teachers is cookie bouquets. Start by helping your children to bake heart shaped sugar cookies. Before you bake the cookies you will want to place a wooden dowel into them to make the stem for the heart flowers. Ice the cookies with red and pink icing and allow the icing to set. Place a piece of floral foam in the bottom of a container to set your flower cookies in. Arrange your heart cookie flowers to finish this gift with your children.

A final gift option for your children to give their teacher is a Valentine’s Day apron. Start out by getting a plain apron from a craft store or cooking store. You will want to make sure that the fabric that you choose for the aprons will take paint. Have your children use paint pens to decorate the Valentine’s Day apron for their teacher. This is a great craft to let your children’s creativity flow.