provincial feud

[Cableguy]

http://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/213420/Great-licence-plate-fight

is this for real

 

[Quattroman]

https://globalnews.ca/news/3901038/...wan-bans-alberta-licence-plates-on-job-sites/

Apparently

 

[Mach1]

.......Yep.,.....

 

[lilduke]

Red plate discrimination is real..

 

[imdoo'n]

..yup..

 

[Summitric]

It's on 6:30 ched this morning... What a frickin' joke

 

[LBZ]

Green discrimination has been real for awhile now in Alberta.

 

[ippielb]

Don’t know what everyone’s crying about. I for one would like to see more projects completed by local companies, keeps the money in the economy.

I work as a foreman/heavy equipment operator for the government. And we have leased trucks, that have Alberta plates on them. Contractors from out of province, even out of country.

Why would a government organization be spending tax payers money, anywhere other then on the tax payers. If they give the money back to the tax payers it’s going to be spent more then likely on taxable goods or services. Getting some money back in the long run.

Spend that money on out of province or out of country goods/service, and they’ll never see that money again.

Banning Alberta plates is one thing, giving preference to locals is another.

As I would expect the same in Alberta for Saskatchewan plates.

 

[Ronaha]

I dont know why Albertans put up with Alberta registration, any bad publicity for them is great......the crooks charge my household $600 a year for paperwork and make us line up and sass us

 

[rebel]

It's a liberal conspiracy. Maybe by doing this the feds are hoping it will divide the provinces enough to create more of a liberal gap? Reelection work for selfie boy.

 

[Summitric]

I totally agree... I suspect liberal thinking is behind this... Causing further division in canada

 

[mxz800x]

We need Jessie Ventura. It a conspiracy. The liberals are trying to get Saskatchewan and our good neighbors to the west,to fight so they can split up the west. Id rather have albertans working on our road ways then any eastern province plates. Alberta highways are a lot smoother than ours.

 

[lilduke]

Yep Alberta and Sask need to stick together

 

[Quattroman]

Has anyone read Brad Walls response and explanation to it on FB?? Theres more to the story...

Thanks Notley

 

[whoDEANie]

Has anyone read Brad Walls response and explanation to it on FB?? Theres more to the story...

Thanks Notley

Brad Wall's Post...

There has been some discussion about our government’s decision to require Saskatchewan licensed vehicles when companies from Alberta are working on new projects undertaken by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure. You should know that we took this action reluctantly.
Our government is, and always has been, a strong supporter of free trade, both within Canada and outside our borders. We believe eliminating tariffs and other barriers to trade is crucial to building prosperity for all Canadians.
In fact, one of our first decisions after we were first elected to office in 2007 was to join the New West Partnership, which is dedicated to reducing trade barriers in the west. The previous NDP government had refused to join the partnership.
Have no doubt, we are free traders. However, there have been a series of provocations from the NDP Government of Alberta that regrettably make this retaliatory measure necessary.
The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA) has told us that vehicles with Saskatchewan licence plates are not welcome on Government of Alberta construction sites. Furthermore, according to the association, Saskatchewan contractors have been shut out of bidding on Alberta government projects. Tender packages available for Alberta-based contractors are not made available to companies from Saskatchewan.
In an interview, Shantel Lipp, the president of the SHCA, said Alberta has taken protection of its construction industry “to an extreme”. We will not stand by while the Government of Alberta discriminates against Saskatchewan contractors.
The Government of Alberta of late has done much to restrict free procurement and trade. In 2016, Canada’s premiers held their annual meeting in Whitehorse. At that meeting, the Premiers set out to negotiate a new internal trade agreement that would reduce barriers to trade. This would have included new provisions on government procurement.
Premier Notley insisted on a 20% set aside for Alberta-based companies. That would mean at least 20% of all Government of Alberta contracts would be off limits to companies based outside Alberta.
Similarly, Alberta continues to discriminate against craft brewers based in Saskatchewan and other provinces. In 2016, the Notley government moved to one standard beer mark-up of $1.25 per litre regardless of company size, location or level of production. However, that policy change also came with grants to small, Alberta-based producers that effectively offset the new mark-up.
This policy put companies like Great Western Brewing in Saskatoon at a competitive disadvantage. A panel set up under the Agreement on Internal Trade – the agreement governing trade among the provinces – ruled that Alberta’s grant program discriminated against brewers from other provinces and was contrary to Alberta’s free trade obligations.
But rather than adjusting its policy, Alberta decided to appeal the ruling. There is a pattern of behaviour that is disturbing. And Saskatchewan will not abide by it.
Our opposition to the Government of Alberta’s protectionist practices does not arise from any animosity to the people of Alberta. On the contrary, I believe Canada is stronger with a strong Alberta. We have consistently defended Alberta’s interests generally, and the interests of the energy sector specifically, and will continue to do so.
But we will first and foremost defend the interests of Saskatchewan. That’s why we have taken this action. I would urge all Alberta residents to contact their provincial government and urge them to stop the protectionist measures and return to the spirit of the New West Partnership.
Free trade is in the best interests of both our provinces. It will be a good day for western Canada when the Government of Alberta returns to its traditional position for free trade and removing inter-provincial trade barriers.

 

[Steve D]

The TL;DR version is:

Alberta screwed with us for years and years and we were eh, whatever. And then they screwed with our beer! Fight's on now bitches!

 

[turbo392]

Eliminate the competition for local contractors so they can charge the government whatever they want. Great money saving policy right there. I hope all future quotes go up by 50%.