Braid: City MLA Dave Taylor hopes to find new political home

After only four months as an Independent MLA, ex-Liberal Dave Taylor doesn't sound too thrilled with his lonely life as a one-man band in our partisan land of party orchestras.

The Calgary-Currie MLA is open to joining another party caucus. He'll consider his options over the next few months. But the question is, who wants him? Former Liberals aren't exactly prime rib as southern Alberta appears to tilt to the right. Yet, there are persistent rumours that Taylor's about to jump, either to the Tories or even the Wildrose Alliance.

Taylor says no move is imminent. He's had conversations  . . .

MLA has pick of wilderness

Sometimes, ditching your employer isn’t as captivating as a harangue and escape down a safety chute.

Seven weeks after Alberta’s only other independent MLA threw in his lot with the Wildrose Alliance, Dave Taylor would seem to be alone and cast adrift in the political wilderness.

The Calgary Currie MLA won’t automatically discount the notion his five months of self-imposed exile is a metaphor for the despondency and dysfunction chronically plaguing Alberta’s fractured political opposition.

But he insists -- not wholly convincingly -- that he’s not wandering the barrens.

“I’m  . . .

Upgrading could be part of Sinopec plan
China expert dismisses fears of bitumen exports

Chinese oil giant Sinopec could be considering an up-grader or refinery in Alberta, as opposed to shipping raw bitumen abroad, a leading China expert said Wednesday.

Wenran Jiang, the Mac taggart chair at the University of Alberta's China Institute, said the next logical step for Sinopec -- one of the world's largest refiners, which bought into Syncrude Canada on Monday -- is to invest in downstream refining in Canada to support China's growing upstream portfolio in Alberta.

In an interview with the Herald, he said concerns that China is looking to ship raw bitumen abroad are "laughable."

"I  . . .

Alberta claims victory in EU's 'backing off ' from oilsands rules
Alberta Says Efforts Pay Off; Proposed fuel standards may be weakened

CALGARY - The provincial government is chalking up a victory in its oilsands campaign as the European Union looks at weakening proposed environmental standards for the fuel.

Alberta Energy Minister Ron Liepert said Wednesday the EU appears to be "backing off " on tougher rules for oilsands-derived crude in response to a lobbying effort to protect the oilsands by Canadian governments.

A new discussion paper to be debated by a panel this week suggests that European officials will remove restrictions on fuel from the oilsands in its draft legislation, pending "further review."

"We're having  . . .

Ontario, Quebec look to forge oilsands ties in policy U-turn
Environmental concerns 'wildly exaggerated'

EDMONTON - After months of publicly denouncing the oilsands for its environmental footprint, the Quebec and Ontario governments are in Alberta this week with entrepreneurs looking to forge supplier relationships with companies developing the controversial resource.

The Quebec government asked businesses from that province to participate in the economic mission to Edmonton this week for the National Buyer/Seller Forum -- a conference dedicated to oilsands investment -- saying the projects in northern Alberta provide la belle province with "some good business opportunities."

Ontario has also  . . .