Alberta
Kings Indoor Track team wins gold, Queens earn silver at ACAC Championships
Brent Forster – Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics
Edmonton, AB – It was a great finale to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Indoor Track season for the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Queens. On Sunday, the squads added seven more medals to their weekend haul at the championships.
The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings earned ACAC gold with the most team points. The Concordia University Thunder men picked up silver and the Lethbridge College Kodiaks solidified bronze.
“Our men had some challenges after a fast start yesterday. It was a battle out there, but the men won and did enough to bring home gold,” said Kari Elliott, Red Deer Polytechnic Indoor Track Head Coach. “It was the first in Red Deer Polytechnic’s history.”
The RDP Queens won silver, trailing only the Concordia University Thunder. The SAIT Trojans picked up bronze.
“We only had three ladies participating in individual events and they were all rookies,” said Elliott. “They picked up two golds in the relays this weekend.”
Third-year Lauren Pasiuk was the only member of the Queens with previous ACAC Indoor Track experience prior to this season.
Halle Reid (1:44.06) had another strong day, earning bronze in the women’s 600 m final.
In the women’s 1,500 m final, Justine Larson (5:32.54) solidified silver.
Kammy Park, Pasiuk, Larson and Reid (4:24.28) earned gold in the women’s 4 x 400 m relay.
In the men’s 1,500 m final, Dan Szucs (4:10.40) sealed a silver medal.
“Dan nailed his 1,500 metre and was key to the 4 x 400 metre,” said Elliott. “Wyatt [Grainger] and Jayden [Wildcat] achieved big personal bests in the 1,500 metre.”
Grainger achieved a time of 5:05.6 in the 1,500 m. Wildcat finished in 4:35.97.
Kevin Edmondson, Szucs, Daniel Humbke and Axsivier Lawrence captured bronze (3:43.86) in the men’s 4 x 400 m relay.
Larson, a Bachelor of Education Elementary student, was named ACAC Indoor Track Female Rookie of the Year.
Larson
Red Deer’s Ethan Duret was recognized as the ACAC Indoor Track Male Rookie of the Year.
Duret
“I am so proud of both teams,” said Elliott. “Looking at our young team, we are very optimistic about next season.”
From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Will Gibson
Alberta oil sands projects poised to grow on lower costs, strong reserves
As geopolitical uncertainty ripples through global energy markets, a new report says Alberta’s oil sands sector is positioned to grow thanks to its lower costs.
Enverus Intelligence Research’s annual Oil Sands Play Fundamentals forecasts producers will boost output by 400,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) by the end of this decade through expansions of current operations.
“Existing oil sands projects deliver some of the lowest-breakeven oil in North America at WTI prices lower than $50 U.S. dollars,” said Trevor Rix, a director with the Calgary-based research firm, a subsidiary of Enverus which is headquartered in Texas with operations in Europe and Asia.
Alberta’s oil sands currently produce about 3.4 million bbls/d. Individual companies have disclosed combined proven reserves of about 30 billion barrels, or more than 20 years of current production.
A recent sector-wide reserves analysis by McDaniel & Associates found the oil sands holds about 167 billion barrels of reserves, compared to about 20 billion barrels in Texas.
While trade tensions and sustained oil price declines may marginally slow oil sands growth in the short term, most projects have already had significant capital invested and can withstand some volatility.
Cenovus Energy’s Christina Lake oil sands project. Photo courtesy Cenovus Energy
“While it takes a large amount of out-of-pocket capital to start an oil sands operation, they are very cost effective after that initial investment,” said veteran S&P Global analyst Kevin Birn.
“Optimization,” where companies tweak existing operations for more efficient output, has dominated oil sands growth for the past eight years, he said. These efforts have also resulted in lower cost structures.
“That’s largely shielded the oil sands from some of the inflationary costs we’ve seen in other upstream production,” Birn said.
Added pipeline capacity through expansion of the Trans Mountain system and Enbridge’s Mainline have added an incentive to expand production, Rix said.
The increased production will also spur growth in regions of western Canada, including the Montney and Duvernay, which Enverus analysts previously highlighted as increasingly crucial to meet rising worldwide energy demand.
“Increased oil sands production will see demand increase for condensate, which is used as diluent to ship bitumen by pipeline, which has positive implications for growth in drilling in liquids-rich regions such as the Montney and Duvernay,” Rix said.
“If Ottawa had it’s way Albertans would be left to freeze in the dark”
The ineffective federal net-zero electricity regulations will not reduce emissions or benefit Albertans but will increase costs and lead to supply shortages.
The risk of power outages during a hot summer or the depths of harsh winter cold snaps, are not unrealistic outcomes if these regulations are implemented. According to the Alberta Electric System Operator’s analysis, the regulations in question would make Alberta’s electricity system more than 100 times less reliable than the province’s supply adequacy standard. Albertans expect their electricity to remain affordable and reliable, but implementation of these regulations could increase costs by a staggering 35 per cent.
Canada’s constitution is clear. Provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over the development, conservation and management of sites and facilities in the province for the generation and production of electrical energy. That is why Alberta’s government is referring the constitutionality of the federal government’s recent net-zero electricity regulations to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
“The federal government refused to work collaboratively or listen to Canadians while developing these regulations. The results are ineffective, unachievable and irresponsible, and place Albertans’ livelihoods – and more importantly, lives – at significant risk. Our government will not accept unconstitutional net-zero regulations that leave Albertans vulnerable to blackouts in the middle of summer and winter when they need electricity the most.”
“The introduction of the Clean Electricity Regulations in Alberta by the federal government is another example of dangerous federal overreach. These regulations will create unpredictable power outages in the months when Albertans need reliable energy the most. They will also cause power prices to soar in Alberta, which will hit our vulnerable the hardest.”
Finalized in December 2024, the federal electricity regulations impose strict carbon limits on fossil fuel power, in an attempt to force a net-zero grid, an unachievable target given current technology and infrastructure. The reliance on unproven technologies makes it almost impossible to operate natural gas plants without costly upgrades, threatening investment, grid reliability, and Alberta’s energy security.
“Ottawa’s electricity regulations will leave Albertans in the dark. They aren’t about reducing emissions – they are unconstitutional, ideological activist policies based on standards that can’t be met and technology that doesn’t exist. It will drive away investment and punish businesses, provinces and families for using natural gas for reliable, dispatchable power. We will not put families at risk from safety and affordability impacts – rationing power during the coldest days of the year – and we will continue to stand up for Albertans.”
“Albertans depend on electricity to provide for their families, power their businesses and pursue their dreams. The federal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations threaten both the affordability and reliability of our power grid, and we will not stand by as these regulations put the well-being of Albertans at risk.”
Related information
- Conference Board of Canada socio-economic Impacts of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan – (April 2025)
- Alberta Electric System Operator’s position on Canadian Energy Regulations
Premier Danielle Smith responds to election of Liberal government
Top Used Ford SUVs for Families and Adventurers
Net Zero by 2050: There is no realistic path to affordable and reliable electricity
In Defeat, Joe Tay’s Campaign Becomes a Flashpoint for Suspected Voter Intimidation in Canada
-
Business2 days agoTrump’s bizarre 51st state comments and implied support for Carney were simply a ploy to blow up trilateral trade pact
-
Agriculture1 day agoLiberal win puts Canada’s farmers and food supply at risk
-
COVID-192 days agoStudy finds Pfizer COVID vaccine poses 37% greater mortality risk than Moderna
-
Alberta1 day agoAlberta’s future in Canada depends on Carney’s greatest fear: Trump or Climate Change
-
Alberta1 day ago
It’s On! Alberta Challenging Liberals Unconstitutional and Destructive Net-Zero Legislation
-
International1 day agoNigeria, 3 other African countries are deadliest for Christians: report
-
Frontier Centre for Public Policy2 days agoTrust but verify: Why COVID-19 And Kamloops Claims Demand Scientific Scrutiny
-
Business21 hours agoTrump says he expects ‘great relationship’ with Carney, who ‘hated’ him less than Poilievre