Thursday, February 12, 2026
ADVT 
National

Put Oil 'Crisis' On First Ministers' Agenda: Alberta, Saskatchewan Premiers

The Canadian Press, 04 Dec, 2018 11:20 AM
  • Put Oil 'Crisis' On First Ministers' Agenda: Alberta, Saskatchewan Premiers
Alberta and Saskatchewan want issues facing the oilpatch to be on the agenda when premiers meet with the prime minister later this week.
 
 
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have made the request in an open letter to Justin Trudeau.
 
 
They say the current agenda does not include any discussion of a crisis facing the energy industry.
 
 
Alberta's oil is currently fetching bargain basement prices thanks to a growing glut and lack of pipeline capacity to get oil to market.
 
 
The premiers say the problem is costing Canada $80 million a day and the meeting agenda should reflect that.
 
 
The premiers are scheduled to meet with Trudeau in Montreal on Friday.
 
 
"During your recent visit to Calgary, you called the economic impact of the oil price differential a 'crisis.' We agree," Notley and Moe wrote in a letter released Tuesday.
 
 
"A crisis of this magnitude must be reflected in any discussion on 'Economic Competitiveness.' We trust that the agenda for our upcoming First Ministers’ Meeting can be revised to better reflect the need for a substantive discussion on issues of critical importance to the Canadian economy."
 
 
While the rest of the world sells its oil at about $50 per barrel, Notley has said Alberta fetches only $10.
 
 
She has ordered a mandatory cut to oil production which amounts to 8.7 per cent of output to reduce the glut of oil forcing the steep discounts. The cuts are scheduled to end on Dec. 31, 2019.
 
 
Alberta is also planning on buying as many as 80 locomotives and 7,000 rail tankers — expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars — to move the province's excess oil to markets and address the pipeline bottleneck.
 
 
The Trans Mountain expansion project, which would triple capacity to the B.C. coast, is now in legal limbo despite being approved two years ago as Ottawa revisits the impacts on First Nations and B.C.'s marine environment.

MORE National ARTICLES

Perminder Chohan Foundation Endows A $20,000 Fund At Kwantlen Polytechnic University

  B.C. businessman Perminder Chohan’s philanthropic foundation has created a $20,000 endowment to support the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation and help students in financial need.

Perminder Chohan Foundation Endows A $20,000 Fund At Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Preston GM Langley FC 2018-2019 Fundraiser

This community partnership is meant to support local Youth Soccer from Mini Players (U4) to BCSPL Players which is the highest level of soccer for youths in BC. 

Preston GM Langley FC 2018-2019 Fundraiser

Keep It Spooky, Keep It Safe, Say Vancouver Police As Halloween Approaches

The Vancouver Police Department and its partners, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, BC Ambulance Service, and the Canadian National Fireworks Association, are asking the public to keep safety top of mind this Halloween by following some simple safety tips:

Keep It Spooky, Keep It Safe, Say Vancouver Police As Halloween Approaches

NEB Orders Tighter Safety Measures At B.C. Site Of Natural Gas Pipeline Blast

NEB Orders Tighter Safety Measures At B.C. Site Of Natural Gas Pipeline Blast
  VICTORIA — The National Energy Board has issued new safety orders for a pipeline explosion site in north-central British Columbia to strictly monitor natural gas flows to protect people and the environment.

NEB Orders Tighter Safety Measures At B.C. Site Of Natural Gas Pipeline Blast

Sea Lion In B.C. Suffering From Gunshot Wounds To The Head Euthanized

Sea Lion In B.C. Suffering From Gunshot Wounds To The Head Euthanized
VANCOUVER — A sea lion being treated for gunshots to the head has died at the Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.

Sea Lion In B.C. Suffering From Gunshot Wounds To The Head Euthanized

Wildlife Group Files Complaint Against B.C. Conservation Service For Bear Death

Wildlife Group Files Complaint Against B.C. Conservation Service For Bear Death
VANCOUVER — The death of a female black bear that fell from a tree after being darted with a tranquilizer has prompted a wildlife group to file a complaint with the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service.

Wildlife Group Files Complaint Against B.C. Conservation Service For Bear Death