The prolonged downturn in oil and gas prices has hurt virtually everyone associated with oil and gas in western Canada. The estimated 75,000 individuals who are descended from Alberta’s pioneer settlers and own the oil and gas beneath their forefathers’ homesteads have been particularly hard hit.
Although most energy companies have honoured their lease agreements with us and continue to pay us modest royalties on production from our property, some companies have wrongly manipulated the deductions taken from our royalties so as to reduce them.
Other foreign-controlled energy companies have actually stopped paying us royalties altogether even though they continue to produce from our property. These same companies have not paid the Alberta government the required freehold mineral tax on this production.
The response of the bureaucrats in Alberta Energy to this situation defies belief. Instead of helping these individual owners to recover the royalties that are due to them, these bureaucrats have sent them letters threatening to cancel their property titles unless they pay Alberta Energy the freehold mineral tax owed to the government by these unscrupulous foreign companies.
We understand that these actions have been approved at the highest level in the Alberta Energy Department. This is not the fairness or social justice promised by Premier Rachel Notley. We are seeking a meeting with the Premier to discuss our concerns with the actions of Alberta Energy both in this matter and many other matters impacting our property rights.
We have an open letter to the Premier on our website http://www.fhoa.ca/current-critical-issues.html Else Pedersen President Freehold Owners Association 208, 1235 17th Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta T2T0C2 Telephone: 403-245-4438 Email: [email protected]
Else Pedersen, president, Freehold Owners Association, Calgary
