MANY THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND GREAT QUESTIONS PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING
Here are the latest Questions and Answers that have been submitted to my website.
QUESTIONS
On Fri, 30 Nov 2018 at 08:49, XXXXX wrote:
Hi, Shane. Thx for all the background. I do not have time for meetings. However, I am interested on your stand on
1) dealing with building a pipeline, the oil glut and activists, the economy
2) health care
3) indigenous people
4) refining oil at home
5) minimum wage - very hard on small business owners (just causes prices to go up) and other issues.
This is what I can think of at the moment.
SHANES ANSWERS
From: shane getson <voteshanegetson@gmail.com>
To: xxxxxx
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2018 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: I want to WORK for YOU - Nomination Contestant - Shane
Getson - Lac St Anne Parkland
Quite a few folks have asked me similar questions that you have, seems like we all have a common theme these days and we need to address them. I'll keep my answers brief here for you, but there is more information on my web site, and on my Linked In profile.
1a Pipelines: I have been a consultant in this area for the last 10 years and have held positions with Enbridge from 2007 - 2012, TransCanada from 2012 to 2013 and have seen first hand how regulation, and an overabundance of consultation has been hijacked by the elected government bodies. These are the things that are holding up the projects. My normal position is a Cr. Manager of Planning and Execution of pipeline projects, or General Manager of construction on Major projects.
Government needs to work on the review and approval process, we now have competing government departments wanting to both regulate projects...which ends up delaying the projects even further, or killing the projects. We need to fix the process that has been set up within the approval and governing bodies, and what they require for approvals.
1b Oil Glut: It is caused by the delayed and cancelled projects, cussed by the ever changing requirements to obtain approval, see 1a. We fix that, the glut never would have happened. Short term solution, restrict the production and get alternate transportation to market, build out capacity. Long term, more capacity, and help industry for refined products north of the border, as well as ensuring that the country is energy self sufficient.
1c Activists: Depends which ones, some are sound in principle, mind, and information. I have not heard of too many these days that fall within that category, as there are too many that are protesting for the sake of being funded to protest.
1d the Economy: Change the rules back to allow ambitious people to be rewarded for hard work, cut out a ton of the regulations that slow approvals and the general way we conduct our businesses, and the economy will grow again. There are lots of groups who what to invest here, lots of hard working people who want to make things grow. Governments are the ones responsible for changing the rules, and killing our economy.
2. Health Care: I contacted a few people I know who have worked in this area, and others who are still working in this area. The major theme on health care is efficiency. Not the front line worker, not the folks that actually do the work that we see, it;s the huge inefficient administrative machine that has been built. If it were a business, or a refinery for example we would perform a De-Bottleneck operation. health care is vital to us all, we need it, we need the basic services, and have some of the best equipment and people in the country. We spend more per person on that system than any other province in the country. The dollars are being swallowed, by the inefficient administration of the service.
3. Not sure how the leading question is being asked when it refers to Indigenous people, but I'll try and answer in the context that I think it is being asked. I have friends that are indigenous, we grew up together, went to school together, and learned from each other. I was taught to be respectful, and to treat others how i would like to be treated. In regards to industry I engaged in consultation in regards to the execution of projects through their lands, I was always the same, honest, and consistent. The golden rule applies there as well.
4. Refining Oil at Home: Yes, and Straddle plants too. Then we can be self sufficient, and sell a finished product.
The big problem with getting the refining capacity up, is that they are monsters when it comes to regulatory, the other item is that it take a long time to pay for the assets. In the USA, they have been shutting down refineries, they were set up to take light oils from the middle east. There has been a smaller insurgence in getting those refineries working again as it were, due to the product types coming out of the Bakken Fields, where much of that product was being moved by rail and truck, until the pipelines cold be built. Our heavy oils provide us with way more products at the end, but are more costly and specialized to operate, again, pulling on the rate of return sheets for the investors.
Certainty in the process, and making sensible requirements will allow us to develop more refining capacity at home.
5. Minimum wage: The changing of the labour standards have negatively impacted small business. There have been numerous studies by the Fraser institute that speak to them, and the one that stands out is that the way that the minimum wage increase was intended hit the incorrect demographic, and only cased less full time employment for the work force. I'm good for taking the recommendations by the economists.
Hope that helps, and I said I was going to be short in my answers....I'm kind of passionate about the topics however
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO THE ANSWERS
1. How did this 'administrative bottleneck' develop and how does the UCP plan to eliminate it?
Did it start with the Conservatives and then get added to by the NDP?
Please give me an honest answer - not just a political one. I watched Jason Kenney when he was Immigration Minister and he is a "get 'er done" kind of a guy. I have always noticed that the NDP as great for dreaming up policies and programs but they don't deliver on the ability to pay for things. If you stress your employers and investors too much, you will kill profits and incentive. Yes, the employee needs to be protected but find the balance.
2. About the indigenous people---I have indigenous people in my family (by marriage) and the disconnect between their world and ours is huge. I think the money and the programs are available but the anger and bitterness and frustration is so huge, they give up. Corruption is rampant at the chief/council level. What can be done to rectify the corruption, the drug/alcohol abuse, social assistance abuse and on and on? We never seem to get at the root of the problem.
SHANES ANSWERS
1. Healthcare: Speaking with my father in law, who was a young doctor who was just starting out advised that the first thing that changed when medicare was introduced that it took for the most part the administration of the health systems from the medical staff. The old European Doctors at the time advised the young guys not to introduce it as it was, as they tried in Europe, and it was failing them. From what I understand talking to the people I know who worked in that area, it is again an administrative thing, and not unique to Alberta.
One of the doctors that I spoke with was surprised when he asked me what I would do and told him the de-bottle necking approach. he said that "At no time did you mention cost cutting measures" I advised him I would look at it like a project. If you look at the process, the the cost and schedule benefits come for free by the efficiency gains.
2. Indigenous People: I do not have the proverbial silver bullet on the second item, but would sure like to help be part of the group that starts bringing together the good examples and systems. I met a gentleman by the name of Derrick Bruno a few years back that introduced a great model with a first nations group in southern Alberta. The other folks in Osyoos have another good model to follow.
MORE QUESTIONS
QUESTION
What is your position on rural crime and the rights of the owner in protecting family and property? What would your grandfather do?
SHANES ANSWER
Rural Crime, and what would I do.
1. I grew up on the farm, and the worst thing we used to have to deal with was people stealing gas from the fuel tanks once in a while. Everyone kind of knew who it may be. A few of the neighbours got together and had a “Frank Discussion” with them an the fuel thefts stopped. I don’t think it was too different in my Grandfathers day, as most were veterans. A different code of conduct applied, and the laws were more in favour of protecting the individuals being stolen from than the thieves.
2. In regards to what would I do to protect my family, and property, everything within my power to keep them safe, and ensure that the people who may intend on doing harm understood without question that they were not dealing with a sheep, but the Sheep Dog. Not so different I would imagine from what my grandfathers would have done.
3. In regards to the property, lock up and store what I can in a reasonable manner, and protect what I have again within reason. We have to come to the understanding that first responders are usually 30 min away from us, it is your choice on how you would manage that time, and what you would be willing to risk loosing, or what you would do to protect your family from the wolves.
4. The problem that we face is that some of us in our area are closer the urban centres, and we get that transient traffic coming out to prey on us. The other is currently that there are a bunch of folks out of work, and some that may not have resorted to this before are doing things that are traditionally out of character. Drug abuse is another of the underlying issues that fuel the problem. There are some other social issues that will need to be addressed to “discourage” crime as an option.
QUESTIONI would like to know what you propose for the water at Lac St Anne that is gone from a lake you can fish ( and eat the fish) and actually go into the water without fear of toxic results. Every polition passes the buck after election advising well, not my issue, call someone in environment department. The quality of the water should be a priority before it becomes a swamp.
SHANES ANSWER
The Lake
I think it is a great resource, and I agree should be the thing we take care of for future generations. I won’t make promises that I can’t keep, and at this point wouldn’t know who specifically to take to task on it, or which specific person in that department. I can promise you, I would not pass the buck to you to try and deal with the environment group on your own, that would be my job the way I see it. Hold me to it, and I’ll come up with a way to get the right attention on the issue.
Vote SHANE GETSON UCP LAC STE. ANNE - PARKLAND
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