Alberta Surface Rights Federation

Alberta Surface Rights Newsletter - March, 2007

Warburg - Pembina Newsletter. Click here to access PDF.

The 2008 Alberta Surface Rights Federation Board of Directors is now in place. Click here to access PDF.

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NOTICE! NOTICE! - CALL FOR AN ELECTION

Please find attached agenda for Annual Meeting of Alberta Surface Rights Federation in Camrose February 25.

You may notice that in spite of repeated requests for an ELECTION OF DIRECTORS, the secretary has failed to include this in the agenda he has circulated.

The By-Laws of Alberta Surface Rights Federation state:
“The business and activities of the Federation shall be conducted by a Board of Directors duly elected by the delegates”.

The by-laws further state:
“Membership in the Federation shall be open only to groups of persons whether incorporated or not, formed for the purpose, inter alia, of discussing, negotiating and concluding surface rights agreements with non-agricultural users of land.”…
…”Any organization in the Province of Alberta may apply for membership by submitting to the Board of Directors of the Federation, an application for membership in the Federation and a resume outlining:

The name of the organization
It’s mailing address
Its date of establishment
It’s date of incorporation (if applicable)
A copy of its objectives and constitution
The names and address of it’s current officers
A current membership list
It’s current membership fees.”

Each paid up member group is entitled to 2 voting delegates. Only delegates of paid up groups may move motions or vote. Individuals may speak but do not have a vote.

Current membership is:
From: bernievt@hotmail.com
To: pinelakegroup@hotmail.com

Subject: Alberta Surface Rights Federation Membership
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:23:16 -0700

Hello.
1) the membership cost is voluntary, usually around $100.00 to $200.00
2) Make the check to the Alberta Surface Rights Federation, Mailed to Bernie von Tettenborn, Box 1001 Round Hill AB, T0B 3Z0
3) There is no facility for individual membership. People come as representatives of their organization and then there is a fee for that day's meeting to cover room and meal costs, as many as want to come are welcome. Thanks Bernie

It is vital that every Surface Rights/ Land Owner group in Alberta update their membership or join the Federation, and send two delegates to this Annual general meeting of The Alberta Surface Rights Federation, to be held at Norseman Inn, in Camrose on February 25.

DEMOCRACY NEEDS TO PREVAIL – WE NEED TO RE ENERGIZE AND DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH THE LAND USE ISSUES FACING RURAL ALBERTA.

Please circulate this message to the relevant groups in Alberta.
Regards
Warren Brower, Border Surface Rights Association
Don Bester, Pine Lake Surface Rights Group
Perry Nelson, Surface Rights Society #52

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Alberta Surface Rights Federation Annual Meeting

When: Monday February 25, 2008
Where: Norsemen Inn, 6505-48 Ave., Camrose, AB., (West end).

All Acreage and Landowners and Interested Persons welcome

9:00 am: Registration (payment at door)

$25.00, includes Dinner and Coffee. We would like to know how many would be attending for dinner, if possible.
(Please let Tony, Brent or Tom know if attending)
Please, do not let this stop you from attending at the last minute.

9:30 am: Opening of Meeting. Minutes, Treasurers Report, Appointment of Reviewer

10:00 am - Resolutions

Appointment of resolution committee and Chairperson.
Reading of resolutions presented by ASRF board.

10:30 am – Coffee.

10:45 am

Landagents Advisory Committee Report - Bernie von Tettenborn

Committee Reports
Land Agents Warren Brower: Bill 31
Perry Nelson & Darcy Wills: Surface Rights
Ron Steinke: Organic Farming
Fracing- Don Bester

11:30 am – Larry & Barbara Graff - Their experiences on H2S.

12:00 pm - Dinner

1:00 pm – Acceptance of resolutions ( that are prepared )

1:30 pm

Guest Speaker: Dr. Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D., University of Southern California.
Introduced by Andrew Nikiforuk, (writer of the book, “Saboteurs” ).

On H2S, Sour Gas- Prolonged & long term exposure to minute amounts of H2S that has a detrimental effect on health by his research done by Neuro-Test Inc. at Pasadena, California

3:00 pm - Resolutions:

4:00 pm - New Business: By-laws of the ASRF??

For more information call;
President, Tony Nichols – Phone 403-882-2343
Executive Secretary, Tom Nahirniak- Ph/fax 780-672-6021
Assistant Executive Secretary, Brent Mailer- Ph-403-876-2132: Fax 876-2820

WANTED: For our Web Site and/or Display Board.

Photo’s of your wellsites or pipeline (WRECKS) including salt & oil spills.

The Norsemen Hotel, Please phone ahead if possible for room reservation and for a special rate of $89.00 + tax = $97.90
( please ask for surface rights rooms)

Phone-780-672-9171, or toll free 1-877-477-9171 or Fax –780-672-0130

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Pipeline Update Newsletter - December, 2007

Saskatchewan Association of Pipeline Landowners Inc.
2007 Year in Review

1) Jan. 19 - Decision was made to form an association to be in a better position to negotiate with Enbridge on the new "Alberta Clipper"
2) Jan. 29, 30, 31 & Feb. 1, 2 --- Organizational meetings across Saskatchewan. Kipling, Vibank, Craik, Loreburn, Outlook, Rosetown, Luseland --- target 60 members.
3) Feb. 24. - CBC TV News Regina- 6:00 p.m. ---- 100 SAPL members
4) Mar. 6. -- Registration and incorporation of SAPL
5) Apr. 2 -- Membership drive across Saskatchewan - Manitoba Pipeline Landowner Association (MPLA) (185 members) invite SAPL to join them as interveners in Southern Lights & Alberta Clipper pipelines. Manitoba raised over $400,000 cash to retain Cohen Highley lawyers. Then they looked west to Saskatchewan and invited SAPL to join MPLA and reach intervener status with them. SAPL only needed to raise $125,000 - $60,000 was raised and then Ontario landowners, who know the risk and process, puts up the rest for SAPL retainer so that we can reach intervener status on the Southern Lights/Alberta Clipper Pipelines.
6) May 14 -- Official intervener status with MPLA. SAPL -129 landowners registered with Enbridge and National Energy Board CNEB).
7) May 30 - SAPL directors invited to Consort, Alberta to speak to landowners along Transcanada Keystone Line about organizing. SAPL was inviting Alberta landowners with Enbridge on their land to join SAPL. Alberta landowners were offered $3000-$3500.00 per quarter section the Keystone crosses. No trenching fee and no crop loss payment paid in advance. No issues of crossing regulations, abandonment and cleanup addressed. All organizational meetings lobbying for "trenching fee" on all classes of land. Lobbying in Manitoba and Saskatchewan with National Energy Board-trenching fee.
8) Jul. 31 -- Brandon meeting with SAPL/MPLA and CAPLA for the first time.
9) Aug. 1 -- Brandon meeting with Enbridge. SAPL (143) landowners.

Linear trenching bonus introduced for first time @$22.00 per linear metre.
Lobbying for abandonment and cleanup of old lines.
Deeper depth of cover on new pipelines
Blanket liability lifted for landowners crossing the pipelines on their own land with farm equipment.
Integrity dig agreement.

10) Sept. - Membership drive Regina to Manitoba border
11) Sept. 18 - Negotiation meeting in Regina. SAPL (187 landowners)

linear trenching fee raised to $35.00 per linear metre
Six year crop loss paid in advance

12) Sept. - Late month membership drive Regina to Alberta border.
SAPL (220 landowners) Early October with 10 Alberta landowners joining SAPL.

Land agents approaching landowners in Saskatchewan offering $22.00 per linear metre, lower easement acre, workspace and no crop loss six years in advance. Landowners at that time excited about what they were being offered.

13) Oct. 12- Negotiation team felt this is as far as they could go with Enbridge at this time without loosing all and going to a certificate hearing in front of the National Energy Board.
14) Settlement agreements at Wawota, Vibank, Loreburn, Luseland and Rosetown on October 17,18,19. - SAPL membership keeps growing by Oct. 19 SAPL (240 landowners).
15) Collected settlement agreements for those landowners that couldn't make the meetings.
16) SAPL president invited to speak with OPLA, MPLA, CAPLA and AAPL at the Alberta surface rights in Camrose, Alberta, Nov. 8. The NEB and CEPA (pipeline association) were present.
17) Enbridge asked for SAPL/MPLA to bring in all members to sign easement agreements (addendums) and receive bonuses before Dec 31. Meetings held across Saskatchewan
Dec 2-11.

SAPL membership now 265-270 landowners

First Annual Meeting of SAPL

When: Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
Where: "Winter Room" at the Travelodge, Regina, Time: 1:00 P.M.
Phone: 1.306.586.3443 for reservations
Supper @ 6:00 P.M. - $20.00/person
Guest Speaker: David Core, President, CAPLA
Please RSVP to Irene Hopkins or Ken Habermehl

This has to be one of the best Christmas's landowners have had in years. Because of the faith and trust we have shown each other, landowners were able to negotiate with Enbridge pipelines, agreements on key issues that have never been addressed in the last 55 years. As a result of your courage, the National Energy Board has also announced the Land Matters Consultation Initiative, a forum to address landowner issues, hopefully leading to regulatory change on abandonment, abandonment funding, crossing regulations, funding for hearing participation and a myriad of other issues. We must be at the table; we must continue to spread the word on your successes and continue to organize across Canada to get the industry and government to listen. That is the task ahead, we must stay organized to have a voice, we must continue to expand so that they have to listen and we need finances to be heard.

The Ontario Pipeline Landowners Association organized and began our endeavours in 1993 and as a result of those efforts we were able to pull together the Canadian Alliance of Pipeline Landowners'Associations in 2000, representing small associations from Ontario and Manitoba. Landowners in Ontario raised substantial funds to initiate our Class Action Lawsuit, for compensation on the rights stolen from us through the enactment of Section 112 of the NEB Act (30 meter control zone and new restrictions on our easement). As you know, 2 years ago, Justice McDonald agreed with the pipeline companies, that landowners have no riqhts or remedies outside of the NEB Act and said we could not proceed. On December 18,2007 , we appealed that ruling and hopefully the three judges may have a different opinion, we will know soon. I am confident that Canadian pipeline landowners do have Rights and Remedies and each one of us will stand up for those rights and demand remedies.

The National Energy Board and the Federal Government did not recognize or take our issues seriously until Manitoba; Saskatchewan and Alberta landowners organized and participated in recent pipeline applications. Your support of CAPLA has been integral to landowners being heard and being taken seriously. The industry hopes we will all sit back on our laurels, and things will return to the way it was before, but I know you have seen what can be accomplished by organizing. CAPLA is now truly national, but it is a continuing battle to be heard as the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association continues to try and convince the government that CAPLA does not represent the true feelings of landowners and landowners do not have a voice.

You have turned this industry upside down and with the many pipeline proposals, our work has only begun. Your recent agreement was a big step, but your next agreement needs to be much better. Obviously by working the way we have this past year we all truly know what the Christmas spirit is all about and so let's have a party and celebrate our future achievements in the coming years. This is an unbelievable story and it is abouthe pioneer spirit. Merry Christmas and many Happy New Years.

David Core
President & CEO
Canadian Alliance of Pipeline Landowners' Associations (CAPLA)
3122 Douglas Street
Camlachie, Ontario
NON 1EO
Phone & Fax: (519)869-4124
Cell: (519)464-2650
drcore@xcelco.on

Click here to read a letter written to Gaetan Caron, Chair and CEO of the National Energy Board, by David Core, President of Canadian Alliance of Pipeline Landowners' Association (CAPLA).

Click here for a pdf of the December newsletter.

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