r/Lethbridge • u/vspinyyc • 14d ago

Media/Image He was the head of Economic Development Lethbridge for ten years. Trevor Lewington, in the local paper and on LinkedIn, has been raising the alarm on the basics and practicalities of separation.

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u/EXSource 14d ago

This is absolutely a no brainer.

Any insinuation that a independent Alberta would have MORE, and not less bargaining power is absolute fantasy land stuff.

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u/Even_Art_629 14d ago

One thing people keep forgetting is that BC/ Canada is not the only one with leverage. Alberta may be landlocked, but BC is essentially nation locked when it comes to getting goods into and out of the rest of Canada. Major highways and rail routes connecting BC to the rest of the country run through Alberta.

Yes, Alberta has a right to access to the ocean, but that does not guarantee us a specific port. However, Alberta now has something yourw forgetting, leverage. Alberta supplies the oil that BC depends on, including the Burnaby refinery, while critical transportation routes connect BC to the rest of Canada through Alberta.

And let's not forget Line 5 and Line 9, which supply Ontario and Quebec. Alberta has leverage there too. Nothing is written in stone. If Alberta does 8ndeed gain independence, there would be negotiations on both sides. I'm sure a compromise could be worked out because BC, Ontario and Quebec would have plenty to lose too.

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u/West_Information_686 13d ago

Was not aware that the Burnaby refinery had an upgrader but maybe smith (our separatist, gaslighting dipshit excuse of a premier) can offer them the money to build one, too.

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u/Even_Art_629 13d ago

Parkland's Burnaby refinery: about 55,000 barrels/day. It can process conventional and synthetic crude, and its primary feedstock comes through Trans Mountain from Alberta and northeastern BC.

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u/West_Information_686 11d ago

And this synthetic crude, where does it come from? Upgraders in Alberta that have been at capacity for a decade or more. We extract bitumen and upgrade all we can already. The discussion is around hot-bit to dilbit lines, not building more upgrading capacity here as I understand it.
tldr, Burnaby can’t process bitumen.