Opinion
Why is Edgar Industrial Zone empty?

As I campaign for the UCP nomination for Red Deer North I continually ask voters to share their priorities and concerns. By far the most frequently heard concerns are those of the economy, the quality of jobs available, and the cost of living.
Since assuming power in 2015 the NDP government has enacted a series of changes that have made the cost of living and doing business in our province far more expensive. Not only that, these changes exacerbated the effects of the worst recession in a generation. A quick drive through Edgar Industrial Zone is evident of the costly and uncompetitive policies our government has legislated.
So let’s go through a quick rundown of some of the more devastating changes:
Increased corporate tax rates by 20%
Instituted the carbon tax increasing the cost of doing pretty much everything
Changes to the Municipal Government Act have increased the cost of new homes by thousands
Early shutdown of coal power plants increased the cost of electricity and cost taxpayers billions
It is no secret that much of Alberta’s prosperity is due to our resource sector. This is especially true for Red Deer with our disproportionate presence in the oil & gas service sector and equipment manufacturing. Unquestionably weakness in the sector was due in part to an oversupply of oil coupled with low prices. However, as oil prices rebounded drilling and the service activity that goes along with it have moved to other lower cost jurisdictions.
As the NDP raised the cost of doing business, activity has fled Canada while states like North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Texas have seen record growth. Through my work at the Chamber it is a regular occurance to hear from local businesses that are struggling to get business and others that are moving asset abroad
So thanks to a higher cost of doing business Alberta still has lower private sector employment than we did in 2014, less capital investment, and higher crime.
If successful, one of my primary focuses as MLA will be taking action to restore our competitiveness and bring businesses and the high-paying jobs that go along with them back to areas like Edgar Industrial Zone.
Reg Warkentin is running for the UCP nomination in his forever-home of Red Deer North and Policy and Advocacy Manager of the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce
Censorship Industrial Complex
Jordan Peterson reveals DEI ‘expert’ serving as his ‘re-education coach’ for opposing LGBT agenda

From LifeSiteNews
The Ontario College of Psychologists has selected Jordan Peterson’s “re-education coach” for having publicly opposed the LGBT agenda.
In a June 16 op-ed published by the National Post, Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson revealed that U.K. citizen Harry Cayton will guide him through the mandatory training.
“In the last week … the College has re-established contact, after months of unnecessary delay, which occurred in violation of their own order and guidelines. They have made me an entirely new offer, all the while insisting that this was their intent all along, which it most clearly was not,” Peterson said.
“All they really want, it turns out, is one two-hour session, which will not involve any ‘social media’ training,” he further explained. “This will be conducted by a man — one Harry Cayton — a citizen of the U.K., who is neither social media expert, according to the College and is definitely not a psychologist.”
Harry Cayton, a supposed expert on “professional regulation and governance,” is known professionally for promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In 2021, he was appointed to conduct an independent review of the British Columbia Law Society’s governance structure, specifically examining how it supports DEI goals.
Additionally, in 2022, while appearing on Ascend Radio’s podcast, Cayton argued there should be more DEI regulations in professional associations.
Peterson has promised to make the details of his “re-education” public, questioning why the College wishes to hide what Cayton plans to discuss with him.
“If I am the intransigent fool, and he is the wizard to set things right, why not bless everyone interested with his wisdom, and allow them to participate in the restructuring of my psyche and eventual enlightening? Why the concern with confidentiality?” he asked.
Peterson also explained that he will publicize the training “so that people who are interested can decide for themselves what is going on.”
In January 2024, Peterson lost his appeal of the board’s decision to compel him to undergo mandatory re-education, meaning that he must attend the training or risk losing his license to practice psychology in Ontario.
Peterson also revealed that his “legal options have” now “been exhausted” after Ontario’s highest court rejected his appeal of the College’s 2022 ruling that his public political statements ran afoul of the administrative board’s rules and that he must therefore submit to, and personally pay for, a “coaching program” on professionalism.
Peterson is a widely-known critic of Canada’s increasingly totalitarian government. He has also spoken frequently on the need for young men to accept and take on personal responsibility. While he has seemingly inspired others to explore Christianity, he has not yet espoused a personal belief in any religion, though he affirmed his wife Tammy in her decision to convert to Catholicism in 2024.
Business
Rhetoric—not evidence—continues to dominate climate debate and policy

From the Fraser Institute
Myths, fallacies and ideological rhetoric continue to dominate the climate policy discussion, leading to costly and ineffective government policies,
according to a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, nonpartisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“When considering climate policies, it’s important to understand what the science and analysis actually show instead of what the climate alarmists believe to be true,” said Kenneth P. Green, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Four Climate Fallacies.
The study dispels several myths about climate change and popular—but ineffective—emission reduction policies, specifically:
• Capitalism causes climate change: In fact, according to several environment/climate indices and the Fraser Institute’s annual Economic Freedom of the World Index, the more economically free a country is, the more effective it is at protecting its environment and combatting climate change.
• Even small-emitting countries can do their part to fight climate change: Even if Canada reduced its greenhouse gas emissions to zero, there would be
little to no measurable impact in global emissions, and it distracts people from the main drivers of emissions, which are China, India and the developing
world.
• Vehicle electrification will reduce climate risk and clean the air: Research has shown that while EVs can reduce GHG emissions when powered with
low-GHG energy, they often are not, and further, have offsetting environmental harms, reducing net environmental/climate benefits.
• Carbon capture and storage is a viable strategy to combat climate change: While effective at a small scale, the benefits of carbon capture and
storage to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions on a massive scale are limited and questionable.
“Citizens and their governments around the world need to be guided by scientific evidence when it comes to what climate policies make the most sense,” Green said.
“Unfortunately, the climate policy debate is too often dominated by myths, fallacies and false claims by activists and alarmists, with costly and ineffective results.”

Kenneth P. Green
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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