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MAY 2006 WWW.EDMONTONIANS.COM FREEVOL.XVII NO.5

Tourism Tiger/McHugh • Bozo-style politics/Hogle • Czech Mates/Wegmann-Sanchez

Hollywood heavyweight Brad Pitt filmed The Assassination of Jesse James

at Fort Edmonton Park

Hollywood heavyweight Brad Pitt filmed The Assassination of Jesse James

at Fort Edmonton Park

2

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EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

on Hamilton of Air Spray and oneof the Oilers owners is suffering separationanxiety. Don is on the light side of 80 andhas owned and flown his Cessna Citation

500 Jet for some 24 years. This year he decided to give upthe jet, but continue flying his twin engine plane. He soldthe jet to a company in the U.S., and delivered it inperson—his last flight in it. Don said it felt worse thanwhen his last wife left him. He’s single again… I just hopeAnna Nicole Smithdoesn’t find out about him.

Jim Killick, who has used a wheelchair formany years, once boarded a commercial flight with hiswife, Linda. The flight attendant asked Linda if Jim neededspecial seating. The mischievous red-head responded with,“Don’t bother asking her, she’s hearing impaired.” Lindaisn’t, but it was Jim’s way of helping the attendant tounderstand that people with disabilities often can look afterthemselves.

The retired executive director of the Easter Seal AbilityCouncil made a career of helping people, organizations andgovernments to understand the meaning of disability. It’salso the reason he received the Lifetime Achievementaward at the Red Carpet Affair from the CanadianParaplegic Association for Alberta. His long-time career inB.C. and Alberta included a post with the Premier’s Councilfor Persons with Disabilities and national assignmentsadvocating for better transportation for all Canadians. Notsurprisingly, Jim likes the idea of self-managed care: Peoplewith physical disabilities receive money directly to buythings like hand controls for their SUVs. This, instead of themore circuitous route of governments giving money toagencies that give money to support groups that eventuallyhand it over to disabled people. Roll on, Jim.

The City of Champions takes on yet anothersporting spin with the return home from Russia by GennaRazin, the hockey-playing husband of Mallory Presisniuk.The expectant couple spends about two months a yearliving in Edmonton where Mallory teaches and models;otherwise, they travel to Kazan where Genna plays defense.On Easter Sunday, Genna and his team, the AKBars, wonthe 17-team Superleague championship—Russia’sequivalent to the NHL Stanley Cup. Mallory received a textmessage here at home from Genna saying, “We won theCup, I am coming home, sweetie.” He returns to his MotherCountry for two days this month to receive a gold medalfrom none other than President Putin.

Residents of Fort McMurray and the rest ofthe Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will finally seetheir first MRI machine as soon as 2008, thanks to someserious fundraising by the Northern Lights HealthFoundation, says executive directorRosemarie Horne.

About 85 percent of the $3.5 million required for themedical device has been raised. This year, at the 19thannual Spring Fling in Fort McMurray, Edmonton helpedout with the top-selling auction item which was snagged bySyncrude CEO Charles Ruigrok for $13,500. DaleMonaghanof Air Mikisew orchestrated the package thatincluded a return flight aboard the airline, a skybox for anOilers game, Budget car rental, an executive suite atChateau Nova, and three professional sports teams’jerseyssigned by Greg Treble for the Eskimos, premier wannabeMark Norris , and Oilers President Patrick Laforge.Northern Alberta patients now travel 450 km to Edmontonand wait between seven weeks and three months for MRIs.

The fellow in the Pizza 73 television commercial—which seems to run every 20 minutes—is Harvey Emas.We often audition for commercials at the same time; he’smodeled in a lot of ads over the years. It’s that great head ofhair that sets him apart. Harvey can’t get over the success ofthe Pizza 73 spot: It’s the closest he’s been to a rock starstatus. People ask him for his autograph, or they follow himto check if he’s the guy. What’s amazing about Harvey isthat he’s 83, married to the same woman for 62 years, andstill works as a corporate sales manager for the FantasyLand Hotel. He says his marriage has lasted so longbecause he learned to say “Yes Dear” no matter what theargument was. I just wish I had his hair.

There are some really worthwhile events comingup in the next couple of months: Don’t forget Sorrentino’sGarlic Stomp on May 5th at the Shaw Conference Centeron behalf of the Sorrentino’s Compassion House. Fortickets call Stella Rago at 474-6466 or e-mailstella@sorrentinos.com

The Mayor’s Evening for the Arts is May 29th. Thisfamily-friendly fundraiser gala at the Winspear is stackedwith talent, from Tommy Banks to the ballet to ChrisCraddock. The money raised is going in part to NinaHaggerty Center for the Arts and the Victoria School ofPerforming and Visual Arts. Ticket prices vary, so call boxoffice 428-1414. The mayor is really behind this, andhoping for a packed house.

Speaking of remarkable events. The icon of thehospitality industry and one-time columnist forEdmontonians, Brian Walsh, is leaving the Fairmont HotelMacdonald. He’s taking the long walk across the street torun the new steak house at the World Trade Centre. We’reglad to see the new eatery is setting their standard high.

The Edmonton Klondike Days Association isgoing to keep doing what it does under the name EventsEdmonton. This includes organizing New Year’s Eve onChurchill Square and the Canada Day Festival. Probably itsbiggest bash and money earner is the Taste of Edmonton at

the Square. Street events, bath tub races and that sort of funwill still be going ahead during… um-er… the exhibition.

Last year, the World Masters Games were a big boon tothe Taste, but I think with some well placed publicity at theChamp Car Races, it could be a wonderful tie in. The racesare over about 4 pm—what better place to enjoy great food,live music and some dancing to finish off the night.

I think the name Events Edmonton is very descriptive.Certainly better than City Ex, whoa, I don’t think that’sright… Spend Ex, that sounds like it… whoops, wrong… Iremember now, it’s Capital Ex. Hmmmmm. Anyway, seeyou at Taste of Edmonton.

A group of 124 Street businesses sprung aspring fashion show to raise funds for the CanadianBreast Cancer Foundation. It was held in a very novelbut comfortable venue, McElheran’s Fine Furniturestore. The models were local ladies and some work inneighbourhood stores. It sure opened my eyes to themany really smart fashion shops along 124th Street.Tamara Kerrison, daughter of Bob and June whoraised big bucks for the CBCF over the years, was oneof the many organizers. She said since the citymakeover of the street, the business community hasbecome very focused on making it a destination forshopping. One of my favourite restaurants, DonFreeland’s Glenora Grill, is going strong and has anew chef. Sorry, I don’t have enough room to mentionall the stores and the many people working behind thescenes to make these things happen. They’re on theright track.

Golf season is finally here. I ran into BillMcDougall, the pro at Victoria Golf Course. He’s beenteaching for a good 25 years, so I asked what is themost difficult thing for people to learn. He said that it’susually using the body, including the pivot, properly…and that it takes seven to 10 lessons to be able to playcomfortably so they can go out and start improving ontheir own. Bill has many who come back every year forfour or five lessons as tune up for the season. In fact,about a third of his lessons are refreshers. Someswingers have been coming back for 15 or 20 years…and now he’s teaching their kids. I can tell you, he’svery good at what he does. For a booking time call993-3630. ✔

Additional reporting by Edmontoniansstaff.

Call Muggsy Forbes at 780.482.4545 or e-mail mforbes@edmontonians.com

FUNNYpompous & unfair

By Muggsy Forbes

DD

How about them Oilers?...and those Russian AKBars?

EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006 3

Proof____1_______________PROOFED BY:_______________________________________________CHANGES MADE:__________________________DATE:_________________

HOW SATISFIED WERE YOUWITH RALPH KLEIN’S JOB AS PREMIER?

First, survey participants were asked how satisfiedthey are with Ralph Klein’s performance asAlberta’s premier. Almost three-quarters (70percent) of respondents were either somewhat orvery satisfied with Mr. Klein. In fact, 34 percentof respondents were very satisfied with the jobRalph Klein did. However, one in five (21percent) surveyed were somewhat (11 percent) orvery dissatisfied (11 percent) with Premier Klein’sperformance.

WHAT WAS PREMIER KLEIN’SGREATEST SUCCESS? DIFFICULTY?Respondents were asked to identify PremierKlein’s greatest success during his tenure aspremier. The majority of respondents (58 percent)felt the elimination of the provincial debt was hisgreatest success. Economic growth and lowunemployment rates were seen by 11 percent ashis crowning achievements, while six percentidentified budget management and surpluses.

Survey participants were also asked to identifythe issue with which Premier Klein has struggledwith the most. Forty percent cited health carereform, while 30 percent identified PremierKlein’s public and personal approach to hisposition as causing him the most difficulty.Education (six percent) and the elimination of theprovincial debt (four percent) were cited amongthe remaining responses.

WHO WILL SUCCEED KLEIN?Looking ahead, survey respondents were asked toidentify Ralph Klein’s successor. While approxi-mately one-third (30 percent) did not have aresponse, one-third (30 percent) of respondentsidentified Preston Manning as Ralph Klein’ssuccessor. Seventeen percent thought Jim Dinning

would become the next Conservative leader,while 12 percent felt Lyle Oberg would fill theposition. David Hancock (three percent), EdStelmach (three percent), and Mark Norris (onepercent) were identified by far fewer respondentsas the next leader of the party. Approximatelyfour percent felt the next leader would besomeone other than these gentlemen.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANTCHARACTERISTICS FOR A PREMIER?Considering the position of premier, respondentswere asked to rate the importance of a number ofcharacteristics. A formal education was seen as animportant characteristic by 86 percent ofrespondents. Ninety-six percent mentionedbusiness experience, 79 percent felt a backgroundin government was an important characteristic,and 77 percent cited previous political experience.

When asked to identify other attributes apremier should possess, three characteristics stoodapart: Listening to Albertans (23 percent), beinghonest and trustworthy (22 percent), and havingintegrity (21 percent) were the most commonlycited. Other qualities included a good publicimage (11 percent), good communication andsocial skills (10 percent), personal magnetism(eight percent), and fulfilling promises (sevenpercent).

WHAT ISSUE WILL FACETHE NEW PREMIER?Finally, respondents identified the most importantissue that will face the new premier. More thanhalf (58 percent) identified healthcare as the mostimportant issue. Controlling the budget/surpluses(13 percent), education (13 percent), and theeconomy (10 percent) were the next mostcommonly mentioned issues.

Linda Banister is a certified managementconsultant and the owner of Banister Researchand Consulting Inc., a full service provider ofmarket research and program evaluation services.If you have a question you would like included inthe Edmontonians Poll, contact Linda at780.451.4444 or e-mail atlbanister@edmontonians.com. For furtherinformation on the firm visit www.banister.ab.ca.

STATIONor fans of politics, the last fewmonths have been most entertaining.We have seen the federalConservative party form a minority

government while, in Alberta, the provincialTory party secured another term as thegoverning party. With the recent ProgressiveConservative annual general meeting, came acall for a change in party leadership and therace for the premier’s job is on. This month weasked Edmontonians for their thoughtsregarding the leadership race.

FFWith Linda Banister

PollPoll

FOUNDERDICK MacLEAN

MAY 2006Vol. XVII

Published by 399620 Alberta Ltd. on the first day of eachmonth at 333, 10240 - 124 Street, Edmonton, Alberta,Canada T5N 3W6. ©All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reprinted or reproduced in any formwithout written permission from the publisher.

Manuscripts: must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Edmontonians is not responsible forunsolicited manuscripts.

All stories Copyright ©Edmontonians

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40023292Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:Circulation Department333, 10240 - 124 StreetEdmonton, AB T5N 3W6Email: info@edmontonians.com

SHARON MacLEANPublisher and Advertising Director

Telephone: 780.482.7000Fax: 780.488.9317

e-mail: info@edmontonians.comedmontonians.com

INSIDEFUNNY, POMPOUS AND UNFAIRHow about them Oilers?/Forbes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

POLL STATIONRalph Klein/Banister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSForeign advice/Wegmann-Sanchez . . . . . . . . . . . .4

FEATURETourism Tiger/McHugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-7$10 Million Pitt-stop/Deters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-10Smithsonian/Deters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

BIZINTELScience and Tech/Croucher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 BizIT/Michetti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Media Minute/Hogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Civic Buzz/Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

MAKING MONEYOil stocks/Hiebert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

INSIDE TORONTOMayor in TO/Reiniger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

BARB DETERSEditor

editor@edmontonians.com

COLUMNISTSLinda Banister

Linda BodoCheryl CroucherMuggsy Forbes

Ron HiebertBruce HogleGreg Michetti

W. Daniel MothersillDavid NorwoodCarissa ReinigerNizar J. Somji

Jessica Wegmann-Sanchez

FEATURE WRITERSMurray Donaldson

Peter Drake McHughMichael O’TooleMarg. PullishyPeter Roccia

PHOTOGRAPHERSTerry Bourque

Cheryl CroucherBarb Deters

GRAPHIC PRODUCTIONRage Studios Inc.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYMichetti Information Solutions Inc.

THIS MONTH’S COVER

Brad Pitt Warner Brothers photo superimposed on Fort Edmonton Park

photo by Terry Bourque

No. 5

1717YEARS

C E L E B R A T I N G

ExecutiveWelcome

Personal marketingto select business

customers

Call Jeanne Wright todayPhone: 780.487.2001

E-mail: jeannew@telus.net

“”

Said they were somewhator very satisfied with

Ralph Klein

Said they were somewhator very dissatisfied with

Ralph Klein

Perc

enta

ge 70%

21%

4

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EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

WE’VE GOT THE OIL… HOW DO WE GROW THE BUSINESS?

ome options from the United Kingdomfor local oil and gas companies werepresented at a seminar sponsored by MaclayMurray & Spens, a leading commercial

legal firm, and Edmonton Economic DevelopmentCorporation . The title: The Canadian Oilfield ServiceSector: Economic Drivers, Internationalization, Merger& Acquisition Activity and UK Financing.

Uisdean R. Vass, head of the firm’s oil and gasdivision in Aberdeen, gave an especially useful talk oninternational expansion challenges faced by oil servicecompanies. Where I work, we represent oil and gascompanies as well as those in other sectors, and I foundmyself nodding in agreement or taking notes on theintricacies of finding proper local allies: due diligence,taxation challenges between countries, contracts andthe difficulties that could arise when you try to writethem yourself fromtemplates (meaculpa!), intellectualproperty problems,and dealing withforeign corruption.And, what ofcommercialstructure? If you goto another country,should youincorporate there,set up a branch, doa joint venture withlocal allies, or workthrough an agent/distributor? All

have pros and cons. Next Jonathan Brooks, head of capital

markets from Maclay Murray & Spens inLondon, addressed Canadian

companies interested infinancing onthe benefitsof

London’sAIM market, a

“…marketspecifically tailored

to smaller businessesseeking new capital for

growth and expansion.”

Lunching on mergers,acquisitions and statisticsDuring lunch, SpiliosKousinioris, vice president ofErnst & Young OrendaCorporate Finance, Calgary,

spoke on mergers, acquisitions andinteresting statistics on the oil and

gas industry. For instance, right now inChina and India the per capita energy

demand is only seven percent and threepercent respectively of consumption in Canada

and the U.S. Just imagine what is going to happento energy demand with the rise of themiddle class in these and other

developing nations. Kousinioris also madeanother pertinent point: “In Fort McMurray,it’s not capital that will restrain growth, butqualified workers… In 2006, it is estimatedan additional 40,000 workers will beneeded to meet the requirements ofgrowth.”

The seminar was followed up a couple ofweeks later by a UK trade mission toEdmonton, in which a dozen UK companiesin the oil and gas industry participated in aroundtable discussion and had one-on-onemeetings with Edmonton-area companies inthe sector.

EXPORTING 101Q: Where do you turn first if you’relearning the ropes of export?

Correct Answer: Export Link , a division ofBusiness Link.

“We handle the new and potential exporter,” says LindaChorney, business marketing officer for Business Link.“We’re your first entry into export… first line ofcommunication.”

Besides its library, website and free export informationline, the Business Link holds a variety of events on thesubject. In the last couple months, it has offered Finding &Engaging the Right Partner for Exporting, ExportDocumentation Basics, Do’s and Don’ts of Business Entryinto the U.S., Shipping Your Goods to the U.S. andOverseas, andExporting Food Products, among others.And May 9th and 10th marks its second annual conference:Beyond Borders II…Your Passport to Exporting.

Says Chorney, “What we try to stress at Export Link isbeing prepared—so you don’t think you can go to India or

the Middle East or wherever and just arrive. We want youto do up an export plan, be aware of regulations and all thenuances.”

“CZECH MATES” TO HELP EDMONTON WIN AT BUSINESSA delegation from the region of Liberec in theCzech Republic came to Edmonton to explore the potentialfor collaborative business opportunities. Pedr Skokan,Hejdman of Liberec—an office between mayor andpremier—was accompanied by his assistant IvaKrizhalova, as well as by Karel Hofman, president of theCzech Business Association of Canada, and JerryJelinek, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic, based inCalgary.

“The purpose of this visit,” says Jelinek, “ is to put thosetwo regions together because of certain commonalities, oneof which is nanotechnology.” He explains that theUniversity of Liberec boasts a centre similar to Universityof Alberta’s own National Institute of Nanotechnology,which the delegation visited, along with local companyMicralyne, specializing in the development andmanufacturing of MEMS—micro-electro mechanicalsystems—based components.

Another goal is to explore the possibility of bringingCzech people to fill jobs here in Alberta since Liberec is “anindustrial region with many well-educated skilled workers.”Right now, the Consulate is working on one case as a pilotproject, filling in the forms to bring an electronics

technologist in on a foreign worker visa for an Albertasurvey instruments company. “We want to learn how theprocess works,” says Jelinek. “Once we get this personthrough,… we will bring many more people.”

Skokan signed a memorandum with Mayor StephenMandel to open the way for further connections betweenthe two regions, starting with a business delegation of 10 to20 investors and company representatives planning to visitEdmonton this September. ✔

Jessica Wegmann-Sanchez, Ph.D., isDirector of Corporate Communicationsfor BIDMEXICO International Inc., anEdmonton-based company specializing inforeign business development in Mexico.E-mail: jsanchez@edmontonians.com

GREA

TER EDMONTON

INTERNATIONAL BUSINE

SSBy Dr. Jessica Wegmann-S

anch

ez

SS

Jonathan Brooks from London

Mayor Stephen Mandel,Honorary Consul Jerry Jelinek,CBAC Chair Karel Hofman, and Governor Petr Skokan

EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006 5

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ccording to the latest tourism statisticsreleased by Alberta EconomicDevelopment, the City of Championswas the number one destination in

overall person-visits to Alberta and the number onedestination in person-visits from other provinces in2004. They like us; they really like us. But, if youthink this surprising love affair has anything to dowith being the City of Champions, the experts sayyou would be wrong. Thereby hangs a cautionarytale. Always be true to yourself and know who youare. The market demands it.

Edmonton is Canada’s furthest north “big” cityand, believe it or not, that appears to be a draw fortourists who are stunned and genuinely jealous thatin summer we can book off work at the regular timeand still get in 18 holes of golf in daylight. Whoknew?

Truth is, there are dozens of people fromgovernment, and private enterprise workingtogether in a jig-saw puzzle of cooperation that ispaying big dividends in a market once thought tooremote to have much impact on world tourism. Nomore. Edmonton has an increasing reputation asboth an international and a cosmopolitan city that istruly the gateway to fabled wilderness adventures.Edmonton has come of age to the internationalcrowd and has been discovered by other Canadians.

Despite what the arts community refers to as ‘aslash and burn’ philosophy by the provincialgovernment, its former largess is now paying bigdividends. Travel Alberta’s website concentratesfirst on the dining, the festivals and the arts. Onlythen does it promote the astonishing variety of thenorth and the Rocky Mountains. Edmonton is nowbeing considered a must-see city in its own right.Increasingly, we are a top-ranked metropolitandestination. It has not been easy to get to this point.

THE FACTSEdmonton Tourism, a division of EdmontonEconomic Development Corp., is responsible formarketing Greater Edmonton as a preferreddestination for leisure travel, business travel andfilm production. In 2004, an estimated 4.4 millionguests visited the region, generating more than $1billion in visitor expenditures and employing over23,000 people. Edmonton is in the big time game ofSnakes and Ladders that is tourist travel and marketshare.

Not surprisingly, we have a plan. Canada’s newestconference venue, the $28.8 million Hall D at theShaw Conference Centre is now open to offer a270-degree view of the North Saskatchewan RiverValley. Easily seating 1,000 diners, it will increasethe Shaw’s annual economic impact by $43 milliona year.

Edmonton staged the hugely successful WorldMasters Games and the Champ Car Grand Prix of

Edmonton in 2005. Such events are sure to boostthe statistics and help us maintain our number oneposition for another year or more. Increasingly, weare being seen as an attractive venue for filmmakers (see related story), but oddly what we arenot being seen as is the ‘City of Champions’.

Ken Fiske, EEDC vice-president of tourism,events and motion pictures grins conspiratorially inhis office in Edmonton’s World Trade Centre. He isframed by the hugely attractive and popularFairmont Hotel MacDonald across Jasper Avenue.“I’m afraid, City of Champions is meaningless in aworld market,” he says almost apologetically. “Youhave to learn to market what you have. If I amsomewhere in the world where they aren’t sure whowe are, I will tell them three things. We are the

home of West Edmonton Mall, Wayne Gretzky usedto play here and the Edmonton Oilers still do, andthe Canadian Rockies are very close. Almosteveryone then knows who we are and they want totalk. That’s when you tell them about FortEdmonton Park and the river valley and thewonderful festivals and events. Many people wantto know how we’ve kept Edmonton a secret for solong,” he laughs, “and you know after they visitthey go away with very positive things to say.”

Fiske has plans to draw Vancouver-boundOlympic tourists to Edmonton. But, he’s notwaiting for the Olympics. Edmonton has somestunningly good sports venues, good trainers andworld class facilities. He’s put the word out toOlympic teams. If you want to train your athletesfor Vancouver 2010, there is no better place to doso than in Edmonton.

Some say Edmonton’s luck is a result of theeconomy while others insist it is happenstance andstardust. Whatever the mix, it is moving us onto anational and international stage.

Certainly, the fact that the world’s second largestdeposits of oil near Fort McMurray means that 300million oil-addicted Americans are suddenly payingmore attention to Edmonton in a way they haven’tsince the opening of the Alaska Highway—most ofwhich runs in Canada and was originally built as amilitary road to ensure Alaska could be defendedfrom a threatened Japanese invasion. It has alwaysbeen true that the Rocky Mountains are a must-seedestination, particularly for Europeans who havemountains but have long since extirpated their largemammals. Evidently, there is something foreveryone in Alberta.

THEY LIKE US; THEY REALLY LIKE USGeneralities are odious, unfair and mostlyinaccurate. However, Germans, Swiss and Austriansare stunned by the wilderness experience and byanything to do with native peoples. So the tourismindustry makes sure they get a bit of both andperhaps an overnight or more in Edmonton. Wegenerally get on well with the Americans, thoughmost would prefer more igloos and Mounties. Andtherein lies the problem. When does somethingbecome cliché? Evidently, never in the tourismbusiness.

The Japanese are more spiritual. Several directflights from Japan light up Edmonton Internat-ional’s runways during the short days of winter.They are headed north. They have heard of thenorthern lights and they have come to see forthemselves and maybe do a little shopping anddining. But, they, like everyone else, would notcome to Canada without seeing the RockyMountains. Japanese often only have a week and,remarkably, sometimes fit in the Rocky Mountains,Alberta’s cities and Charlottetown, Prince EdwardIsland, where Anne of Green Gables is said to havelived. The Japanese are evidently crazy forredheads, maple syrup and Canadian ice wine.

China will be a growing market and, no doubt,our attractions will be the Rockies and Drumhellerfor the dinosaur tour before heading off to Ontarioto see the memorial to Canadian Dr. NormanBethune, one of China’s greatest heroes of the LongMarch. Somewhere in between, you can be sureEdmonton will be pitching a day or two in the cityto rest and relive pioneer days. Edmontonianssometimes forget what a draw their history is. Frompersonal experience—and therefore not to count formuch—you only had to see the faces of thousandsof competitors in the World Masters Games when amounted policeman took it upon himself to meetand greet. He is probably the most photographed

The Tourism TigerOn the for hunt economic prosperity

The Tourism TigerOn the for hunt economic prosperity

By P. Drake McHugh

Edmonton is now Alberta’s top tourismdestination.

In Calgary, thesky is falling.

AA

Continued on page 6

6 EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

Proof__1____PROOFED BY:_______________________________________________CHANGES MADE:__________________________DATE:_________________

member of the RCMP in western Canada. Thetourists had three questions: “Are you a realMountie? Where’s your horse? Can I have mypicture taken with you?” For many, it was thehighlight of their visit to Canada.

So, if you know your market and you canleverage what you do with others, success can beyours… maybe.

The world is a complex place. Certainly, CanadianPacific Railways which owned the Banff Springs andChateau Lake Louise was successfully marketing theRockies to Europe in the late 1800s. And now, WestEdmonton Mall has over 30 years experience at sellingan idea, a concept to a world hungry for a newexperience. The world’s largest mall… inEdmonton, you say?

Earlier this year, Alberta cowboys—real,not the drugstore type—visited New York tolet people know that while BrokebackMountainhad a Wyoming setting, much ofthe film was actually shot with Albertacrews in Alberta. So was Robin William’sjust released RV. This summer Alberta willtake centre stage along America’s NationalMall in Washington D.C. as the featuredregion at the internationally renownedSmithsonian Folklife Festival from June30th to July 11th, drawing one millionvisitors to the free 10- day event. Comefall, The Assassination of Jesse James bythe Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt,will be released. Most of the movie wasfilmed in the province, including FortEdmonton Park. Fiske did suggest to theNew York media that they do the mathwhen Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s baby is born:There’s a good chance it was conceived during theirstay in the Greater Edmonton area. Edmonton andAlberta may not yet be on the collective Americanmind, but it is not for lack of trying.

NOT ALL ROSYCanadians will soon be required to have a passportto visit the United States. No problem, we are aperipatetic lot who love to travel and many of usalready have passports. Not so the Americans.Especially after 9-11, they have been reticent totravel to foreign destinations. In fact, latesttransborder visits to Alberta continue to lag behindpre-9-11 numbers. This will probably affect bordercities in Canada more than Edmonton which is alittle north of convenient, one-day shopping trips in

the United States. Canadians have traditionally feltwelcome anywhere in the world and with a strongerCanadian dollar this year, Europe looks like a gooddeal, Mexico is calling and, in the Far East, ourmoney has always had long legs. America is re-thinking its place in the world and, for manyAmericans, Canada is an unknown and possiblyunreliable destination. Have they not been readingthe literature? We love these guys. Oh sure, theDetroit Red Wings are a pain in the posterior, buteveryone else is pretty nice.

It may take the Canadian Finals Rodeo inEdmonton to tempt the shy amongst them north ofthe border. The northwest of the United States—

California, Oregon, beautiful Washington andMontana—works hard to convince their doubtingcousins, we are foreign, safe and open for business.They know us in a way eastern Canadians might notunderstand, and we return the compliment. We havemany interests in common. Just a note here: It issometimes difficult to tell Americans that, while wecan be their worst critics, we do feel we have aright to criticize family members. No harmintended, guys.

This is a good thing. As a former Prime Ministerreminded us, being Canadian (population 30million) living next door to America (population300 million and the world’s last super power) islike a mouse in bed with an elephant. “When theelephant turns over, you pay attention.” Alas, it is

not all Albertans remember of Pierre Elliot Trudeau.Nonetheless, after the failed American attempt toinvade Canada during the War of 1812, we’ve cometo pretty much understand. Our different destiniessaw Canada go to the defence of Europe in twoworld wars well before the danger had permeatedthe American mind. We like to think we are mastersof our own house, but there is something quitelikeable, even admirable, about our Americancousins. Despite major thievery and an ability tonegotiate until they win over softwood lumber, twoworld wars and the U.N. action in Korea,immigration and oil have made us fast friends.

The second problem may be gasoline. Nobody yetknows how the price of gasoline will affectmotorists. The Alaska Highway has alwaysled many Americans to the temptations ofWest Edmonton Mall. But will they continueto travel? We are about to find out… theAmerican world may be changing and themedia eye us suspiciously. Major Canadianmedia report the Edmonton experience fromOttawa or Calgary. It may be that events haveovercome this. Increasingly the coverage is inNew York and Washington, London andBeijing. Edmonton is about to become aworld player. What’s on the mid-termhorizon?

BONJOURFrank Salnier with La Chambre Economiquede l’Alberta is charged with attractingfrancophones to Alberta, both from Europeand Quebec. He bemoans the lack of directflights from Europe to Edmonton. A survey ofFrench speaking tourists found that 50percent had no idea Alberta had a French

speaking population. In the past three months, hisstaff has been fielding about 500 requests forinformation about Alberta. Many people want tocome to stay. He has some mild criticism for thecity. “The city provides bilingual guides at placeslike Fort Edmonton Park and Northlands… but thenthey fail to promote the fact that you can tour inFrench. Many Quebecois speak English but it isinteresting for them to hear some of their mothertongue.” He estimates 60,000 Quebecois visitAlberta each year. He’s currently working on a planfor businesses that are short of well educatedprofessionals or trades people to provide companyservices in French. “It is not very expensive,” hesays, “and if they need help, we are here to providethat service.”

Continued from page 5

Canadian Finals RodeoPhoto courtesy of www.edmonton.com

7EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

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SHOPPING NIRVANAOver at the bustling West Edmonton Mall, GeneralManager and COO Gary Hanson is gearing up foreven more business. “We have the internationalmarket here and we have the local market. Ourresearch tells us that both groups look for auniqueness they cannot find elsewhere… we’realways on the look out for new ideas and newstores.” He admits that, while West Edmonton Mallis well experienced in drawing tourists toEdmonton, the mall partners with other businessesand organizations. “It is such a big thing that youcan’t do it yourself and that Edmonton ‘can do’attitude really does pay dividends.”

Hanson is looking forward to the deepening ofBC’s port of Prince Rupert that would then allowhuge amounts of freight to be transhipped throughEdmonton to the consumer hungry U.S. Commerceand tourism are flip sides of the same card. “Thatport will be huge for Edmonton”, he says.

He is not worried about gasoline prices, “Theywill be what they will be and everybody is in thesame boat.” But passports for travel in NorthAmerica could be bad for business. “I’ve seen somereports that say 75 per cent of Americans do nothave passports, and this could hurt us but we’re outthere marketing and we know we really need directflights to Europe. The North American market isstill strong for us… we have every license plate inAmerica except for Hawaii in our parking lot so,for the moment, that’s strong.”

Over at Travel Alberta, they are gearing up fortourists as well. Mexicans (who love to shop) willbe chartered into the city in yet another experimentto boost tourism.

Derek Coke-Kerr with Travel Alberta is upbeatabout Alberta’s chances to slice a larger piece of theworld tourism market and he believes Edmontoncould be a leader. “Edmonton has always been goodat events,” he says. “The Edmonton Grand Prix is aprime example. People in Edmonton don’t askwhether they can do it, they just jump in and do itand that attitude is paying dividends for the city.Edmonton has more overnight stays now thanCalgary and it is an increasingly cosmopolitan cityand it has the mall and the river valley.”

He knows what brings in the tourists. “In Canada,it is Niagara Falls and the Rocky Mountains, just asin India it is the Taj Mahal and in Paris the EiffelTower. You don’t want to fool with that. WestEdmonton Mall is the focal point for Edmonton.But, in Alberta, we have five* of the 13 WorldHeritage Sites in Canada and that is a tremendousdraw for us… as is the fact that we have some ofthe best and earliest snow in the world.”

Alberta boasted 13 million person visits in 2004.Those visitors left $2.3 billion in our pockets. Wehosted some close neighbours too: 913 thousandSaskatchewan tourists left $231 million in theprovince during 2004, the last year for whichstatistics are available, and 1.3 million tourist visitscame from BC and left the province $373 millionricher. Alberta would appear to be a province for alltastes. Albertans like to travel too. Last year theytoured their home province and kept $42 million inthe economy. Travel Alberta is hoping to see thatrise to $48 million this year.

Looks like Edmonton will be a gold medal winnerlong before the Olympics come to Canada. ✔

*The Rocky Mountain Parks, Waterton Park, Head-Smashed-InBuffalo Jump, Wood Buffalo Park and the Drumheller Badlands

GREATER EDMONTON’S TOP ATTRACTIONS

West Edmonton Mall River Valley Parks

Jasper National Park Old StrathconaFort Edmonton

Elk Island National ParkMuttart Conservatory

Edmonton Folk Music FestivalFringe Theatre Festival

Edmonton Oilers and EskimosCanadian Finals Rodeo

West Edmonton MallPhoto courtesy of www.edmonton.com

Ken Fiske in Hall D.Photo by Terry Bourque

EDMONTONIANS MAY 20068

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he economic impact? Iwould say $10 million inthe Edmonton area… butthat doesn’t include meals

and individual purchases that can’tbe calculated,” beams Patti Tucker,Edmonton film commissioner. She’stalking about the filming of one-third of the The Assassination ofJesse James by the Coward RobertFord—henceforth referred to simplyas The Assassination of J. J.withapologies to Warner Bros.

Like many other sectors in Alberta,the province’s film industry isbooming. Throughout the past year,Alberta has been basking in the glowof worldwide media attentionbrought to the province by hostingsome of Hollywood’s biggest celebs,and by earning film nominations andawards faster than you can say,“Hank Williams First Nation”(filmed in Peace River, it received aGenie nomination).

The bounty of this success meansmillions of dollars in economic spin-offs, jobs for Albertans, rural econo-mic development and incalculablebenefits in tourism and investmentattraction for the province.

Estimates of the economic spinoff from last year’s film projectsrun around $176 million, includingtaxes paid to the government. Theindustry also provides work forroughly 3,000 Albertans.

When celebrities like Brad Pittand Angelina Jolie hit town theirpresence produces waves that ripplethroughout the city. The ripple is sogreat that people become star-gazing hyper. With Pitt here last fallfilming The Assassination of J. J.athistoric Fort Edmonton Park,paparazzi from all over the worldswooped down on the city like birdsin an Alfred Hitchcock movie—andprovided world coverage of eventshappening in Alberta.

Publications from every continentfeatured stories and photographs ofPitt and Jolie—in the springtime oftheir romance—checking out thedinosaurs at Drumheller’s RoyalTyrrell Museum, shopping at WestEdmonton Mall and eating pie inCochrane. Alberta was alsomentioned on a number of networkTV stations such as Fox News, CNNand ABC and in major magazinessuch as Peopleand Time. That kindof publicity is priceless.

Simon Hudson, author of FilmTourism: A Destination MarketingOpportunity for Alberta, has studiedthe link between tourism and film,“There is no doubt that film-viewing influences traveldecisions.” In his February 2005report, he cited a survey in the U.K.which found that eight out of 10Britons get their holiday destinationideas from films, and one in five

$10 Million P

“T“T

Lights… camera… action!In the past 10 years, Greater Edmonton’s credits as a location for films include:

TTBy Barb Deters

Patti TuckePhoto by Te

Brad Pitt as Jesse James

1 The Assassination of Jesse James—Warner Bros., 20052 For the Love of a Child—Lifetime, 20053 The Christmas Blessing—CBS Television, 20054 Waking Walter (Accent Entertainment) 2005 5 12 Days of Christmas Eve—USA Network, 2004 6 Selling Innocence—ImaGination Productions, 2004 7 Santa’s Slay—RATT Entertainment, 2004 8 Intern Academy—Minds Eye Pictures, 2004 9 100 Days in the Jungle—ImaGination Productions, 2003 10 Ginger Snaps-Prequel and Sequel—49th Parallel, 2003 11 Mentors—Family Channel, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 12 War Bride—Random Harvest Picture/DB Entertainment, 2000 13 The Edge—20th Century Fox, 1999 14 Snow Day—Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies, 1999 15 Jake and the Kid—Nelvana, 1996 - 1997

9EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

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will actually go to the locationwhere their favourite movie wasfilmed.

A Taiwanese travel company ismarketing trips to southern Alberta,where the Oscar award-winningmovie Brokeback Mountainwasfilmed.

Clint Dunford, the ministerresponsible for both the Alberta FilmCommission and Travel Alberta,expects the industry to grow. “Thecommercial success of Alberta’s filmand television projects has generatedsignificant interest in producingfilms in Alberta by both local andinternational producers. ...Beautifulscenery, long days, and award-winning crews make Alberta apopular filming location for produc-tions around the world, the Albertaindustry needs to be competitivewith other jurisdictions that also arebidding for the business.”

The industry has shown significantresurgence in recent years by producing53 motion pictures during the pastthree years. The number of commerc-ials, documentaries, television andlifestyle projects also has beengrowing. This resurgence is, in part,due to the financial incentivesAlberta uses to bring filmmakersthrough the door.

This is where the Alberta filmdevelopment program comes in. Itprovides funding assistance to film

and television projects shot andproduced in the province. On April1st, with funding increased by $1.4million to nearly $15 for the newfiscal year, the administration ofprogram moved from the communitydevelopment to economic develop-ment family, and brought AlbertaFilm and Travel Alberta under theministry’s umbrella. The program isnow managed by film fundingveteran Sandra Green. With themove, the department has adjustedfilm development guidelines toensure a return on investment fortaxpayers. To date, the investmenthas been sound with the provinceearning a return on its investment of$1.20 for every dollar invested.

Although they are under the sameroof, the Alberta film developmentprogram and Alberta Film aredistinct: The latter deals strictly withfunding issues, while the former isthe marketing arm of the province’sfilm business. Alberta Film promotesthe province’s amazing locations,helps filmmakers with locationinformation and scouting, and actsas a liaison with facilities, services,businesses and government.

Calgary and Edmonton also havetheir own regional filmcommissioners. Tucker’s counterpartin Calgary is Beth Thompson. Bothmarket their respective regions as

Pitt-stop in Edmonton

Continued on page 10

ker found the “blue cut”Terry Bourque

Bill Goldberg (7)Bill Goldberg (7)

Rebecca Gayheart (3)Rebecca Gayheart (3)

Rob Lowe (3)Rob Lowe (3)

Mimi Rogers (6)Mimi Rogers (6)

EDMONTONIANS MAY 200610

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viable film locations and do their best to keep crewsworking and the film industry’s infrastructure in place.Calgary’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains and thefoothills give that city and its production companies anedge over the Capital Region.

But Tucker is up for the challenge. She has just returnedfrom a locations’ fair in Los Angeles where she pitched thecity to producers, “Edmonton is poised for tremendousgrowth,” she says, “with the changes to the developmentprogram and the recent success of several productions,Edmonton has become a preferred destinationfor filming.” Late April saw the arrival ofthree location scouts to check what all wehave to offer.

“A good experience is our best salesman.Early publicity and the antics of the paparazzi[during the filming of The Assassination of J.J.] have already created a buzz aboutEdmonton and the Park… Did you know FortEdmonton is the largest reconstructedhistorical site in Canada? One of the crewsaid it ‘could have been designed by acinematographer’ because of the wide streetsand ample spaces between buildings thateasily accommodate lots of equipment andbooms.”

Tucker is understandably enthusiastic aboutFort Edmonton as a unique film location. Hergreatest coup was delivering the “blue cut”—acleared area rising up from the tracks. Thesite crew had scoured North America for sucha spot that would be where Jesse and the boyswould swoop down to rob the train. No luck.By chance, Tucker noticed a clearing justabove the tracks in the southwest quadrant ofthe Park. It was ideal.

“The producers were thrilled to have thetown, the 1895 streetscape, the train and theblue cut at a single site—that doesn’t happenoften,” according to Tucker.

Many of the logistics were stick-handled byDawn Linman, group sales coordinator at FortEdmonton, who served as on-site liaison forfilming and described by Tucker as an“unsung hero.” Linman is quick to point outthe legacy of the shoot, particularly the firstclass rail car which was completely retrofittedwith top-of-the-line period décor. As well,Warner Bros. covered any lost revenues thepark suffered during shut down for filming,and the cost of restoring and re-signingbuildings.

The Assassination of J. J.is scheduled for release inOctober. Whether it achieves the acclaim experienced byBrokeback Mountainis a question mark. In the interim,Brad and Angelina—accompanied by her two adoptedchildren, now Jolie-Pitts—have moved to Namibia toawait the birth of their child. Should it come to pass thatthe child was conceived during the Fort Edmontonsegment of the filming, Greater Edmonton will no doubthave to endure more publicity. Oh well…

Hey, we capitalize where and when we can—it’s goodfor business. ✔

Continued from page 9

Patti Tucker in the refurbished First Class CarPhoto by Terry Bourque

Mary Louise Parker (1)Mary Louise Parker (1)

Casey Affleck (1)Casey Affleck (1)

Molly Parker(12)Molly Parker(12)

Chevy Chase (14)Chevy Chase (14)

f you’ve got it, flaunt it. That’s kind of always been the mantra of Alberta. Now more

than ever, we’ve got it. Wealth, energy, stunning scenery, a well-educated populace, talented entertainers, world-class chefs, great

food, renowned beef, a rich heritage, spunk. And, we’ve got a man in Washington, DC, who knows how to

capitalize on opportunity. When the federal government declined aninvitation to be the featured region at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival,a Canadian Embassy rep asked Murray Smith if Alberta would beinterested. Dah, you think?

To put it in perspective, there are a few things you have tounderstand. First, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is billed as the “topevent in the U.S.” In its 40-year history, it has showcased more than100 nations and regions. It attracts more than one million visitorsannually to the free, 10-day outdoor event. It is staged along a fiveblock area on America’s National Mall, surrounded by the U.S. Capital,the Washington Mall and the Smithsonian national museum. It isexpected that international media coverage will reach another audienceof 50 million.

Secondly, no province has ever been featured at the Festival. This isan unprecedented opportunity for Alberta to display its diversity, beautyand opportunities to an international audience. More than 150 Albertamusicians, storytellers, cooks, craftspeople, occupational specialists andcultural experts will celebrate our unique culture. From June 30th toJuly 11th, events will highlight our indigenous traditions, rich pioneerand immigrant heritage and our thriving contemporary culture.Concerts and theatre performances will be held at venues throughoutWashington, including the Kennedy Centre and the Canadian Embassy:The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra will perform, and three EdmontonFringe plays will be presented at Washington’s new Capital FringeFestival (July 20th to 30th).

But Alberta at the Smithsonianisn’t all fun and entertainment—there’s a more serious side in the days preceding the Festival. AlbertaWeek in Washingtonwill target congressional representatives, senators,

cabinet members, trade reps, U.S. industries, media and think-tanks. Aseries of sector-specific economic forums will highlight informationand communications technology; Alberta’s potential as a safe andsecure supplier of energy; and agricultural interdependence. On June28th, the City of Edmonton will co-sponsor a gala celebration for 700guests at the National Building Museum. The Universities of Alberta,Calgary, Athabasca and Lethbridge, together with the Alberta Collegeof Art and the Banff Centre, will host an advanced education receptionto highlight collaborative programs. A legacy relationship will beestablished to connect Alberta teachers and students with Smithsonianstaff and resources.

The Smithsonian and the Government of Alberta are the primaryfunders of the $3.8 million project. Opportunities for privatepartnerships supporting aspects of the festival and associated events willhelp offset some of the costs. To date, sponsors include Enbridge, theRegional Issues Working Group (a consortium of oilsands players),Finning, CanolaInfo, City Lumber, Alberta Beef Producers, and theCities of Edmonton and Calgary. Any companies interested inpartnering should contact Drew Hutton, director of corporatepromotions for the Smithsonian project, at 422-1647 or e-mail drew.hutton@gov.ab.ca.

And if you had any doubts that Alberta would leave a lastingimpression on folks in the U.S. capital, picture this: A mammoth dumptruck with 12-foot tires—just like the ones used in Alberta’s oilsands—parked on the National Mall. How about that, eh? ✔

11EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

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There’s a secret buzzing all overGreater Edmonton that we can’t

wait to tell you about…

“ I was attending a special eventand had borrowed a straplessblack dress, but it was a little

snug,” remembers Nadine Jolson.“A friend suggested the wrap.”The mineral soaked bandages“felt kind of like a corset,” saysNadine. But it was worth it.“I rushed home to try on thedress and it was loose. I couldwear it and actually breathe.”

“You start by recording yourbefore measurements,” says LindaPerras of Suddenly Slimmer. “Wecheck jaw, neck, forearm, wrist,

bust, waist, abdomen, hips, upperthighs, lower thighs, calves and

ankles. Then comes thetreatment itself.”

1. The wrap. You are wrappedfirmly with elastic bandages

soaked in warm mineral solution. 2. Get your blood pumping.

Light physical activity revs upcirculation.

3. Remoisten. Every 20minutes, the mineral solutionis applied. After 60 minutes,

the wraps come off.

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Alberta at the SmithsonianAlberta at the Smithsonian

IIBy Barb DetersBy Barb Deters

Photo supplied by Finning

America’sNational Mall

EDMONTONIANS MAY 200612

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Imagine walking along the banks ofthe North Saskatchewan River. But insteadof listening to the sound of water ripplingby, all you hear is the squishing of yourboots stepping through mud.

Fiction? No, historical fact. Says waterscientist Dr. Bill Donahue, “In the mid tolate 1800s, there wasn’t enough water in theNorth Saskatchewan River to float a canoeaccording to some of the diaries that camefrom that period.”

And judging from the study that Bill andhis colleague Dr. David Schindler havejust published in the journal Proceedings ofNational Academy of Sciences, that scenariois being repeated in our own time. SaysDavid, “If you listen to some of my friendsin Saskatchewan who canoe or kayak,they’re complaining about having to dragtheir canoes where once there was lots ofwater.”

David Schindler, of course, is the worldrenowned water ecologist who calls theUniversity of Alberta home. He’s thescientist behind the removal of phosphatesfrom detergents. Among the many, manyawards that recognize his brilliance as ascientist are the Stockholm Water Prize andCanada’s Gerhardt Hertzberg Gold Medalfrom the Natural Sciences and EngineeringResearch Council. He is a fellow in both theRoyal Society and the Royal Society ofCanada. In April, he traveled to BeverlyHills where he was presented with the$200,000 Tyler Prize for EnvironmentalAchievement.(http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/tylerprize)

So when someone of David’s repute saysthe prairies are drying up, the world sits upand takes notice. On the day their paper waspublished, David had already slipped ineight telephone interviews before 9 AM,and there were more reporters lined up torecord him.

Bill did his PhD work under David’s

supervision at the U of A, then went on todo post-doctoral research with AlbertaEnvironment. He now calls himself anindependent scientist, working through hiscompany Freshwater Research Ltd.And he’s studying law. Observes Bill,“When it comes to environmentaldecisions,unfortunately they’re not basedon science. They’re decided by the courts.”

It was Bill’s initial research on decliningwater levels in Muriel Lake near Bonnyvillethat evolved into the broadscale analysis of

what’s happening with water across thewest. Ultimately, the paper Bill and Davidco-authored outlines the shocking decline inthe amount of water flowing in our westernrivers over the last century—drops of 20 to85 percent depending on the watershed.

Says David, “Having seen that, westarted to look for causes: things likechanging climate, warmer temperaturescausing higher evaporation, declines insnow packs, declining glacial flows becauseof glacial melt. There are also the humanfactors: withdrawing water and changes towatersheds by bulldozing and filling inwetlands and removing riparian streambankareas. Using climate models as a basis forwhat we see happening with warming,population growth and industrial growth,it’s not a very pretty picture.”

What makes the situation even worse isthat these factors are exacerbating a naturalcycle of drought on the prairies. Theanalysis of tree rings and the deposits ofalgae in lake sediments indicate that the

prairies have experienced a cycle of longdroughts every century over the last twothousand years.

“We’ve had droughts that lasted 30 to 40years or more and, sometimes, there havebeen two or three droughts in a century,”explains David. “Even the drought of theDirty Thirties is puny by comparison.”

It turns out the explorer Captain JohnPalliser,who declared the triangle of landin southern Alberta that’s named after himas too dry for agriculture, arrived at the endof a 40-year drought in the mid-1800s. Howironic that the settlement and industrialdevelopment that followed his expeditiontook place during one of the wettest periodsin the history of the prairies.

Continues David, “I think the chance ofgetting two centuries in a row that areunusually wet is slim. So we know that, if itis as dry as Palliser saw, with the abundanceof people and agriculture and industry thatwe have now, even without climatewarming and glacial melt, we’d have apretty tough time on our hands.”

What makes David and Bill’s analysisdifferent from previous studies is that theyhave looked at the flow of water duringsummer, which holds much more meaningthan averaged annual flows. As Davidpoints out, “Annual flows are notrepresentative of the crisis we’re in becauseour big water demand, especially forsouthern rivers, is in the summer when theirrigators want the water… when the lawnand garden people in the cities want thewater… and when we need water for thecoldwater fisheries like the Bow and theOldman.”

Bill warns that this drying of the prairieshas many social and economic implicationswhich we cannot afford to ignore. “Oil andgas development—especially heavy oil andoilsands—and things like agriculture arehighly water intensive. We assume thefundamental things these industries rely on,such as water, will just continue. However,the supply is going down and the demand is

going up. The question is, how much arewe willing to sacrifice to continue to fuelsome of these industries with water?”

Without the setting of priorities, conflictis inevitable. “Conflicts are going to arisebetween different water users within theprovince as well as inter-jurisdictional,”suggests Bill. “So between provinces—between Alberta, and Saskatchewan,Manitoba and the Northwest Territories—there will be conflicts with Aboriginalgroups who rely on things like the Peace-Athabasca Delta for their livelihood. And ifwe return to the mega droughts this part ofthe world has experienced in the last 2,000years, politically they need to start makingthose decisions in terms of a long termplan.”

David’s prescription for a fix, if one ispossible, is three-pronged, starting with theconservation of watersheds. “Driving acrossAlberta, everyday I see the bulldozing offorests and wetlands to turn them into sitesfor new big box stores or new feedlots andother agricultural and industrial activities.Most people don’t realize those are keyfeatures that we need to recharge ourgroundwater aquifers and to clean the waterbefore it seeps into lakes and rivers.”

With Alberta’s population poised todouble by 2030, we need to reassess wherepeople live. “Instead of letting the bigpopulation explosion hit dry southernAlberta, we could offer incentives to getpeople and industry to move where thewater is in the north, rather than lettingthem settle at random where they want toand then worrying about expensivediversions to get water to them.”

Serious water conservation is David’sthird call to action. “We still use more waterthan European countries by a factor of atleast two and in some cases four. We couldalso do a lot to choose industries andagricultural crops that don’t require as muchwater.”

It’s something to not just think about, butto act on, the next time you leave the taprunning while you peel potatoes or set thesprinkler out to water the lawn. Thecumulative actions of each of us go a longway toward preserving or undermining ourlong term sustainability. It’s your choice.Just remember, history shows we’re longoverdue for a catastrophic drought. ✔

Cheryl Croucher is anEdmonton broadcastjournalist and host ofInnovation Alberta. You canhear the program onCKUA Radio Tuesdays at8pm or download it when

you visit www.innovationalberta.com.E-mail ccroucher@edmontonians.com

Science&Tech

INTELINTELBizBiz

Every consultant, support technician andprogrammer directly involved in the hi-tech industry has aset of tips, tricks, shortcuts and cute applications they useon a day to day basis.

In fact, one of the best ways to be more productive is tobelong to as many user groups and attend as many eventsas possible. I can’t tell you how many great ideas I’vepicked up at places like Sun’s JavaOne, Microsoft’s Tech-Ed, or Interop in Las Vegas.

If any of these shows is on your 2006 calendar, makesure you get good value by participating in as manysessions as possible. Show up early, stay late and attend theparties, too. You will be amazed at the tips you pick upsimply by being involved in informal discussions withfellow attendees… especially when you can share ideasover a refreshing, adult beverage.

For example, who doesn’t use Google? If you have atechnical question, most people simply key in the phraseand search the entire web. However, changing yourselection to Groups at the top means you will search theUser Groups that generally contain e-mail threads on theexact tech support issue you are looking for. In other words,it searches the technical locations where the answer to yourquery is more likely to be found. Google is addictive—themore you use it, the more you depend on it.

And, who doesn’t use Microsoft Outlook?Do you know where your Outlook file is stored? First, do

a Search and locate it, making sure you select the advanced

option of including Hidden Files in your search. Normallycalled outlook.pst, it is located in a very hard-to-find placeif you are a single user and/or not using MicrosoftExchange Server. Anyway, your life would probably beover if you lost your e-mail contacts, rules, e-mails andcalendar.

So if your PST file is not stored on the corporate fileserver (which should be backed up daily) are you making abackup? If not, the best tool to use is the Microsoft Outlookpersonal folders backup program available as freedownload from www. microsoft.com. Designed for use inOutlook 2000, just download the application, install it andback up your entire PST file easily and quickly to anotherlocation—such as another folder; a shared folder on anotherPC, a removable USB drive, or right to your desktop whereyou can then burn it to a CD.

The best part about the tool is how it attaches to yourOutlook menu and prompts you for regular backups. Evenif you are using Exchange Server and the system is backedup at night, I advise making a backup of Outlook anyway.

Speaking of backup, are you using the built in backuptool that ships with Windows XP Pro? Check theaccessories folder on your start menu and try it out. Forexample, a home user can easily back up the data only to afolder on a hard drive, then burn to CD or move it toanother PC or laptop. For the few bucks it takes to do that,it is well worth it. Remember: Backup only data to saveroom. You can usually reinstall all the applications from CDor DVD.

Have you ever attended a meeting and somebodyhanded you a sheet of paper covered mostly with numbers?I don’t know about you, but my eyes glaze over. Sure, giveout the numbers but also provide a simple bar or pie chartgraph. With Microsoft Excel, graph creation is easy. Itsurprises me how many accountants fail to do this and stillexpect everybody to get their point.

Speaking of graphs and visual explanations, spend about$10 and download DiskPie Profrom PC Magazine.

This application does a far better job of showing you justwhat is occupying disk space on your hard drive. Forexample, it will display how much room those MP3s takeup, and how huge your Outlook PST file has grown… notto mention all those dumb video jokes Cuzin’Vern has sentyou since 1998.

DiskPie Pro also assists you in cleaning up your drive—you can delete the files from the interface—and it monitorsusage, too. It can also be set to notify you if a file type (eg:your daughter’s pirated movie downloads) exceeds aspecified limit. Handles networked drives too (eg: yourdaughter’s PC).

Even if you think your act doesn’t need cleaning up, yourhard drive probably does. ✔

Gregory B. Michetti of the Alberta-basedsystems integration firm MichettiInformation Solutions, Inc. can bereached viawww.michetti.com or e-mail IT101@edmontonians.com

BizIT 101

David Schindler and Bill Donahue

13EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

Proof_2____PROOFED BY:_______________________________________________CHANGES MADE:__________________________DATE:_________________

Alberta continues to dominateheadlines and airwaves across Canada,thus providing a field day for editorialwriters, cartoonists, columnists and openline hosts.

We’ve garnered front page treatmentin the past because of sporting achieve-ments, and our natural wealth which hasenabled Alberta to become debt free,have billions in our treasury, plus aneconomy and standard of living thatincreasingly attract more Canadians andimmigrants to move here.

Another newsworthy event from thepast occurred when Ralph Klein, whohad just turned 50, was sworn in asAlberta’s 12th premier on December14th, 1992. Ironically—and you canmark it down—Thursday, December14, 2006will be the exact date he steps

down as premier: 14 years to the dayfrom when he came to power and ledhis party to four consecutive electionvictories.

Klein, like all of us, has shortcomings.He’s never denied it. But his achieve-ments and contributions did not warrantthe shoddy treatment accorded him atthe Progressive Conservative AGM.Following that convention, The Globeand Mail’s Jeffrey Simpsonbluntlystated that Klein’s “bozo style” ill-suitedAlberta. It could also be said that the“bozo style” of some PC delegates andconvention organizers also ill-suitedtheir party.

Would Social Credit followers havemade a mockery of the resignations offormer Premiers William Aberhart,Ernest Manning or Harry Strom ?Would former PC members havederided the performances of PremiersPeter Lougheed or Don Getty? Dittofor the Liberals and NDP and their

respective leaders over the years. Thecollective answers, of course, are aresounding no!

In the federal, provincial and civicelections I’ve covered in five provinces,I’ve never witnessed a more despicableevent than occurred at the AGM…bringing Premier Klein and his wifeColleen to a tearful public departurefrom the political stage.

Regardless of your politics, let usensure this sad political spectacle neveroccurs again. But how do we achievethat, Professor Hogle? Delighted youasked.

First: Before Ralph Klein leavesoffice, let’s enact the necessarylegislation, starting in 2007, to havefixed-term Alberta elections every fouryears. That’s what B.C. PremierGordon Campbell promised when firstelected to power five years ago, and hedelivered that May 17th, 2005,becoming the first province to depart

from the standard British parliamentaryprocedure. Fickle B.C. residentsobviously liked this change as Campbellbecame the first B.C. premier to win asecond term in 22 years.

Secondly: Let’s initiate legislation tolimit the terms of all future Albertapremiers to a maximum 12 years, orthree terms of four years each. Thiswould ensure both an ongoingcultivation of fresh new visionaryleadership blood, and assure no furtherdebacles as occurred in Calgary.

I trust all those aspiring to becomeAlberta premier in 2007 would stronglyendorse these proposals—not just forthe benefit of PC party members, but forall Albertans. ✔

Bruce Hogle is theformer news director atCFRN TV and recentlyretired head of theAlberta Press Council.

Media Minutewith Bruce Hogle

In case anyone hasn’t heard aboutit yet, a new initiative undertaken andfunded by the Edmonton EconomicDevelopment Corporationappears tobe an early success. It takes the formof an interactive website: www.connect2edmonton.ca, a new virtualforum for the worldwide C2Ecommunity. Essentially, C2E is aninnovative and interactive onlinecommunity that encourages discussionand collaboration on any Edmonton-themed subject. As noted, it wasconceived by EEDC, with promot-ional support from EdmontonAirports , the Edmonton Chamber ofCommerceand the City ofEdmonton. It is anautonomous, non-political,member-led organizationsupported by a growing groupof pro-Edmonton volunteersand representatives frompartner organizations.

“C2E was initiated in partialresponse to the never-endingglobal challenge of promoting(and sometimes defending) theimage and reputation ofAlberta’s capital region,” saysAllan Scott, president andCEO of EEDC. “I congratulateall C2E volunteers and allpartner organizations forbelieving Edmonton deserves aglobal forum for intelligent,moderated discussion aboutnew ideas to shape Edmonton’sfuture and, in the process,empowering a new generationof emerging leaders.”

C2E really does connectEdmontonians worldwide, andfrom my visits to the site, I cansay that just about everyparticipant cares passionatelyabout Edmonton—what it is,where it’s going, and what itcan become.

I understand that more than100 people from around theworld—in countries includingSweden, Japan, Russia and the UnitedStates—are talking online about thisgeographic region. It’s a good way toreach the international businesscommunity.

Of course, the site is only as goodas the quality of its participants’comments, and it needs to maintain itscurrency if it is to be effective. But sofar… so good. Through the variousforums, I’ve discovered things aboutEdmonton that I didn’t know (and Iconsider myself a trivia fanatic whenit comes to this city). Joining isrelatively easy—just go to the site andfollow the directions. It’s an engagingway to find out what is happening in

Edmonton and to express your views.You’ll be surprised to find just howmany others share them.

So perhaps the naysayers—andthere have been many—were wrong. TheCity says that its renovated central urbanplaza, Sir Winston Churchill Square,attracted more than 1.2 million visitorsduring 46 different events held over 147days in 2005, a major increase in allthose categories over the summer of2003, the last time the Square was open.“It’s been magnificent to witness theenthusiasm and excitement that buildsevery time something happens inChurchill Square,” said Mayor StephenMandel. “It may have taken us a whileto appreciate the difference between a

city square and city park, but it’s clearthat Edmontonians are embracing thenew Churchill Square as theplace to befor an event in our city.”

According to the City, ChurchillSquare recorded increases in use in justabout every category compared to 2003;including a 700 percent increase inbookings; a 400 percent increase in daysof use; a 50 percent increase inattendance to a total of 1,262,181people; an increase of 23 percent inattendance at summer festivals—thehighest level ever; with 37 new eventsnever previously held in the Square.Event programming totaled 147 days;and user groups gave the venue the

highest satisfaction rating ever.More than two years ago, I wrote in a

column that we really need to give therevamped Churchill Square a chance…that most people were condemning iteven before it was finished and could be“broken in.” I’ve seen for myself howsimilar squares in other, notablyEuropean, cities become magnets forhuman activity, and I have no reason todoubt that Churchill Square can and willdo the same here, sooner than later. Thisspring, the Square will feature additionalenhancements including large colourfulumbrellas, more flower towers, bannersand picnic tables. The InterpretiveCentre in the southwest corner is alsobeing used for community displays andevents.

Now I’d like to see space for a year-round wine bar and perhaps anotherrestaurant, but maybe those, in time, willcome too. Another development will contributeto the vitality of Churchill Square, whenand if it actually comes about is theDowntown East Project, a majorinitiative to rejuvenate and rebuild thearea east of 97th Street and north of theriver… an area that was the historicheart of the city but which over the yearsdeteriorated into a hodge-podge of slumsand hotels, vacant lots, pawn shops,taverns, sex shops and the like. Not allof the area is decrepit, of course;numerous developments—most notably

involving the city’s Chinesepopulation—have rejuvenated pockets ofthe area.

But the Downtown East Project isintended to coordinate a significantrenewal of this entire area, emphasizingcommunity, history, quality of life anddiversity, and connection to the rivervalley, among other things. A variety ofoptions are being examined, and wouldinclude high-, medium- and low-densityhousing in different configurations,along with parks, shops and services,depending on which of five planningoptions or combination of options isfinally selected. The options, along withbackground information and the resultsof public consultations, can be found atwww.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt. Click

on the Downtown East Project,listed under Current Issues andInitiatives. It’s worth a seriouslook.

The ultimate success of theDowntown East Project is criticalto Edmonton’s future well-beingand image. While many prioritiesface the city for improving itsimage to the outside world, areinvigorated downtown eastwould have immediate appeal toresident and visitor alike. Alongwith the Central McDougallrenewal plan, it will help bringmore people downtownpermanently, infusing the core—and such places as Sir WinstonChurchill Square—with newbusinesses, services and, mostimportant of all, vitality. Themomentum is strong; let’s not letit slip away.

Positive reaction to lastmonth’s article about the highstanding achieved by theUniversity of Alberta School ofBusiness’ MBA Program in theprestigious Financial Times ofLondon annual ranking. CraigO’Connor , director of placementand recruitment for the program,tells me that “many employers inEdmonton are not aware of thetalented students we have

available for summer work or full-timework. For example,” he pointed out,“roughly 40 percent of our students areinternational and speak severallanguages—they could potentiallyhelp Edmonton companies tap foreignmarkets.”

Another untapped source of talent forEdmonton and area employers to checkout. Craig can be contacted at coconnor@ualberta.ca. ✔

David Norwood is afreelance writer/editor. Contactdnorwood@edmontonians.com

Civic Buzz

EDMONTONIANS MAY 200614

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he current commodities boom is a politicalDr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. For resourcerich democracies like Canada and Australia,it gives their income hungry governments

the political luxury of simultaneously paying downdebt and increasing expenditures on much neededprograms like health care, infrastructure and education.In a “rob Peter to pay Paul” world, there is normally atug of war that finds social expenditure and fiscalresponsibility at opposite ends of the rope. Royaltyincome, especially off exploding oil and gas sales, hasgiven many resource-based western governments theability to appease both the conservative right and themore socially motivated left at the same time. This is arare event. The last time a Canadiangovernment could be all things to all peoplewas during the previous great commoditiesbonanza that ended over a quarter centuryago.

The Mr. Hyde part of the commoditiesstory is the profound affect that billions ofdollars worth of oil revenue has had on thepolitical fortunes of many of the world’smost notorious governing regimes. In 1998when crude was hovering around $10 U.S.per barrel, most tin pot dictators had lots ofrhetoric, but were basically impotentbecause they lacked the financial firepowerto back it up. That has all changed. Theweird and wacky now have huge piles ofpetrodollars. This gives them the politicalleverage to be able to force themselves andtheir bizarre views onto the rest of us.

Key power brokers on the world stage areincreasingly popping up from the loony endof the spectrum. An overview of the currentglobal political landscape is enough to giveeven the most optimistic cause for concern.In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez is threatening tonationalize his country’s oil industry and cutoff petroleum sales to the United States. Heis using his oil riches to politically meddlein the affairs of many of his SouthAmerican neighbors. What he has to offeranyone, besides money, is baffling. He hasruined Venezuela’s domestic economy, leftthe majority of its citizens in abject povertyand lined his own pockets. Venezuela has the seventhlargest oil reserves and the ninth largest production at2.9 million barrels of oil per day.

Iran is another country that is sticking up its middlefinger in defiance to the rest of the world. Currentlythey are being threatened with a trade embargo bywestern nations for pushing forward with plans todevelop a nuclear reactor and weapons of massdestruction. Besides expanding nuclear capability, Iranhas purchased submarines, launched spy satellites, andhas built long-range missile systems.

Where all this could lead is not fully appreciated bythe general public. In 1981, Israeli fighter planesflattened Iraq’s Osirak nuclear research facility nearBaghdad. Israel’s military establishment wasn’tprepared to let nuclear technology fall into the hands ofpeople who had openly threatened them. Today, Iran is

calling on Arab nations to once again unite in theirefforts to drive Israel into the sea. The question is, willIsrael stand by and watch Iran develop weapons thatthey perceive will be used against them? Unless theUnited Nations can keep Iran’s nuclear genie in thebottle, bets are that Israel will take the matter into theirown hands. Iran has the world’s third biggest oilreserves at 125.8 billion barrels and is the fourthbiggest producer at 4.09 million barrels per day.

Most of us have forgotten the tribal strife in Biafrathat resulted in millions of people losing their lives.They lost a brutal civil war trying to achieveindependence from Nigeria back in the 1960’s. Well,unrest has once again raised its ugly head. Tribes in the

oil rich delta have watched passively for decades astheir wealth was literally sucked out from under theirfeet. No jobs were created. No money was recycledback into the region. It went to a corrupt few and theirbig bank accounts in Switzerland and Grand Cayman.With an average income of only a little over $200 peryear, the people have grown angry and frustrated bythe needless grinding poverty. They want their fairshare of the wealth being created and are more thanwilling to fight for it. Most westerners couldn’t findNigeria on a map, but by the end of 2006 that is likelyto change. Insurgents have said they will blow upNigeria’s energy infrastructure and reduce thatcountry’s exports to a trickle if their demands aren’tmet. Nigeria has the tenth largest reserves in the worldand is the twelfth largest producer at 2.51 millionbarrels per day.

Iraq, with 115 billion barrels of oil, has the world’sfourth largest reserves. Even with its infrastructuredevastated by the last war, it can still produce over twomillion barrels of oil per day. America thought thatthey could bring peace and democracy to the region.What is more likely to be their legacy is an occupiedcountry shattered by civil war. Iraq was a nation thatnever should have been; it was a figment of Britishimagination. The Kurds, Sunni and Shi’ia were onlyheld together by the sheer strength and brutality ofSaddam Hussein. Now that the police state has ended,a millennium of outstanding grudges is being released.It is not a matter of if, but only when, a bloody civilwar will allow these three distinct cultures to divide

into their own independent nations.Venezuela, Iran, Iraq and Nigeria

represent 352 billion barrels of provenoil reserves. Combined they pumpabout 11.49 million barrels per day(bpd) or about 14 percent of the world’stotal production of 83 million bpd. Noone can predict whether one or all fourof these countries will politicallyimplode tomorrow, but even if only oneof them should cut production of oil fora short period of time, it would likelycause oil prices to explode.

Currently, global oil consumption isabout 82 million bpd. Production isrunning a scant million barrels per dayabove that figure. This makes thesupply-demand balance extremely tight.The system has no elasticity to increaseinventory as everyone is pumping flatout. Given that depletion rates averageabout 15 percent per year, the worldhas to find an additional 12.45 millionbarrels of production each day just tostay even. With a situation thisprecarious, it is no wonder oil has runup in price by 20 percent in the lastyear alone.

It is very tempting to take profits onenergy stocks right now. They were thebest performing sector on the TSX in2005 and, being cyclical stocks,experience says that those kind of

spectacular gains won’t last forever. A year’s worth ofprofits can be erased in a couple of days when energyprices start to fall seriously.

Prudence, on the other hand, dictates that investorsshouldn’t sell all of their energy holdings. If one ofthese troubled oil giants’ starts to politically unravel,oil’s next move up could make that of the last threeyears look pretty small. ✔

Ron Hiebert, a director atScotiaMcLeod, teaches investmentclasses at Grant MacEwan College.The author of Wealth Buildingcan beheard weekdays at 7:34 am, onCFCWradio (790 AM). Contact himat 780.497.3215 or

Oil stocks as a political hedgeTT

MAKINGmoney

By Ron Hiebert

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15EDMONTONIANS MAY 2006

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ust as the Edmonton Oilers NHL playoffs weregetting underway, Mayor Stephen andLynnMandel boarded a Westjet flight to Toronto,fronting an eight person delegation from the cityof Edmonton and EEDC.

The group included CEO Allan Scott, Lynn Wyton,Jackie Frazierand Edmonton Tourism’s Bob Dunhamfrom EEDC; plus Patricia Misutka , the Mayor’s chief ofstaff; and Matthew Wispinski from communications, Cityof Edmonton. The collective goal was to create awarenessof the dynamism of Edmonton and to dispel any negativeperceptions Torontonians might have of the city.

With a number of major events, client meetings and atrade media tour, I estimate more than 500 people interactedwith the Mayor and members of the delegation over the

course of the four-day tour. Ideally, those 500 will each tellthree people who will tell three people—well, you knowhow that works.

In addition, Mayor Mandel talked with editors from theGlobe and Mail, Toronto Star, Report on Business andtheNational Post. Based on the positive interviews, there is thepotential for national coverage to reach thousands morewith the message that we are growing, booming andEdmonton’s economy is worth attention.

The message was consistent at all events: Edmonton is athriving metropolis, moving upward on the national scene.

One of the major events was the Mayor’s keynoteaddress to The Economic Club of Toronto at theNationalClub. Among those in attendance were executives andrepresentatives from Hewlett Packard, MoreauRosenberg Consultants, CV Technologies, the Ontario

Government, the University of Toronto and thePowerWithin (which, by the way, is about to announce its firstseries in Edmonton this summer).

Friday evening, the entire Edmonton contingent workedthe crowd at Get Down E-Town,held this year at theOriginal Motorcycle . This was the second annual GetDown E-Town event that Silver Lininghas thrown to promote Edmonton,unite ex-pats and bring awareness toour hometown. Among the manycheering Oilers’ fans were ex-patsMichelle Jones, now at Sportsnet;Claire Martin , who left GlobalEdmonton for the CBC; SumitVarshneywith IBM ; and Alex Fung

from the BostonConsultingGroup ofCanada. Wewere also joinedby GilesGhersonwho isnow the editor-in-chief at theToronto Starbutformerly heldthat position atthe Edmonton Journal.

The following evening, hosted aprivate dinner at Toronto’s Georgerestaurant. The Mandels and teamhob-nobbed with a diverse group—who probably left the room wonderinghow they can get some business goingin Edmonton. Jane Hutcheson, a VP

of TD Bank, told me that she was “impressed” with theMandels and considered it an honour to have been invited.Allan Scott charmed Deanne Taentzerfrom Microsoft, andshe made a point of telling me she was going into the officeon Monday to figure out what business could be broughtinto Edmonton. Frances McKinnon, a producer from theDiscovery Channelspent quite a bit of time chatting withLynn Wyton about different Edmonton story ideas shecould pitch. Mike Grand , opening the first day tradingoffice in Edmonton on May 8th was there… as was RuthBastedo, president of Women Entrepreneurs of Canada,which launches its Western Canada branch in Edmonton onMay 11th. Cam Heaps, president of Steam WhistleBreweries, left the room trying to figure out ways to get hissales rep in Calgary to spend more time in Edmonton. All inall, a successful night.

The formal agenda closed after Mayor Mandel hadbreakfast with Toronto Mayor David Miller. That done, itwas off to the Rogers’ Centre to watch the Blue Jays playthe Boston Red Sox. This event, hosted by the City ofEdmonton, EEDC and the Edmonton Journal, broughttogether clients and associates in Toronto for a fun

afternoon at the ball park. That said, if you asked MayorMandel what the baseball score was, he might not be ableto answer. In the large executive suite, you could find atleast 20 loyal fans crammed in front of a tiny TV, trying tocatch replays and counting down the last 10 minutes of thegame—the Oilers hockey game, not the Blue Jays game.You can take the Edmontonians out of Edmonton… butyou can’t take the Edmonton out of Edmontonians.

Every person that heard about Edmonton this weekend ortalked with any of the representatives from the City orEEDC had promising things to say about wanting todevelop stronger ties with Edmonton.

I think you will see continued momentum and moreEdmontonians inside Toronto before you know it. ✔

Do you have a Toronto question? Contact:carissa@edmontonians.com

Carissa Reiniger is the founder and president of SilverLining Ltd—silverlining.ws—which helps small businessesidentify business development plans and then usescommunication strategies to ensure they reach their goals.She splits her time flying between the Silver Lining offices inToronto and Edmonton.

JJ

InsideToronto

InsideToronto

with Carissa Reiniger

Mayor Mandel at the podium

Mayor Mandel talksto a reporter fromthe Globe and Mail

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EDMONTONIANS MAY 200616

SELLING?What & When To Tell Your Employees

Many of our clients agonize about how muchinformation to give their employees when they areconsidering selling their company. If they saynothing, they feel guilty because they don’t want tobe perceived as operating behind their employees’backs or as being secretive. Often employees haveworked side-by-side with the owners through thegood times and the bad. Some are consideredfriends whose lives will be altered by a change ofownership.

On the other hand, if an owner prematurelyannounces, MY COMPANY IS FOR SALE, whathappens to productivity? Will employees startlooking for other jobs? What will customers think?How will competitors use this information? Cananything positive come out of such a disclosure?The short answer is no.

Any guilt you may spare yourself in regard toemployees could give way to outright terror if yourcustomers start defecting to competitors. Whywould customers leave? Once the word is out,rumours will abound! Things like you are in financialtrouble, are going out of business, have lost or arelosing your key employees, have missed payments atthe bank, etc.

Meanwhile productivity may decline; employeesstart focusing on themselves and their future, notthe business at hand. Change is difficult to accept.For every employee that perceives change as anopportunity, there are 20 who will call their spouseto cancel the vacation and put the new car/housepurchase on hold.

In most cases the less you say until you havesomething definite to say, the better. It onlyincreases employee anxiety and speculation. Onceyou have a firm offer, work with the purchaser toannounce the forthcoming changes in a positiveway. The buyer should be bringing financial security,new markets, economies of scale, increasedopportunities for advancement, improved employeebenefits and more to the table.

Most purchasers offer employment contracts tokey employees, which goes a long way in alleviatingemployee concerns. You can protect some of youremployees by ensuring they are offered one or twoyear contracts as part of the offer to purchase. Itwould also be beneficial to have a senior employee“champion” the change in ownership. Thetransition will undoubtedly be much smoother if theemployees can rally around someone they trust whowill still be there, protecting their interests, after thesale has closed.

Fear of the unknown can paralyze an organization.Knowing when to involve your employees is key to asuccessful sale and transition of ownership. If youneed help with your timing call 780.448.9099 or e-mail me at skent@foundationgroup.ca.

Stephen W. Kent, CA(780) 448-9099

ACQUISITIONS, DIVESTITURES & CORPORATE FINANCE