Living in Calgary showed me Albertans don't realize how good they have it, but their grievances are real
The voice of my home province, Saskatchewan, matters even less in Ottawa but separation is not the answer
This First Person is the experience of Chris Regier, who lives in Saskatoon.
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who → live → Saskatoon
Also, check out our series on the Alberta referendum here and learn how we selected the writers.
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we → check → writers
The private jet sitting on the tarmac of the Calgary airport was a sight to behold.
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jet → sit → airport
The inside was even more opulent that I could have imagined.
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I → imagine → ?
This jet had been hired by a company to fly our group to Estevan, Sask., for a four-hour Christmas party before returning to Calgary that same night.
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jet → hire → Calgary
For a guy who grew up in rural Saskatchewan, it was astounding.
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it → grow → Saskatchewan
At another Christmas party in the early 2000s, the small Calgary oil company hosting covered the cost of the banquet, dance and drinks and, to my surprise, had also purchased a room at the Fairmont Banff Springs — one of the oldest and most well-known luxury hotels in the Rockies — for each guest.
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company → host → guest
But as I watched the other guests at that Christmas party, I thought about hard-working people from my hometown in Laird, Sask., who worked just as hard as these Albertans but never experienced things like this.
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who → watch → this
I realized that while Albertans worked hard and deserved a lifestyle that reflected their efforts, many had lost sight of how much better they had it than most other parts of Canada.
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they → realize → Canada
I know many really good Albertans, but I dislike the entitlement coming from some in Wild Rose Country.
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I → know → Country
At times it feels to the rest of Canada as particularly selfish and illogical, like your wealthy neighbour complaining about how high insurance costs are for his Porsche.
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costs → feel → Porsche
Alberta has the lowest tax burden in Canada — there is no provincial sales tax, relatively low personal and corporate income taxes.
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Alberta → have → Canada
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But that doesn't mean that Albertans don't have valid reasons to feel frustrated.
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Albertans → mean → reasons
Alberta has gone through major boom and bust cycles and the perks now may not be what they were.
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they → go → cycles
Prairie people also feel stuck in a system and helpless to impact it because the prairies don’t have the votes or seats to change a government.
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prairies → feel → government
Like Alberta, we have frustrations in Saskatchewan getting oil to market, and with equalization sending our money east.
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we → have → money
Federal elections being decided before our polls even close is an annoyance we share too.
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we → decide → ?
I lived in Calgary from 1999 to 2009, during which time I got my graduate degree and worked as an engineer for three different companies.
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I → live → companies
Those 10 years made Alberta my second home.
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Alberta → make → ?
It also gave me an Albertan perspective on many issues.
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It → give → issues
- Cross Country Checkup is asking: What conversations are you having about the Alberta referendum with friends and family?
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you → ask → friends
Leave your comment here and we may read it or call you back for this Sunday's show
I'm not alone in this.
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I → leave → this
A large number of Canadians have moved to Alberta for work at one time or another, which makes the separation issue just as personal to many others outside the province as it is to me.
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it → move → me
I enjoyed my time in the city, but eventually I tired of the oil corporate culture in Alberta and moved back to Saskatchewan to be closer to family.
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I → enjoy → family
In 2018, I was living in Saskatoon and I recalled watching the news about Alberta and B.C. being at odds over constructing pipelines to get Alberta oil to tidewater.
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Alberta → live → tidewater
B.C.’s premier at the time, John Horgan, said the federal government and Alberta government were not going to decide what was done with B.C.’s coast.
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what → say → coast
That made me think about equalization.
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me → make → equalization
- Video
Would Alberta be wealthier if it didn't have to pay into equalization?
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it → have → equalization
Should Alberta separate?
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Alberta → separate → ?
Here's why these Canadians feel the way they do
The point of equalization is that the oil in Alberta belongs to Canada, not just to the province of Alberta.
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oil → feel → Alberta
Equalization is a way to help distribute the wealth that belongs to Canada to the entire country.
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that → help → country
It’s not perfect, but it
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It → ’ → ?
is what we have right now.
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we → have → what
The coast is not part of the equalization formula but is effectively a resource that B.C. has and that Alberta should also benefit from.
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Alberta → have → that
To be fair, this works both ways.
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this → work → ?
In the event of an oil spill on the coast, it is not B.C.’s responsibility to go at the cleanup alone.
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it → go → cleanup
While I don’t approve of separation, my experience in both Alberta and Saskatchewan means I feel first-hand where the sentiment comes from.
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sentiment → approve → where
The grievances of Albertans are real — even if they're not always aware of what it's like for the rest of the country — and are serious issues that Canada needs to address.
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Canada → need → that
While I am proud of my country, I would be even prouder to see us all work together despite our differences for the benefit of all Canadians.
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us → see → Canadians
Do you have a compelling personal story that can bring understanding or help others?
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that → have → others
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
