Alberta
Owners of unique stolen property likely in Alberta or BC
From Edmonton Police Service: Police seek original owners of recovered property
The Edmonton Police Service is seeking the original owners of property which is believed to be stolen, following the arrest of three suspects in a reportedly stolen vehicle.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 25, 2019, officers with the EPS Specialized Traffic Apprehension Team (STAT) conducted a vehicle stop in the area of 118 Avenue and 103 Street. The vehicle, a 2017 Ford U-Haul cube van, was determined to be stolen after it was reportedly rented in Innisfail, Alta. using stolen identity documents.
As a result of the vehicle stop officers recovered a large quantity of allegedly fraudulent documents and stolen property including mail, financial documents, credit cards, forged identity documents and stolen identity documents, such as driver’s licences & social insurance cards. Investigators also recovered break-and-enter tools. With the assistance of the Innisfail RCMP and Calgary Police Service, a second vehicle that was reportedly stolen by way of identity theft in Calgary was also recovered in Innisfail.
Investigators believe the individuals committed a series of crimes across British Columbia and Alberta from late 2016 to early 2019, beginning in lower mainland British Columbia and moving through the southern interior of British Columbia and southern Alberta, until they were arrested in Edmonton. As a result, the personal items recovered may belong to citizens from several communities in either province, including but not limited to, Squamish, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Vancouver, Okotoks, Calgary and Edmonton.
Among the recovered personal items were numerous pieces of jewelry, specialty spoons, comic books stamps and a camera. Police believe that these items, along with many of the recovered identity and financial documents, were stolen during break-and-enters or thefts from vehicles. Often only a small number of these items are listed as stolen. While some recovered items were returned to their owners, several remain unclaimed.
Photos of some of these items are included below. Additional photos of the recovered stolen property can be found on the EPS Pinterest page in hopes the original owners will come forward and claim them. Anyone who believes the stolen property may belong to them is encouraged to email [email protected]
Following a thorough investigation, 130 charges were laid in relation to the Jan. 25, 2019 arrest.
Jennilee Weiler, 30, was issued 47 charges including possess stolen credit card, obtain/possess identity information, , possess stolen property andpossess offensive weapon dangerous to the public. Weiler was also arrested for 45 outstanding warrants from Alberta and British Columbia, including theft, break-and-enter, mischief, VIN tampering and possess stolen vehicle over $5,000.
Jason Fletcher, 32, was issued 45 charges including made/possess identity document, obtain/possess identity information, possess stolen credit card, theft of motor vehicle and fraud over $5,000.
Adam Laderoute, 37, was issued 38 charges including made/possess identity document, possess stolen credit card, possess stolen property, obtain/possess identity information and possess offensive weapon dangerous to the public.
“Discovering large quantities of stolen or forged identity and financial documents in the course of conducting stolen property investigations is unfortunately becoming increasingly common,” says Const. Brendan Power with STAT. “Often citizens may be unaware that their identity documents are being used to commit crimes, including frauds and thefts.”
Officers would like to remind citizens to keep their identity and financial documents in a secure location and avoid leaving them, along with any other valuables, in vehicles. If you’re victim of a break-and-enter, theft from vehicle, or if government identification is otherwise lost or stolen, report it to police as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately these documents are frequently not reported missing or stolen to police,” says Power. “Reporting can significantly reduce the time it takes to return these documents and other property to their rightful owners.”
If you have information about stolen property or have had property or identity documents stolen, please contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
Alberta
Alberta government should eliminate corporate welfare to generate benefits for Albertans
From the Fraser Institute
By Spencer Gudewill and Tegan Hill
Last November, Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government will give up to $1.8 billion in subsidies to Dow Chemicals, which plans to expand a petrochemical project northeast of Edmonton. In other words, $1.8 billion in corporate welfare.
And this is just one example of corporate welfare paid for by Albertans.
According to a recent study published by the Fraser Institute, from 2007 to 2021, the latest year of available data, the Alberta government spent $31.0 billion (inflation-adjusted) on subsidies (a.k.a. corporate welfare) to select firms and businesses, purportedly to help Albertans. And this number excludes other forms of government handouts such as loan guarantees, direct investment and regulatory or tax privileges for particular firms and industries. So the total cost of corporate welfare in Alberta is likely much higher.
Why should Albertans care?
First off, there’s little evidence that corporate welfare generates widespread economic growth or jobs. In fact, evidence suggests the contrary—that subsidies result in a net loss to the economy by shifting resources to less productive sectors or locations (what economists call the “substitution effect”) and/or by keeping businesses alive that are otherwise economically unviable (i.e. “zombie companies”). This misallocation of resources leads to a less efficient, less productive and less prosperous Alberta.
And there are other costs to corporate welfare.
For example, between 2007 and 2019 (the latest year of pre-COVID data), every year on average the Alberta government spent 35 cents (out of every dollar of business income tax revenue it collected) on corporate welfare. Given that workers bear the burden of more than half of any business income tax indirectly through lower wages, if the government reduced business income taxes rather than spend money on corporate welfare, workers could benefit.
Moreover, Premier Smith failed in last month’s provincial budget to provide promised personal income tax relief and create a lower tax bracket for incomes below $60,000 to provide $760 in annual savings for Albertans (on average). But in 2019, after adjusting for inflation, the Alberta government spent $2.4 billion on corporate welfare—equivalent to $1,034 per tax filer. Clearly, instead of subsidizing select businesses, the Smith government could have kept its promise to lower personal income taxes.
Finally, there’s the Heritage Fund, which the Alberta government created almost 50 years ago to save a share of the province’s resource wealth for the future.
In her 2024 budget, Premier Smith earmarked $2.0 billion for the Heritage Fund this fiscal year—almost the exact amount spent on corporate welfare each year (on average) between 2007 and 2019. Put another way, the Alberta government could save twice as much in the Heritage Fund in 2024/25 if it ended corporate welfare, which would help Premier Smith keep her promise to build up the Heritage Fund to between $250 billion and $400 billion by 2050.
By eliminating corporate welfare, the Smith government can create fiscal room to reduce personal and business income taxes, or save more in the Heritage Fund. Any of these options will benefit Albertans far more than wasteful billion-dollar subsidies to favoured firms.
Authors:
Alberta
Official statement from Premier Danielle Smith and Energy Minister Brian Jean on the start-up of the Trans Mountain Pipeline
-
illegal immigration1 day ago
Biden’s DOJ Threatens To Sue Another State For Enforcing Immigration Law
-
Economy1 day ago
‘Gambling With The Grid’: New Data Highlights Achilles’ Heel Of One Of Biden’s Favorite Green Power Sources
-
International2 days ago
Trump campaign says he will pardon Jan. 6 prisoners on ‘case-by-case basis’ if re-elected
-
conflict2 days ago
NYPD says protesters had weapons, gas masks and ‘Death to America!’ pamphlets
-
ESG1 day ago
Tennessee Taking Lead In Protecting Civil Rights And Free Enterprise—And Stopping Political Debanking
-
illegal immigration1 day ago
More Chinese Illegal Migrants Apprehended At Southern Border In Two Days Than In All Of 2021: REPORT
-
Energy1 day ago
Market Realities Are Throwing Wrench In Biden’s Green Energy Dreams
-
conflict9 hours ago
Over 200 Days Into War, Family Of American Hostage in Gaza Strives For Deal To Bring Son Home