The Alberta Surface Rights Group held it Annual General Meeting in the Innisfail Legion Hall on March 28 with some 50 people in attendance. Outgoing President Don Bester opened the meeting welcoming those present and introducing guests and speakers.The group advocates for the future of Alberta's land and water and challenges many current land and water use practices in the province. The latest of these on the radar is "hydraulic fracking" which is a highly controversial practice forcing oil and gas out of underground formations using liquids and chemicals under very high pressure.
An important achievement in 2011 was to have the Alberta Court of Appeal direct the ERCB (Energy Resources Conservation Board) to award land owners proper hearing and court cost compensation, keeping the playing field level.
Several speakers dealt with issues encountered and tackled during 2011. Details about activities are available on the group's website
Rob Schwartz did the Year in Review slide presentation, including the image below, which shows a roadside sign used by the Alberta Surface Rights Group to get its message across to the general public.
Popular contrarian Paddy Munroe gave a slide presentation on the dangers of hydraulic fracking noting a glaring contradiction in regulations on his slide below.Paddy has taken the presentation on the road and is reaching a lot of concerned Alberta residents with his message. Just Google his name.
Kevin Niemi spoke about surface lease negotiations with oil and gas companies and his advice is summed up in his slide below:
