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Alberta

Video profile of Central Alberta’s beloved naturalist Myrna Pearman

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It’s our great pleasure at Todayville.com to work with some of the most extraordinary people in this area.  One of the wonderful people we are honoured to know is the Site Leader and Biologist in charge of the Central Alberta treasure, the Ellis Bird Farm.   Myrna Pearman has dedicated her life to Central Alberta’s natural habitat and this month she was rightfully named Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Please enjoy the video profile we produced with Myrna below.  In the meantime, we’ll direct you to Myrna’s own words from her website introducing herself, and talking about the incredible honour bestowed on her by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

From MyrnaPearman.com

I am an enthusiastic naturalist, outdoors person and photographer. I am lucky to live on the south shore of beautiful Sylvan Lake, Alberta, where I enjoy both the view of the lake as well as the many trails that crisscross our woods.

My greatest joy in life is to get out in nature with my camera, to experience and capture the awesome beauty of this planet and her creatures. I hope that my small contributions—this website, my blog, books and columns—will encourage others to do the same.

I write a monthly nature photo essay in the Red Deer Advocate (third Thursday of the month) as well as a column (Wild Neighbours) in The Gardener magazine. I also produce the newsletter for the Red Deer River Naturalists, have a Facebook page, and occasionally contribute photos to several Facebook groups (Birds of Alberta Photography Group, Canadian Bird Photographer, Alberta Birds).

It has been my great fortune to have been at the helm of Ellis Bird Farm for the past 30 years. Ellis Bird Farm is both a non-profit company as well as a working farm, public garden and education centre, and I have been fortunate to oversee—with a very smart and dedicated team of board members, fellow contractors and summer staff—the growth of this wonderful place.

Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

I am humbled and honoured to have been recently accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The ceremony was held in Ottawa earlier this week.

How inspiring it was to be in the company of so many exemplary Canadians who also received fellowships, received medals, and who spoke at the evening gala (Dr. Roberta Bondar, Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, Rt. Hon. David Johnson to name a few)! A big thank you to Carol Patterson for the nomination. Carol has been a wonderful personal mentor and Ellis Bird Farm supporter over the years.

The experience was extra special because it was shared with a great personal friend and another Ellis Bird Farm champion (and founding board chairman), Morris Flewwelling. What a treat it was to also be in the company of Dr. Dee (who was also inducted) and Brian Keating (we are pictured here with Anne Innis Dogg, the “Jane Goodall of Giraffes”).

​We live in troubled times, but there are so many talented and dedicated men and women across this great land who are working tirelessly on behalf of this beautiful country (and planet). My thanks to them!

 

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Alberta

Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

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Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:

“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.

“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.

“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.

“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.

“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”

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Alberta

Energy sector will fuel Alberta economy and Canada’s exports for many years to come

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From the Fraser Institute

By Jock Finlayson

By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.

Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.

In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.

Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.

The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.

Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.

Jock Finlayson

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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