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Federal election campaign felt like a “slap in the face” for this Central Alberta Oilfield Company

Published

6 years ago

6 minute read

Post from Garett Chandler of Red Deer County 

Today is my daughter Sophie’s eighth birthday and it’s caused me to reflect so here goes…

I was raised to never ask someone who they voted for and I’d certainly never tell someone how to vote, but I do think it’s important we tell our story at GT Chandler Contracting as #regularpeople who live and work in the oilfield.

At times it’s been frustrating listening and watching the rhetoric about the oil industry during this campaign. Too often the entire industry has been carelessly batted around, used as a wedge issue designed to elicit emotional responses from voters on both ends of the political spectrum. It saddens me when the industry is characterized as a set of numbers – be it GHGs or the tremendous wealth it’s contributed to our country – instead of its people.

What’s missing are the thousands upon thousands of #regularpeople’s stories who rely on the industry to get by. We’re proud to be a locally-owned and family-run business operating in central Alberta. From pulling slips to running a brake handle, I’m proud to have worked my way up from the bottom of the patch. When I first moved from Manitoba in search of “Alberta riches” almost 20 years ago I honestly wasn’t even sure what that meant.

Today, I know exactly what it means. It’s a roof over my three children’s heads. It’s a business I look forward to going to work in every day with the support of my wife. It’s the men and women who rely on us for a paycheque. It’s dance lessons, hockey practices and holidays. It’s late nights and early mornings. It’s the look my daughter gave me in this photo when I told her we wouldn’t be going home until the boiler was completely clean! The oilfield didn’t give me a job, it gave me so much more and I’m grateful for that.

And that’s why it’s been tough to see so many people line up to take shots at the industry. It’s important to remember we produce some of the most socially responsible oil and gas in the world and in my time in the patch I’ve seen systems change and regulations evolve to ensure the environment is protected. We’re blessed to live in a country with tremendous wealth which has allowed us to expand social programs and ensure everyone has the same opportunity to succeed. Oil has played a large role in that as have the #regularpeople who have gone to work, putting in long hours and honest days.

We aren’t delusional either, even if we’re misrepresented that way in the media a lot of the time. We understand that oil won’t be our primary source of fuel forever. We also understand that we aren’t ready to abandon it yet. Canadian oil and Canadian oil workers should continue to responsibly meet global needs for oil. The wealth generated doesn’t just help our country, it also helps our entrepreneurs who will lead the next wave of energy tech.

To see leaders stand on the national stage and tell us they would shut down the oilfield feels like a slap in the face. To have provinces refuse to have oil transported by pipeline through their territory, stopping it from reaching the global market where it would be bought at a fair price doesn’t just seem unfair, it’s unneighbourly.

It’s also no secret that Alberta workers have been hurt by the economic downturn. We’ve seen it firsthand. We’ve seen friends lose their jobs. Companies close their doors. And hardest of all we’ve seen the impact, the emotional toll, it’s had on people. It’s been devastating to say the least. These are #realpeople not numbers to be used to score political points. No matter what happens on Monday, our country is stronger when we come together to find solutions. When we have compassion for our neighbours. And when we focus on #realpeople.

Our company, GT Chandler Contracting, is full of #realpeople and we hope you think of them and the thousands of others who work in the patch when you cast your ballot.

Feel free to share if you agree and let me hear your story about being #realpeople working in the oilfield.

And if you’re fortunate enough to run into sweet Sophie today do wish her the happiest of birthdays!!

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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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Media

CBC journalist quits, accuses outlet of anti-Conservative bias and censorship

Published on July 10, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Travis Dhanraj accused CBC of pushing a ‘radical political agenda,’ and his lawyer said that the network opposed him hosting ‘Conservative voices’ on his show.

CBC journalist Travis Dhanraj has resigned from his position, while accusing the outlet of anti-Conservative bias and ”performative diversity.”

In a July 7 letter sent to colleagues and obtained by various media outlets, Travis Dhanraj announced his departure from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) due to concerns over censorship.

“I am stepping down not by choice, but because the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has made it impossible for me to continue my work with integrity,” he wrote.

“After years of service — most recently as the host of Canada Tonight: With Travis Dhanraj — I have been systematically sidelined, retaliated against, and denied the editorial access and institutional support necessary to fulfill my public service role,” he declared.

Dhanraj, who worked as a CBC host and reporter for nearly a decade, revealed that the outlet perpetuated a toxic work environment, where speaking out against the approved narrative led to severe consequences.

Dhanraj accused CBC of having a “radical political agenda” that stifled fair reporting. Additionally, his lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, revealed that CBC disapproved of him booking “Conservative voices” on his show.

While CBC hails itself as a leader in “diversity” and supporting minority groups, according to Dhanraj, it’s all a facade.

“What happens behind the scenes at CBC too often contradicts what’s shown to the public,” he revealed.

In April 2024, Dhanraj, then host of CBC’s Canada Tonight, posted on X that his show had requested an interview with then-CBC President Catherine Tait to discuss new federal budget funding for the public broadcaster, but she declined.

“Internal booking and editorial protocols were weaponized to create structural barriers for some while empowering others—particularly a small circle of senior Ottawa-based journalists,” he explained.

According to Marshall, CBC launched an investigation into the X post, viewing it as critical of Tait’s decision to defend executive bonuses while the broadcaster was cutting frontline jobs. Dhanraj was also taken off air for a time.

Dhanraj revealed that in July 2024 he was “presented with (a non-disclosure agreement) tied to an investigation about a tweet about then CBC President Catherine Tait. It was designed not to protect privacy, but to sign away my voice. When I refused, I was further marginalized.”

Following the release of his letter, Dhanraj published a link on X to a Google form to gather support from Canadians.

“When the time is right, I’ll pull the curtain back,” he wrote on the form. “I’ll share everything…. I’ll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC.”

CBC has issued a statement denying Dhanraj’s claims, with CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly stating that the Crown corporation “categorically rejects” his statement.

This is hardly the first time that CBC has been accused of editorial bias. Notably, the outlet receives the vast majority of its funding from the Liberal government.

This January, the watchdog for the CBC ruled that the state-funded outlet expressed a “blatant lack of balance” in its covering of a Catholic school trustee who opposed the LGBT agenda being foisted on children.

There have also been multiple instances of the outlet pushing what appears to be ideological content, including the creation of pro-LGBT material for kids, tacitly endorsing the gender mutilation of children, promoting euthanasia, and even seeming to justify the burning of mostly Catholic churches throughout the country.

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International

CBS settles with Trump over doctored 60 Minutes Harris interview

Published on July 6, 2025

By

MXM logo MxM News

CBS will pay Donald Trump more than $30 million to settle a lawsuit over a 2024 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The deal also includes a new rule requiring unedited transcripts of future candidate interviews.

Key Details:

  • Trump will receive $16 million immediately to cover legal costs, with remaining funds earmarked for pro-conservative messaging and future causes, including his presidential library.
  • CBS agreed to release full, unedited transcripts of all future presidential candidate interviews—a policy insiders are calling the “Trump Rule.”
  • Trump’s lawsuit accused CBS of deceptively editing a 60 Minutes interview with Harris in 2024 to protect her ahead of the election; the FCC later obtained the full transcript after a complaint was filed.

Diving Deeper:

CBS and Paramount Global have agreed to pay President Donald Trump more than $30 million to settle a lawsuit over a 2024 60 Minutes interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris, Fox News Digital reported Tuesday. Trump accused the network of election interference, saying CBS selectively edited Harris to shield her from backlash in the final stretch of the campaign.

The settlement includes a $16 million upfront payment to cover legal expenses and other discretionary uses, including funding for Trump’s future presidential library. Additional funds—expected to push the total package well above $30 million—will support conservative-aligned messaging such as advertisements and public service announcements.

As part of the deal, CBS also agreed to a new editorial policy mandating the public release of full, unedited transcripts of any future interviews with presidential candidates. The internal nickname for the new rule is reportedly the “Trump Rule.”

Trump initially sought $20 billion in damages, citing a Face the Nation preview that aired Harris’s rambling response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That portion of the interview was widely mocked. A more polished answer was aired separately during a primetime 60 Minutes special, prompting allegations that CBS intentionally split Harris’s answer to minimize political fallout.

The FCC later ordered CBS to release the full transcript and raw footage after a complaint was filed. The materials confirmed that both versions came from the same response—cut in half across different broadcasts.

CBS denied wrongdoing but the fallout rocked the network. 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April after losing control over editorial decisions. CBS News President Wendy McMahon also stepped down in May, saying the company’s direction no longer aligned with her own.

Several CBS veterans strongly opposed any settlement. “The unanimous view at 60 Minutes is that there should be no settlement, and no money paid, because the lawsuit is complete bulls***,” one producer told Fox News Digital. Correspondent Scott Pelley had warned that settling would be “very damaging” to the network’s reputation.

The final agreement includes no admission of guilt and no direct personal payment to Trump—but it locks in a substantial cash payout and forces a new standard for transparency in how networks handle presidential interviews.

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