Soooo ... Alberta ...

This is precisely the point I've been making over and over again

No, your point was that correlation implied causation. That the threat of government party "X" coming into power causes "Y" based on some highly nebulous data.

- if oil was at 200 a barrel, this regime would make very little difference. Albertans always seem to fuck up royally when it's time to select their Government during a down year.

The point I am making can somewhat be inferred from the two sentences above.

OPEC is the dog. Your government is not the tail. It is a tick on the tail. At what price-per-barrel do royalty payments have material impact on work? $5? $50? $100? The smaller the range, the less impact your reviled government has on employment in the Oil and Gas industry.

Fucking communist.

As a fiscally conservative patriot, I'll give this attempt at an insult a score of two out of ten.

You really need to step back from the ledge, you're going to be alright.

Oil's in the shitter and your employer has just had their revenue cut literally in half in the steepest decline seen in the last 40 years?

So much for believing the good times would never end. Not a good business plan.

The chances of Alberta voting NDP are as good as the Canucks winning the cup this year.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Sweet lucifers tits. How long have you been sleeping?

LOL.

If your company, regardless of the area of business, can't weather a 2% increase in costs, then you have a shitty business plan.

If a company you are proposing to start can't weather a 2% increase in costs, then you have a shitty business plan.

Those companies that find themselves in that condition are not businesses, they are gambling and are being subsidized by taxes on the general public to gamble.

This is the opposite of capitalism. It is the opposite of survival of the fittest.

If your family budget can't survive a 2% increase in costs, then you are an idiot.

As for uncertainty: its funny that uncertainty at the high times is called progress as companies take record profits on volatility, but in low times its the devil.

Labour is cheap right now and goods should be relatively cheaper as transportation costs decrease due to lower fuel costs. It is a great time for companies and governments to diversify and invest. Buy low, sell high.

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps chicken little. It is a time of opportunity.

You completely missed the point. Its not that 2% is life or death for a company, its about making sound business decisions. If you invest, you would know that 2% can be a huge amount of money over a number of years. That's why I buy ETF's and index funds over mutual funds, to save 2+% on the bloated management fees that we pay for mutual funds in Canada. 2% can make a big difference, especially over a long period of time.

Oil companies also have very small profit margins and take on huge risks compared to other industries. In 2010, large oil companies had average profit margins of 6.5%, a year with good prices ($70-$90/bbl). That same year pharmaceuticals averaged 16% profits. Oil companies make make 7 cents for every gallon sold, while the government makes 48 cents.

If that gives you heartburn, I don't suggest looking at how much apple profits off of each on of their devices you buy, you might just have a heart attack.

The sky isn't falling in Alberta, but in a time of instability such as this, oil companies need to do what makes the most business sense. Companies aren't successful by making poor business decisions, as you all know. Right now its all speculation on what's going to happen with the NDP in power, and unfortunately speculation can be worse than reality. I for one am going to see what actually happens before I say anything further.

…with the NDP in power…

The NDP should be at, or near the bottom of their list of worries right now.

OPEC is deciding their fate today while renewables will seal it in the next decade or two.

The NDP win is the best thing to ever happen to Alberta. They can be the scapegoat for the downturn and replace the National Energy Plan as the reason for all things bad in their lives.

The NDP win is the best thing to ever happen to Alberta. They can be the scapegoat for the downturn and replace the National Energy Plan as the reason for all things bad in their lives.

Totally. The fact you have people already blaming them for the mess they're in speaks volumes.

and replace the National Energy Plan as the reason for all things bad in their lives.

For the next 25 years!

Oil companies also have very small profit margins

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA …

a quick google shows that while their profits are down from this time last year, exxon's first quarter profit in 2015 was still nearly 5 billion dollars……ohhhh the poor fucking oil companies! won't someone think of them??!!

a quick google shows that while their profits are down from this time last year, exxon's first quarter profit in 2015 was still nearly 5 billion dollars……ohhhh the poor fucking oil companies! won't someone think of them??!!

They are one of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S., of course they are going to have big profits. They wouldn't be that big if they didn't put up numbers like that.

That same quarter Apple made $13.6 billion in profits.

And I don't think anyone is saying "ohhhh the poor fucking oil companies! won't someone think of them??!!".

And I don't think anyone is saying "ohhhh the poor fucking oil companies! won't someone think of them??!!".

Other than Go-T that is.

In 2010, large oil companies had average profit margins of 6.5%, a year with good prices ($70-$90/bbl). That same year pharmaceuticals averaged 16% profits. Oil companies make make 7 cents for every gallon sold, while the government makes 48 cents.

a quick google shows that while their profits are down from this time last year, exxon's first quarter profit in 2015 was still nearly 5 billion dollars……

Quick, someone find me the # of Gallons or Litres sold so we can figure out how much our gubments made.

That'd work right?