Thursday, April 21, 2016

Of Headlines And Obviousness.

There'sNoBamboozlementLikeSelf-Inflicted
BamboozlementVille


So.

Mr. Mason of the Globe has a column up today under the following header:

Alberta, B.C. discuss deal to swap pipeline for electricity.


Except, when you actually read the piece it is neither Notley nor Clark who say anything about this 'swap' deal specifically.

In fact Ms. Notley goes out of her way not to say anything explicit about any deal making.

So who does Mr. Mason rely on for his 'confirmation' of a deal being in the works?

Well....

As you might have guessed...

One of the Clarklandia's most notorious spinmeisters:

...A spokesman for B.C. Premier Christy Clark confirmed that energy talks between the two provinces are under way and agreed that there is renewed optimism around the Kinder Morgan pipeline project, in particular.

Ben Chin, executive director of communications and issues management for Ms. Clark, said that while the five conditions the province has imposed on any pipeline project to B.C. would still have to be met, there is more optimism now that this can occur.

This, too, serves as a change for B.C., which last year came out against Kinder Morgan at the NEB hearings in Vancouver. Mr. Chin said that was not an unequivocal no, but rather a “not yet.” He said the B.C. government understands Alberta’s position regarding an electricity deal; that it would have to come with a pipeline. He said that clean electricity would help its neighbour “brand their product better.”

“If you’re electrifying the northern industrial heartland and are able to say we’re avoiding three to six megatons of greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing of this barrel of oil, making it the cleanest or second cleanest or one of the best barrels of oil you can get … does electricity help you make that argument?” Mr. Chin said. “We believe it can.”...


Hmmmmm...

And if Mr. Mason we're to call up Marky Mark and ask him if Enbridge is still the bees knees, just like it was way back in 2005,  would he, Mr. Mason, then write a column about how the governments of Alberta and British Columbia are planning to institute an 'Enbridge Honey Day' festival in Kicking Horse Pass every summer from here to eternity?


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And isn't it interesting that a very similar header sits atop a similarly flimsy piece in today's Edmonton Sun...Someone is sure working hard to push the 'aura of inevitability' sound-bite button here...



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1 comment:

North Van's Grumps said...

Interesting, last week PRIORITY #1 was the buzz word from the BC Liberal Government, this week the word is HEARTLAND

Chin's Northern Heartland that is...... Just how many 'hearts' does the province possess; how many other body parts are strewn around the province? One thing is for sure though the BRAIN isn't anywhere near the heartland of government in Victoria, nor the Premier's Vancouver Office either...... although those two locations could be the ANUS with all the shit that flows from there.