Alberta's Future

[ercchry]

Originally posted by dino_martini


Barber shops and breweries. Welcome to the new Albeerta...

only NDP approved businesses you can open, and for the clientele... well you might as well drink this government away in style

[Sugarphreak]

...

[tonytiger55]

Some interesting pints made. I would argue that Alberta's problem is that it does not use its people as its best resource.
There are very talented people here (I don’t mean in terms of tech) who are overlooked by a 70/80’s style management. If companies hire the same kind of people, where do you get the different perspectives/ideas to drive innovation?
I don’t think I would argue wealth inequality, I think a better term is the distribution of the wealth and the management of it (which leads to the first point).

I would also add, failure should not be rewarded. People who make important financial decisions do not always know the value of the money they are acting upon. Link the performance to their pension, their children’s RRSP. Then you will start to see who is good at what they do and the idiots who are just good at buttering peoples bums.

My last point, I don't think Canadians are that bad. I just think the conditions of the market place sets people up to fail. I've seen a ton of talented people leave because so much of the industry is monopolised.

[ZenOps]

I still think Canada (alberta) should buy the Turk and Caicos.

We have the one thing that you really need to build a great island, tons of exportable energy.

The US messed up all their islands (including 40 cent per kwh Hawaii) and Peurto Rico because they didn't have the basic resources, and started way too early, to get them seeded and growing properly.

[dj_patm]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
It seems that everyone and their dog is starting a micro brewery these days. How much beer can hipsters buy is my question,,

And shitty National rip offs.

When the recent round of commercial property tax hikes went out and there was all of the panic about downtown bars and restaurants closing I had to laugh.

Just because you want to open up a business, doesn't mean you should. How many "Beer/Bier/Ale - Halls/Haus/House/Taverns" and high end steak houses do people think a city of 1.4 million can support long term? Especially with a mostly suburban population. Were all these businesses built on the idea that taxes will never go up and people will always go out for $50 lunches?

For the most part, Albertans are super entitled.

You see it in the people. Whether it be the "entrepreneurs" who think that simply having start up capital means their business idea is solid, the rig workers in the north with no education who are all of the sudden shocked that they can't make bank when oil prices fall so they spend the rest of their savings on "Fuck The NDP" bumper stickers, or the white collar O & G workers that refuse to adjust their expectations when the work dries up. Everyone is just expecting their quality of life to remain status quo while the foundation for that quality of life crumbles around them.

You see it in politics. The province has a revenue and spending problem yet Albertans refuse to take cuts to services or pay more tax.

You see it in the "Equalization" and separation talks, as if simply having oil within some imaginary lines gives us some divine right to hoard wealth from the rest of the country. Best part is we can't even hoard wealth properly. We spent it all when we elected a political party for 40 years that had no problem simply handing out that wealth right back to the people to buy votes without ever seriously worrying about what will happen if the cash cow dries up.

It's all entitlement.

On the bright side I think the entitlement is fading as this new reality/deep cycle sets in long term especially among the educated workforce. I think the political stances of a lot of people have shifted to a more long term view of the provinces health which will be interesting to watch in future elections.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by dj_patm


And shitty National rip offs.

When the recent round of commercial property tax hikes went out and there was all of the panic about downtown bars and restaurants closing I had to laugh.

Just because you want to open up a business, doesn't mean you should. How many "Beer/Bier/Ale - Halls/Haus/House/Taverns" and high end steak houses do people think a city of 1.4 million can support long term? Especially with a mostly suburban population. Were all these businesses built on the idea that taxes will never go up and people will always go out for $50 lunches?

For the most part, Albertans are super entitled.

You see it in the people. Whether it be the "entrepreneurs" who think that simply having start up capital means their business idea is solid, the rig workers in the north with no education who are all of the sudden shocked that they can't make bank when oil prices fall so they spend the rest of their savings on "Fuck The NDP" bumper stickers, or the white collar O & G workers that refuse to adjust their expectations when the work dries up. Everyone is just expecting their quality of life to remain status quo while the foundation for that quality of life crumbles around them.

You see it in politics. The province has a revenue and spending problem yet Albertans refuse to take cuts to services or pay more tax.

You see it in the "Equalization" and separation talks, as if simply having oil within some imaginary lines gives us some divine right to hoard wealth from the rest of the country. Best part is we can't even hoard wealth properly. We spent it all when we elected a political party for 40 years that had no problem simply handing out that wealth right back to the people to buy votes without ever seriously worrying about what will happen if the cash cow dries up.

It's all entitlement.

On the bright side I think the entitlement is fading as this new reality/deep cycle sets in long term especially among the educated workforce. I think the political stances of a lot of people have shifted to a more long term view of the provinces health which will be interesting to watch in future elections.

Totally agree. Personally, I'm sick and tired of hipster wannabe entrepreneurs. Much more to running a successful business than having a cool name and social media presence. We went to the Bourbon Room recently and what a joke that was. Crappy overpriced drinks and snail slow service.

[lasimmon]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point


Totally agree. Personally, I'm sick and tired of hipster wannabe entrepreneurs. Much more to running a successful business than having a cool name and social media presence. We went to the Bourbon Room recently and what a joke that was. Crappy overpriced drinks and snail slow service.

Yah I live in Kensington and there are a ton of hipster garbage places.

If I want a pint I either go to Side Street or Tenth Street Landing. Crowd might be "rough" for some people but the beer is good and cheap.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by dj_patm


And shitty National rip offs.

When the recent round of commercial property tax hikes went out and there was all of the panic about downtown bars and restaurants closing I had to laugh.

Just because you want to open up a business, doesn't mean you should. How many "Beer/Bier/Ale - Halls/Haus/House/Taverns" and high end steak houses do people think a city of 1.4 million can support long term? Especially with a mostly suburban population. Were all these businesses built on the idea that taxes will never go up and people will always go out for $50 lunches?

For the most part, Albertans are super entitled.

You see it in the people. Whether it be the "entrepreneurs" who think that simply having start up capital means their business idea is solid, the rig workers in the north with no education who are all of the sudden shocked that they can't make bank when oil prices fall so they spend the rest of their savings on "Fuck The NDP" bumper stickers, or the white collar O & G workers that refuse to adjust their expectations when the work dries up. Everyone is just expecting their quality of life to remain status quo while the foundation for that quality of life crumbles around them.

You see it in politics. The province has a revenue and spending problem yet Albertans refuse to take cuts to services or pay more tax.

You see it in the "Equalization" and separation talks, as if simply having oil within some imaginary lines gives us some divine right to hoard wealth from the rest of the country. Best part is we can't even hoard wealth properly. We spent it all when we elected a political party for 40 years that had no problem simply handing out that wealth right back to the people to buy votes without ever seriously worrying about what will happen if the cash cow dries up.

It's all entitlement.

On the bright side I think the entitlement is fading as this new reality/deep cycle sets in long term especially among the educated workforce. I think the political stances of a lot of people have shifted to a more long term view of the provinces health which will be interesting to watch in future elections.

dang bravo brah

[Gestalt]

Originally posted by dj_patm


And shitty National rip offs.

When the recent round of commercial property tax hikes went out and there was all of the panic about downtown bars and restaurants closing I had to laugh.

Just because you want to open up a business, doesn't mean you should. How many "Beer/Bier/Ale - Halls/Haus/House/Taverns" and high end steak houses do people think a city of 1.4 million can support long term? Especially with a mostly suburban population. Were all these businesses built on the idea that taxes will never go up and people will always go out for $50 lunches?

For the most part, Albertans are super entitled.

You see it in the people. Whether it be the "entrepreneurs" who think that simply having start up capital means their business idea is solid, the rig workers in the north with no education who are all of the sudden shocked that they can't make bank when oil prices fall so they spend the rest of their savings on "Fuck The NDP" bumper stickers, or the white collar O & G workers that refuse to adjust their expectations when the work dries up. Everyone is just expecting their quality of life to remain status quo while the foundation for that quality of life crumbles around them.

You see it in politics. The province has a revenue and spending problem yet Albertans refuse to take cuts to services or pay more tax.

You see it in the "Equalization" and separation talks, as if simply having oil within some imaginary lines gives us some divine right to hoard wealth from the rest of the country. Best part is we can't even hoard wealth properly. We spent it all when we elected a political party for 40 years that had no problem simply handing out that wealth right back to the people to buy votes without ever seriously worrying about what will happen if the cash cow dries up.

It's all entitlement.

On the bright side I think the entitlement is fading as this new reality/deep cycle sets in long term especially among the educated workforce. I think the political stances of a lot of people have shifted to a more long term view of the provinces health which will be interesting to watch in future elections.

110%

Now that the economy is getting better, I wonder what the separation crowd will cry about.

I'm not sure political minds are shifting though. Just lots of blaming, and denial. NDP a vast disapointment just same as the old boss 2.0, but what choice is there anymore. Jokers to the left of me, joker's to the right.

[Gestalt]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point


Totally agree. Personally, I'm sick and tired of hipster wannabe entrepreneurs. Much more to running a successful business than having a cool name and social media presence. We went to the Bourbon Room recently and what a joke that was. Crappy overpriced drinks and snail slow service.

It's not just hipsters, it's any number of self entitled pricks with credit remaining. But the point is solid otherwise.

[avishal26]

Originally posted by Buster


.....

The biggest missing ingredient in terms of departing from being just resources extractors, is the presence of healthy capital markets in the venture space. Raising money in Canada is a joke.....

Here's some thing we would need to have in place before we start seeing new industries magically arise from out of nowhere. ...

- functioning supply of early-stage venture, which is limited by the rest of the list
......

Right on target. In addition, not enough Canadian venture capitalists interested in Canadian O&G sector at this point either.

Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board invests a lot of money, but not as much in Canada as it should (in my opinion). Their investment board should be set-up to look at proposals from various sources in the country with a defined mechanism instead of working through connections for the most part. It is a government (taxpayers) fund after all.

CPPIB should also be supporting diversification needs, infrastructure projects etc as opposed to the various levels of government funding it through debt. CPPIB earned $2 Billion a month on average in 2016 and manages ~$360 Billion in investments. It can be a significant source of income for viable Canadian projects and industry attraction, evaluated at the same level of scrutiny as any other investment opportunity. Yet, it seems CPPIB investment decisions (and Ontario Teachers Pension Fund investments) are not as transparent as one might think. And it is not easy for most corporations to access the fund for ventures.

Government funding decisions are based too much on politics and not enough on long term needs of provinces and the country as a whole.

[Buster]

Originally posted by dj_patm


And shitty National rip offs.

When the recent round of commercial property tax hikes went out and there was all of the panic about downtown bars and restaurants closing I had to laugh.

Just because you want to open up a business, doesn't mean you should. How many "Beer/Bier/Ale - Halls/Haus/House/Taverns" and high end steak houses do people think a city of 1.4 million can support long term? Especially with a mostly suburban population. Were all these businesses built on the idea that taxes will never go up and people will always go out for $50 lunches?

For the most part, Albertans are super entitled.

You see it in the people. Whether it be the "entrepreneurs" who think that simply having start up capital means their business idea is solid, the rig workers in the north with no education who are all of the sudden shocked that they can't make bank when oil prices fall so they spend the rest of their savings on "Fuck The NDP" bumper stickers, or the white collar O & G workers that refuse to adjust their expectations when the work dries up. Everyone is just expecting their quality of life to remain status quo while the foundation for that quality of life crumbles around them.

You see it in politics. The province has a revenue and spending problem yet Albertans refuse to take cuts to services or pay more tax.

You see it in the "Equalization" and separation talks, as if simply having oil within some imaginary lines gives us some divine right to hoard wealth from the rest of the country. Best part is we can't even hoard wealth properly. We spent it all when we elected a political party for 40 years that had no problem simply handing out that wealth right back to the people to buy votes without ever seriously worrying about what will happen if the cash cow dries up.

It's all entitlement.

On the bright side I think the entitlement is fading as this new reality/deep cycle sets in long term especially among the educated workforce. I think the political stances of a lot of people have shifted to a more long term view of the provinces health which will be interesting to watch in future elections.

You missed public employees. They are #1 by far. People who are stupid with their personal finances and run out of money because the market can no longer bear their salary are not "entitled". They are just bad planners.

Entitlement is getting your paycheck from the taxpayer, who is forced/compelled to provide those funds. And then utilizing your monopoly on labour to "collectively bargain" more money from said taxpayer every year.

The difference between a rig worker facing his comeuppance is that he just has a sense of entitlement. A public employee actually gets an entitlement.

The public sector in Canada does immeasurable damage to the projects that we all beg for: "economic diversification", cheaper healthcare and services, etc. The public sector steals talent, crowds out efficient private solutions, sucks up capital that could be used to develop the economy.

You want to fix what is broken in Alberta, and Canada, start by taking a torch to the public sector. Bumper Sticker Rig Worker, is not causing any problems.

[you&me]

/\/\/\

And neither are the entrepreneurs / owners of places like National.

You don't like it? Not your crowd? Shitty service? Fine. Vote with your wallet and go somewhere else more aligned with your preferences.

As entrepreneurs, if they're shitty, they'll fail. If they're good, they'll identify another concept and pivot to meet the demands of their market. Either way, it shouldn't be your concern and regardless of how you feel about their business, they shouldn't be the subject of your pseudo-scorn. Anyone willing to invest their money and employ others should be applauded. Full stop.

[dj_patm]

Originally posted by you&me
/\/\/\

And neither are the entrepreneurs / owners of places like National.

You don't like it? Not your crowd? Shitty service? Fine. Vote with your wallet and go somewhere else more aligned with your preferences.

As entrepreneurs, if they're shitty, they'll fail. If they're good, they'll identify another concept and pivot to meet the demands of their market. Either way, it shouldn't be your concern and regardless of how you feel about their business, they shouldn't be the subject of your pseudo-scorn. Anyone willing to invest their money and employ others should be applauded. Full stop.

Really? Cause when these people lose their businesses they turn to the media blaming everyone but themselves and those who base their political and ideological stances on what they see on CTV and Facebook are then swayed by their shitty blame game and finger pointing and we end up where we are today. A population that believes business owners should be protected above all else, that all taxes are bad taxes and that Rachel Notley alone controls the price of Oil and sits there in her office all day knocking off a few points for kicks (don't get me wrong, she has totally shit the bed in her decision making but that's another topic. Just saying that people actually believe she alone is the cause for all the pain in the province right now).

There's nothing wrong with spending your money however you like and yes, those who employ people and pay them a good wage (as opposed to those whose entire business model is based on paying the lowest wages possible) should be applauded. Just don't go crying to the media about how the government fucked your dime a dozen "Beer Hall" when in reality it was just another entry in an over saturated, declining market with little differentiation. Owning a business isn't some right. It's up to the responsible business owner to be aware of changing market conditions and to evaluate conservative economic outlooks.

I also agree that the public sector could use massive trimming.

[you&me]

Originally posted by avishal26


Right on target. In addition, not enough Canadian venture capitalists interested in Canadian O&G sector at this point either.

Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board invests a lot of money, but not as much in Canada as it should (in my opinion). Their investment board should be set-up to look at proposals from various sources in the country with a defined mechanism instead of working through connections for the most part. It is a government (taxpayers) fund after all.

CPPIB should also be supporting diversification needs, infrastructure projects etc as opposed to the various levels of government funding it through debt. CPPIB earned $2 Billion a month on average in 2016 and manages ~$360 Billion in investments. It can be a significant source of income for viable Canadian projects and industry attraction, evaluated at the same level of scrutiny as any other investment opportunity. Yet, it seems CPPIB investment decisions (and Ontario Teachers Pension Fund investments) are not as transparent as one might think. And it is not easy for most corporations to access the fund for ventures.

Government funding decisions are based too much on politics and not enough on long term needs of provinces and the country as a whole.

You're right; both the CPPIB and OTPP (among others) have a lot of weight to throw around.

Unfortunately, the current environment in Canada is at odds with the mandate of a pension fund, which is to make sound, low-risk investments. If there are not enough sound or low risk investments in Canada, they are obligated to invest elsewhere.

[Gestalt]

Originally posted by Buster


You missed public employees. They are #1 by far. People who are stupid with their personal finances and run out of money because the market can no longer bear their salary are not "entitled". They are just bad planners.

Entitlement is getting your paycheck from the taxpayer, who is forced/compelled to provide those funds. And then utilizing your monopoly on labour to "collectively bargain" more money from said taxpayer every year.

The difference between a rig worker facing his comeuppance is that he just has a sense of entitlement. A public employee actually gets an entitlement.

The public sector in Canada does immeasurable damage to the projects that we all beg for: "economic diversification", cheaper healthcare and services, etc. The public sector steals talent, crowds out efficient private solutions, sucks up capital that could be used to develop the economy.

You want to fix what is broken in Alberta, and Canada, start by taking a torch to the public sector. Bumper Sticker Rig Worker, is not causing any problems.

Frightening. Hopefully you arent a citizen and can't vote.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by dj_patm


Really? Cause when these people lose their businesses they turn to the media blaming everyone but themselves and those who base their political and ideological stances on what they see on CTV and Facebook are then swayed by their shitty blame game and finger pointing and we end up where we are today. A population that believes business owners should be protected above all else, that all taxes are bad taxes and that Rachel Notley alone controls the price of Oil and sits there in her office all day knocking off a few points for kicks (don't get me wrong, she has totally shit the bed in her decision making but that's another topic. Just saying that people actually believe she alone is the cause for all the pain in the province right now).

There's nothing wrong with spending your money however you like and yes, those who employ people and pay them a good wage (as opposed to those whose entire business model is based on paying the lowest wages possible) should be applauded. Just don't go crying to the media about how the government fucked your dime a dozen "Beer Hall" when in reality it was just another entry in an over saturated, declining market with little differentiation. Owning a business isn't some right. It's up to the responsible business owner to be aware of changing market conditions and to evaluate conservative economic outlooks.

I also agree that the public sector could use massive trimming.

100% agree. if I'm spending $13 for a drink, it should come with timely service. Sorry, I don't want to sit in your dimly lit Frank & Oak clad patron dwelling ironic funk music playing hippy joint.

[Swank]

Originally posted by rage2

...Your typical desktop support jobs or low end IT jobs won't be around in 10 years though...

Maybe in O&G, but public sector is still decades behind in my experience. They'll stick to the 'old ways' for a lot longer.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Swank
Maybe in O&G, but public sector is still decades behind in my experience. They'll stick to the 'old ways' for a lot longer.

Unions.

Progress is very slow at union shops.

[ickyflex]

Originally posted by Gestalt


Frightening. Hopefully you arent a citizen and can't vote.

Likewise to you