Todd Babiak Makes Me Depressed
Todd Babiak’s latest blog post has made me a little bit depressed, mainly because it’s absolutely true. I haven’t really noticed any substantial quality of life improvements since this latest oil boom began. If anything, I’ve noticed a dip in my quality of life.
I recently had to move into a smaller apartment, because my rent was increased by 50%. At $975 a month, it was still below the average price for a 2-bedroom apartment in a central neighbourhood, but it’s more than I’m reasonably able to afford on my own.
While I am getting paid a bit better than I likely would be if I were doing the same job in, say, Saskatchewan or Newfoundland, my money doesn’t go as far, because most things cost substantially more. Every time we’re at the pub paying for our $7 pints, my girlfriend points out that beers are only a deuce and a half at most bars in her native Newfoundland.
This, of course, comes as the government tries to claim that the average Albertan enjoys an improved quality of life as a result of the oil money that’s flowing through the upper echelons of the population. From my point of view, it really hasn’t. For many people, in fact, it’s gotten worse.
On top of that, it kind of annoys me that the Tories seem to act as if they are somehow responsible for the existence of oil in the sand.
Yes, their policies are somewhat responsible for the money coming into the provincial coffers, but without that oil, would they be able to claim responsibility for the province’s successes in the same way? Given that Alberta would probably still be a have-not province if it weren’t for our oil, I suspect that the answer is no.
But, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Todd is wrong. Maybe the average Albertan really is enjoying untold prosperity as a result of the so-called Alberta Advantage. Am I wrong?
untold prosperity? Not I.
Again my quality of life has probably gone down for the same reasons you noted, namely while wages are higher they are not high enough to off-set the even higher cost of living.
allan
5 Feb 08 at 3:28 pm
I should point out that not all of the bars in NFLD charge a mere $2.50 for beer. Only some of them do. Still, when was the least time you paid under $5 for a beer in Edmonton (not including the odd $4 weekly special of Molson or Bud)?
Adam Snider
5 Feb 08 at 9:37 pm
I had to get another job to offset my almost $200 a month jump in rent so I’d say that I’m working double the hours now that I used to. So I am not seeing a boom either. My power has gone up, my rent, my gas, etc. and not my pay. At least you’re getting raises on a regular basis.
Rosemary
6 Feb 08 at 8:45 am
I’d be fine with no improvement to the standard of living, so long as there was solid investment being made for the future. Sadly, I don’t think that’s happening in Alberta at the moment.
Mack D. Male
6 Feb 08 at 9:38 pm
Mack, I agree. However, in addition to no solid investment in the future, I also see the standard of living declining for a lot of people.
Adam Snider
6 Feb 08 at 10:24 pm
We need a government that understands that the oil is either 1) going to run out (this is well over 50 years away) or 2) the world is going to lose its appetite due to global warming. They need to plan for that. We need to diversify and dream an Alberta future without oil and gas. But you’re right Adam (Todd). Quality of life? Not going up in Alberta.
Thomas
11 Feb 08 at 12:43 pm
Thomas, I absolutely agree with you. The current government is incredibly short-sighted in that regard. I’m not sure that the Liberals are much better, but I’ll give them a fair shake before deciding who I’m going to vote for.
Adam Snider
12 Feb 08 at 12:31 am