Here is the First one:

Dear Dan,

Thank you very much for speaking out about Bill 29. With your permission, Mr. Chase would like to table your letter in the Legislature. This means that he will make reference to it on the Assembly floor and your email will become part of the permanent record of the Legislature.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Linda Pushor
Executive Assistant

HARRY CHASE, MLA
Shadow Minister for Children & Youth Services; Education; Advanced Education & Technology; Tourism, Parks & Recreation
Calgary Varsity Constituency
108, 4616 Valiant Drive NW
Calgary AB T3A 0X9

PH (403) 216-5436 FAX (403) 216-5438
calgary.varsity@assembly.ab.ca www.HarryChaseMLA.com

—–Original Message—–
From: Dan Campbell [mailto:uhfuvl@hotmail.com]
Sent: November 15, 2010 11:31 PM
To: Harry Chase
Subject: Concerns

Dear Mr. Chase:

Dear Premier and MLAs,

I was recently informed about the proposed new law by a friend and wanted to take a moment to share some concerns this raises. I am opposed to the comercialization of major Provincial wilderness such as Banff and Jasper and believe the public should be consulted before there are any sweeping changes to the parks act. So besides the obvious this legislation could raise, it also brings up a general concern of involving the people more in the government’s decision making process. I believe that public voting should be incorporated more often into the legislation decision-making process, so that the will of the people is more accurately represented. The lack of this care for the public’s desires and the lack of transparency and accountability this method of doing things creates can be one major reason why there is often so much public frustration with governments of all levels. A case in point would have been the un-called-for raises in oil and gas royalties a few years ago which damaged that industry in Alberta and our economy as the result. So I’m hoping you will consider taking a step back and reconsidering things, not only regarding this proposed legislation but also with the way you practice government in general.

Sincerely,

Dan Campbell

Dan Campbell
7206
Aab St
Lacombe, AB T4L 1Z3

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So of course I happily gave them my permission, and was surprised as well, as I wasn’t expecting anything like this. It also gave me more confidence in my writing and reasoning abilities. Then I got back this letter from an NDP MLA as well:

Dear Dan,

Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns regarding Bill 29. The NDP Opposition Caucus shares your belief that the proposed legislation represents a step backwards in the important task of protecting the ecological integrity of our provincial parks, reserves and wilderness areas.

You can trust that the NDP Opposition will do all that we can to oppose the passage of Bill 29.

Please find below a copy of the News Release that was issued by our caucus in response to the proposed legislation.

Sincerely,

Rachel Notley, MLA
Edmonton-Strathcona

News release

For Immediate Release

November 4, 2010

New Parks Bill loopholes will reduce protection

Notley: Priority needs to be protection and long-term stewardship

EDMONTON – “With the introduction of Bill 29, the Alberta Parks Act, this government has shown its true face in relation to commitment to protect Alberta’s precious natural environment. And that face is not a pretty one,” says NDP environment critic MLA Rachel Notley.

The new legislation will reduce the number of designations of protected land. Notley says the most serious concern is the legislation’s increase in discretionary power to the minister to make changes in the designation of protected areas behind closed doors.

“There is a long sorry history of this government making it easier for industrial exploiters operating on Alberta public lands. There are some very sad struggles that have been on-going for many years, and others where the environment and local people have lost,” Notley says.

“This new legislation will make it even easier to expand the speed and range of opportunities to let private interests pursue their agendas with no one taking a strong stand on behalf of the well-being of Alberta’s protected spaces and wildlife,” Notley states.

The NDP Opposition intends to oppose the new legislation. “Albertans want legislation that understands protected lands are intended for much larger purposes than immediate exploitation or entertainment,” Notley affirmed.

-30-

For more information contact:

Jim Gurnett

Chief of Staff

780.415.4634 (o)

780.993.6865 (c)

Alberta’s NDP Opposition – On Your Side.

#501 Legislature Annex, 9718-107 St, Edmonton, AB. T5K 1E4

www.NDPopposition.ab.ca
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Now that I am starting to see the potential effectiveness of hands-on involvement in the political process, this can give me more courage for the future, as I am interested in working with groups like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for instance to tackle the fundamentally unjust situation of Canada Pension, which effectively robs people and companies of a great deal of money over the course of their working lives which could be much better saved and invested in an account that they would have access to and control over. But that will be the topic of another blog entry.

To give you some background first–as some of you may know, I took part in the 2009 ACE Western Regional Exhibition, in which I competed as the Provincial Champion for Alberta, having won the award for my computer business, Dan’s Computer Services. It was such a great experience overall and I am so blessed to have become a part of ACE. It opened my eyes to many possibilities and to the business world at large, while giving me an opportunity to present my business before a panel of live judges (business executes from Calgary). I went down to the competition in late February, 2009, on a cold winter day (-20). My vehicle carried me well to Calgary running in 4WD drive mode through lots of blowing snow across Hwy 2, and I was glad once I got into the city. I made it to the Westin Hotel in the downtown where the competition was being held, and was excited to come in for the first time.

I was greeted my Nicole Almond, who later presented me my Provincial Student Entrepreneur Award on stage, together with the other 3 recipients, one of whom was Milun Tesovic, from Simon Fraser University in BC. To make a long story short, I really enjoyed staying in the 4-Star Hotel, eating at The Keg and meeting all the business students and executives. The things I would have improved looking back was to have improved my presentation, my annual report, and to have left earlier. But this was a growing experience and these are all things I have learned from.

I was the first one up on Friday morning, making my presentation at 9:00 am. I was excited but composed, although my hear was racing a bit too much. I suspect this was because our breakfast was poor (mostly coffee and doghnuts/pastries) and of course I was a bit nervous. I also stayed and watched the other presentations, which were very interesting. I would say I had a good chance on winning 2nd place, but it happened to go to a young man from Manitoba who was running a farming business. I was OK with that and had started to get to know him–he was very intelligent and knowledgeable as well.

But there was no doubt in any of our minds that Milun was going to come out on top, as his business was in a level by itself and no one could touch him. He was obviously a multi-millionaire at the young age of 23, having worked on his website, metrolyrics.com since age 16. He had some offers for takeovers but had decided, with his partner, to keep the business going under their ownership as they expected to keep building it. I also told Milun I had no doubt he would win at the National level. This he did, making us all very proud, and he even went on to win the World Student Entrepreneur Championships! Thus Canada had the unique honor of again being named the most enterprising country in the world. I would love to have the opportunity to build my computer & investing businesses to the point that I could have a good shot at these titles as well! This would involve becoming a part-time student for awhile, and then making one last push at being a full-time student again, once things are sufficiently built up in my companies.

So overall, competing in ACE was an opportunity of a lifetime and one of the greatest experiences of my life! I will never forget it and will cherish it forever. It was a wonderful experience for personal and professional growth, and helped me to develop a strong business plan. I also continue my involvement in ACE through being a part of as many of their events as possible, at least those taking place in Western Canada.

And that is what I did earlier this year (2010) as well. I registered for and attended the 2010 ACE Western Regional Exhibition, held as usual at the Westin Hotel in Calgary. This time of course I did not stay there overnight, but simply drove down for the day. Unlike last year, when it was cold and snowy, this year we had amazingly mild weather (it was also held about a week later), with temperatures rising up about 12C in the afternoon. I was able to go for a walk out in the sun and fresh air along the Bow river, where all the ice was melting and breaking up, and it was so beautiful. I also fell in love with Calgary as a city, recognizing it as a great place to live, work and do business, so I decided I might move there in the future (at least get a second-house there) as I will probably be spending lots of time there as I work to build my businesses there and in the surrounding areas.

While there, I also got to meet Teang Tang, who is the 2010 Alberta Student Entrepreneur Champion and she ended up winning as runner up in the Regionals with her Mingle Event Management company based in Calgary. It was exciting to see the work she is doing and the success she is having as an entrepreneur, while remaining a full-time student at Athabasca University (online). She also encouraged me to switch to Athabasca, as it facilitates having a MUCH more flexible schedule and thereby getting better grades (at least for those often busy with work), and I’m sure I will take her advice.

So this forms the background of my experiences leading up to the much-anticipated ACE 2010 National Exhibition, in which all the Regional Champs would go on to present their businesses at the national level! For the first time, the even was held in western Canada, and where better than in Calgary? I specifically booked a hotel for two nights to be able to be there for as much of the competition as possible, and looking back I even wish I could have spent more time than I did with it, as there was just so much happening and so much energy and enthusiasm for business, one of the topics I love the most. While the majority of Canadian post-secondary students gathered there were of course with the many SIFE Teams represented, there were also the several Student Entrepreneurs as well.

It was great to see Teang there again (she had placed second and so went on), and the man who had won first place had dropped out, and so the third-place winner had the privilege of being promoted and going on to the National level as well! Her name was Marianne Mathias I believe and she had a clothing company which sourced its productions from women in Ghana and sold them to boutiques throughout North America.

Leading up to the Student Entrepreneur competition we had of course over a day of intense competition of SIFE teams. There were so many competitions happening concurrently that it would have been impossible to have seen them all, but I got in to see a couple of them and was very impressed with what I saw! It occurred to me that these enthusiastic students might be doing more good works to benefit people in their communities in a practical way (through financial education and entrepreneurship training) than all churches in Canada combined! It is really amazing to see all the work these students are doing, and I have no doubt that the future of Canada will be in good hands with tomorrow’s business leaders! Just thinking about it again helps to ignite me with more passion and enthusiasm—it is really contagious. And so it was an extremely positive and even life-changing experience overall!

Of course, being in Calgary, my now favorite city, afforded me the opportunity to explore and do a little local tourism, like making a trip up the Tower and eating at a fine restaurant nearby. There is just so much to see and experience and learn, and then there is so much else to see in Alberta as a whole, not to mention the rest of Canada!

While I loved SIFE and was very interested to experience their presentations live, what I was really looking forward to was of course the National Student Entrepreneur Competition. I unfortunately arrived late for Teang’s presentation due to a change in the scheduling, though she told me it was the same as what she presented in March, which was very polished and appealing indeed. Then throughout the afternoon I got to see the other presentations, including one by a student running an ice cream company in three Ontario towns (when I’m back to visit I should check it out—Cool Moose Creamery), as well as an innovative advertising business and a man who had a prosperous web-development/marketing firm. But the one which shone the brightest and ended up taking the crown was a software business being run by a computer science doctoral student at the University of Toronto.

Vincent Cheung had developed and patented a proprietary algorithm for intelligently creating custom collages from groups of photos. The judges were so impressed with his intelligence, ingenuity as a software engineer and entrepreneurial spirit that they awarded him the prize, which also included a $10,000 cash prize. ACE was not the first competition he had won, but in fact I read elsewhere that he had picked up over $50,000 in prize winnings in various student entrepreneur competitions (including ACE). Vincent was the Canadian National Champion, but unfortunately was not allowed to go on to compete at the International level because it is only open to undergraduate students. So they sent the runner up instead.

It was good to meet and talk with some of the other students, such as a group from BCIT, and I was able to give some mentorship and advice to one of them. As we exited for the competition room, we then made our way to the main theater, a most spectacular finale where all awards were announced and presented. There were about a thousand people in the room and the atmosphere was just electric.

Upon the completion of this, there was an informal meet/greet and celebration at the end, and I happened to find Teang standing and talking with two people from Athabasca University who had come down to support and congratulate her. It was great to talk with them and learn some more about Athabasca as well. Then Teang and I went out and had some food at a nearby restaurant, as well as a good talk. Then we parted to get ready for the after-party. We had a tremendous party at Club Tantra down the road, and ACE had rented the whole club for the evening which was great. Of course, the main attractions were drinking and dancing which I didn’t participate in, but I did enjoy walking around and socializing, lounging in the VIP section drinking various rounds of pop and later having some evening snacks all of which were on the house. It was cool to have a night club all to ourselves, even though that is a type of place I do not frequent. I was able to have some good conversations with one of the judges, a HRM/headhunter and of course some of the students. Towards the end most people starting heading back to their hotel rooms, while I walked about a block down the road to where my van was parked, and proceeded to drive back to Lacombe that night, arriving about 3:30am. I mostly listened to Brian Tracy on the way home which helped keep me alert and focused.

Overall, ACE was an incredible and life-changing set of experiences for me, whether my initial involvement in 2009, or my attendance at both levels in 2010. I am looking forward to any future meetings, and will plan to make the Western Regionals an annual event for me to attend, as it is great for networking and learning about the latest student entrepreneurs and school SIFE teams. I most of all enjoyed the fellowship as well as the competition aspects, and it was mainly through competing in ACE back in 2009 that my eyes were opened to the realities and possibilities of the business world. I believe it was there that I was inspired with the great options that lie before me, whether building an IT company (my 2009 ACE business plan), or something even more advanced, and that is getting into venture capital and private equity. These later types of investment businesses are now the model I am pursuing, and as a result of this process of inspiration and self-discovery I am working towards my goal of starting a venture capital company in mid-2012. I intend to work this up into a larger VC/PE company, and this can lead to potentially limitless opportunities I believe, including being used as a launching pad for a family of other businesses.

In closing, I would say that being a student entrepreneur is a great experience because you are working your way through school, developing opportunity and making money while being your own boss and of course practical development of your skills. I plan to enter ACE’s competition yet again in the future with my investment business, and by then I will probably be enrolled in an MBA program. So this gives me some great goals to work towards, and you never know I just might be able to have a good shot at the National Championship myself!

Spiritual warfare:

I have studied spiritual warfare for many years as an area of specialty, and was really blessed this this testimony shared in the sermon told at the College Heights SDA Church in Lacombe, AB.

Testimony told us by Pastor Robert Quintana, visiting preacher, about a friend at Southern University where he has then in his senior year of theology.  His friend Chris had been suffering from demon-possession since he was 12 yrs old, and this demon that he later called “the dark-man” had been afflicting him.  He had recently injured himself, putting slashes into his forearms with razor blades and was trying to leave the dorm.  His friends had to physically prevent him from leaving because they were concerned in the distressed mental condition he was in; he might do himself more harm.  Rob was then an RA in the dorm and one of his friends told him to start praying for a situation about 12:30 am one night well he was up studying for a Hebrew exam the following day.

Robert tried to talk to Chris but he was totally shut down emotionally and would not talk.  When we tried to put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him, Chris flung it off in great anger and yelled “don’t touch me!”  He then got up and began to run at Robert so again his bigger and stronger friends had to hold him back and subdue him.  Then Robert realized something was seriously wrong and so he called one of his professors, who had his doctorate in theology and was a real man of God.  By then it was about 1:30 am, and the man said he would get down on his knees and start praying, and that if he needed him, he would come.

By now they had got Chris to go up to one of the upstairs rooms to try to dress his wounds and help him.  Robert and some friends had started to pray for Chris out in the hallway, but had not told him they were praying for him.  Then something strange happened—Chris sent someone to tell them that he requested they stop praying for him!  Now Robert and his friends were really getting freaked out, because he could not have known that he was being prayed for, except for the evil spirit within him being afflicted by the prayers.  So now they began some serious and earnest prayers, knowing that this man must be demon-possessed.

Suddenly, their professor showed up, and they were surprised to see him.  He told them that as he had been down on his knees praying, he had a strong impression that he must go to the dorm to help.  They prayed and then said they were going in, with Robert and another friend following.  As they entered the door, Chris shielded his face and jumped away from them onto the couch, which seemed strange.  The Doctor then proceeded to try to talk to Chris, and ask him what he wanted them to do for him.  He tried to put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him as well, but got the same reaction as with Robert.  Finally he got Chris to ask, in a very quiet voice, that that he wanted them to make the “dark man” go away!  The professor told him that he could not make the “dark man” go away by himself, but could through the power of Jesus Christ.  He asked Chris for permission to pray to God and ask Christ to take away this demon that had been plaguing him and finally he said yes.

So the pastor got down on his knees and began a most serious and powerful prayer which brought down such a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit that the room was filled with the presence of God.  Robert and his friends fell with their faces to the floor, praying as well and feeling so small before the power of God.  Finally, the demon was cast out of the young man and he was set free, though exhausted from the ordeal and lying on the couch.  Later he told them that he had been keeping a diary since he was 12 yrs old about his experiences with this demon-possession and read them a prayer he had written to God a week before asking him to set him free from this “dark man” who had been visiting him since he was 12 yrs old.  God had miraculously answered his prayer and set him free from this demonic presence which had afflicted him on and off for so many years!  Praise be to God.

But then even more interestingly was when Chris told the professor his side of the story, from his perspective.  He told him that the reason he shielded his face when the professor and his friends came into the room was because of the power and presence of God which was with them, which was so strong and was even like a consuming fire.  When the professor walked in the room, it was just as if someone had poured gasoline on the floor and lit it on fire.  The heat was so intense that he had to cover his face and get out of the way!  And the reason he would fling people’s arms off of him when they would go to touch him was that the burning sensation from this was so intense that he had to get them off their body.  So it shows that spiritual light and darkness cannot co-exist, and that the power of the devil is deeply troubled by the power of God, which was in those godly men.  And they were able to cast that demon out and set this young man free who had been oppressed for so long.

So this great experience helped them to see the real meaning of the verse in Hebrews which says: “for our God is a consuming fire.”  This is why when God would appear in Old Testament times, he would usually appear only behind thick, dark clouds, because he would otherwise have consumed them by his spiritual brightness.  Likewise he will consume the wicked who are unsaved with his glory when Jesus returns.

I had already been taking my van to All-Tech Automotive in Red Deer, as they are much better with electronics than 2A Auto, so I think I will continue going there for some things, and also start going to Kal Tire here in town for some work as they seem to have really good service and provide full mechanical work as well.  At least I know now for the future to always make sure that any parts I buy for my vehicle are new, because at least then you have a better chance that they will last a reasonable amount of time.

I plan to continue the process of refurbishing my van this year.  Even though it is an older vehicle (’93), it is in good condition, runs well and the body looks good (very little rust).  I have been taking good care of it so far, trying to follow the specified maintenance and getting everything up to date.  Although it is not so good on gas, it is still a good vehicle for my computer business and the 4WD helps me with getting around in conditions I might otherwise get stuck in.  As I use it mainly for work, much of my vehicle expenses are a business write-off.  So this year, I think we will be looking at a new starter motor (current one is starting to wear out), new exhaust system (over-due to be replaced), new winter tires for next fall, and I’d also like to replace the wind-shield and the right CV shaft.  I’ve already had the left CV shaft replaced last summer (it was clicking worse), a few electric issues fixed, all the fluids changed (brake, diffs, coolant, trans) in addition to regular oil changes, gotten some leaks fixed, A/C replaced and a new stereo system in ’08, among other things (like the timing belt).  I am happy with how it runs and enjoy driving it.

Yes, vehicles are expensive to own and maintain, but they form an important part of out modern economy.  I am looking forward to my next vehicle someday, but will probably keep this one for a long time, at least as secondary vehicle because it it useful for so many things and I really like it.  Another reason I would keep it is that I have already put a lot of money into fixing it up and maintaining it.

While driving down Hwy 2 south to Red Deer in April ’08, my new water pump blew and the van began losing coolant.  I noticed the heat gauge rising, so I pulled it over and shut it down so as not to damage the engine.  I had to get it towed to a shop where I was surprised to learn what had happened, and got it back to 2A for them to fix it under warranty.  It was fixed, but the whole debacle meant my van was out of commission for about two weeks.  So I have been driving on the replaced water pump ever since, and in the last year and seven months it was functioning fine.

As I was driving up to Edmonton recently I noticed quite a bit of steam coming out of the hood, which caused me some concern.  The temperature gauge remained stable, so I made my way home, but stopped in Ponoka to fuel up.  There, I noticed a lot of steam coming out of the hood, and an RSMP officer who was there came by to take a look at it as he was also concerned.  It was evident that there was a coolant leak as we could smell the glycol.  Fortunately I made it home to Lacombe without the van breaking down, but the next morning when I started the van and let it warm up, we noticed quite a bit of coolant that had leaked on the ground.  I also saw the van was starting to overheat, so I shut it down, added more antifreeze and drove it to 2A Auto.

There I learned that the water pump had failed again!  Unbelievable–two water pumps failed in two years.  Probably if we had left the original one on it would still be working.  I have asked that they order a higher-quality part this time, so they are ordering one in from a different company.  I think I will call them and make sure it is from the manufacturer if possible, because it is hard to know who you can trust to find good quality parts sometimes.

And so I think this experience is symptomatic of a larger problem which has been plaguing North America in general and that is the degeneration of industry.  We used to take pride in things being “Made in Canada” or “Made in the USA,” but now during the last 25 or so years as more companies have shifted production overseas, quality has continued to decline.  More and more of our parts and products are being made in China, a Communist country, which used to be an appalling concept I would think.  Why are we using virtual slave labor in Communist or third world countries to produce many of our parts when they can be made with so much higher-quality by factories in highly-industrialized Western nations?

And even in North America, quality may be lacking too due to greedy corporate practices, such as hiring mainly temporary workers and paying them a fraction of what they would earn if they were hired directly by the company (an experience I have had).  The companies then lay off most of the poor temp workers and bring in a new batch, so they never have to pay their production workers very much.  This type of activity should not be allowed, and this is one reason why labor unions have formed–in order to get better wages and rights for their workers.  However, unfortunately then these unions have often taken things to the opposite extreme, demanding wages that are too high and thus putting the companies that their people work for out of business (as in the case of some auto companies).

Of course, quality is ultimately dependent upon the actual engineering, materials and processes involved in making a good or service, as well as the management.  If the mentality of management was shifted away from being too heavily weighted on profit and more balanced with producing better products, our quality of life would be improved and the strength of our economy would benefit significantly.

So many jobs have been lost for so many years as a result of this corruption.  I think most people would rather pay more for higher-quality products which last longer than less for lower-quality junk which is engineered to last only a short time and then break down.  So companies aren’t often giving people what they want, which is primarily quality.  Companies should pride themselves on quality, both in service and manufacturing, rather than focusing excessively on volume and profits.  Greed and the love of money have been destroying the quality of industry in North America and around the world for many years now.  Can we still get good quality products/services?  Yes, but it can sometimes be quite a difficult now.