In the Jan. 25 edition of The Herald ("Ministers defend Castle logging, electrical deregulation"), Alberta Finance Minister Ron Liepert is quoted as saying electrical deregulation is a tremendous success.
Mr. Liepert is correct. Deregulation is a tremendous success. But, only if you are the likes of Transalta, Atco Electric, Altalink, TransCanada, Enmax, Epcor, Suncor and Syncrude. These companies have reaped the financial benefits of deregulation.
If you are an Albertan that consumes electricity, rather than a company that generates or distributes power, then deregulation has been an epic failure. Is it any wonder that Minister Liepert declares deregulation a success, when it benefits his cohorts in big business in the energy field? It has extracted a huge financial cost from Alberta residents and businesses, whom it appears Minister Liepert does not care about.

John R. Davies
President, Lethbridge Iron Works Co. Ltd.