Politicians, environmentalists and Metis leaders were among those reacting to the bombshell news Sunday night that mining giant Teck Resources was withdrawing its application for a $20-billion oilsands mine.
That included Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who said on Monday that his government would introduce legislation to protect what he calls “critical infrastructure” in the province, including railways.
Bill 1 would enact “new stiff penalties for anyone who riots on or who tries to impair critical infrastructure in the province of Alberta,” he said.
“The government of Alberta is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure our economic future, including a future of natural resource development. We will not back down.”
Kenney also said that while his government believes in free market solutions, it would look at ways to directly invest in the energy sector due to “existential threats.”
He did not provide details.
“We will, as a government, be assessing in which ways we may need to ensure future investment in the Canadian energy sector to ensure an economic future for this province. There will be news in that sense to come.”
The Teck Frontier mine had become a focal point of national debate around climate change and the economy, and its chief executive cited that nexus as one of the reasons the company was stepping aside.
Don Lindsay wrote in a letter to Canada’s environment minister that he hoped stepping away from Frontier would help Canada have a much-needed conversation.
He reiterated that sentiment Monday morning at an investors conference in Florida and said it became clear in the “past few days” that there was no clear path forward for the project.
Lindsay also pointed to the blockades that have sprung up across the country, jamming national rail networks in protest against a natural gas pipeline in B.C., as having a significant impact on the company.
“As a result of these illegal blockades, there has been some deep concern expressed across the country, in particular with relation to the safety of railway employees, to the safety of the public and the protesters and the effects they’re having on the Canadian economy and individual Canadians,” said Lindsay.
“As Canada’s largest railway shipper, the blockades have had a significant impact on our steelmaking coal business. Together with the severe weather in January, the blockades have reduced our steelmaking coal shipments by over one million tons in the first quarter of 2020.”
Teck’s Frontier oilsands project was planned for northern Alberta. The company pulled its application for the project on Sunday. (CBC News)
He told the investors’ conference that Teck has no timeline for a possible resubmission of the project for approval and will focus on its priority projects, including a copper mine in Chile.
A portion of his presentation also focused on the company’s plans to be carbon neutral by 2050, in alignment with the goals of the federal government.
“Teck has set out an initial roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by first avoiding emissions and then eliminating or minimizing emissions,” read one of Lindsay’s presentation slides.
Frontier becomes flashpoint
Frontier was recently thrust into the role as both saviour of the Alberta economy and death knell of Canada’s climate action, depending on who was doing the talking.
A group of Conservative MPs even linked its approval to Alberta’s willingness to stay in confederation as part of their Buffalo Declaration.
That view was echoed by Kenney on Sunday night.
“The factors that led to today’s decision further weaken national unity.… We did our part, but the federal government’s inability to convey a clear or unified position let us, and Teck, down,” Kenney said.
Kenney was scheduled to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. MT (4 p.m. ET) today to address the withdrawal and an anticipated ruling from the Alberta Court of Appeal on the province’s challenge to the federal carbon tax.
At the federal level, outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of driving away investment due to his “weakness and fear” in dealing with opponents of oilsands development.
Trudeau, for his part, said Teck’s decision and the reasoning behind it show support for the actions of his government.
“Teck said clearly we support strong actions to enable the transition to a low carbon future,” said Trudeau in question period on Monday. “Teck is also a strong supporter of Canada’s action on climate pricing and other climate policies such as legislated caps on oilsands emissions.
“It is the Conservative Party polarizing the debate on climate change that is putting our economy at risk.”
Notley urges Kenney to ‘step up’
In Alberta, NDP Leader Rachel Notley blamed Kenney for making the project a “political football” and said his aggressive approach to supporting the province’s oil and gas sector is to blame for the end of Frontier.
“My message to the premier is this: yelling at other people does not create jobs, except maybe for Tom Olsen,” she said, taking a shot at the chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Centre.
“In this case, it cost us jobs, at least 7,000. Albertans cannot afford more of this. Step up before our province gets left behind.”
She said international investors are looking for strong climate strategies that offer clarity to industry.
One of the groups impacted by the death of the project is the Fort McKay Métis, which stood to reap economic rewards and employment from the mine. It supported Teck’s application.
Fort McKay reaction
Ron Quintal, president of the Fort McKay Métis, said he was shocked when an executive vice-president of Teck called him to alert him to the news.
Teck Resources has withdrawn the application for its new Frontier oilsands mine. The federal government was supposed to decide on the $20-billion project this week. 2:42
“I had anticipated that perhaps the phone call was to meet in Ottawa ahead of the decision,” he said.
He’s not sure what’s next for his group, and said they’re in “damage control mode.” He acknowledged that even if Teck resubmitted the project, it could be years before anything came of it.
“I think that there needs to be some work around policy, there needs to be some work with the federal and provincial governments to try to find a different path forward in terms of how we get our energy to market,” said Quintal.
“And from my perspective, we’re not cutting the mustard at this point and something’s got to give.”
‘Market-based decision’
Environmentalists, meanwhile, were applauding the death of the project as a win for climate change efforts.
Julia Levin, climate and energy program manager with Environmental Defence, said the decision is the inevitable result of a shift away from fossil fuels.
“This was a market-based decision. Teck couldn’t find financial partners willing to take on a high-cost, high-emission, long-duration oilsands mine, because markets are realizing that projects like the Frontier mine are high-risk and uneconomical,” she said in an emailed statement.
“This project only offered a false promise to workers in Alberta concerned about their futures — especially in a world moving away from oil. Now is the time to invest in projects that provide jobs and create clean energy and clean growth.”
The Alberta Chamber of Commerce said the loss of the project will hurt an already fragile provincial economy.
“If approved, the Frontier project would have generated 7,000 jobs and $70 billion in tax and royalty revenue, providing a significant boost to our provincial and national economies,” said a statement from the organization.
“This was an example of a project done responsibly, which was demonstrated by the strong support of all 14 nearby First Nations.”
It’s common knowledge that companies don’t hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost.
Since most job seekers know the above, I’m surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they’ll contribute to an employer’s success.
Employers don’t hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results.
You’re not offering anything tangible when you claim:
I’m a great communicator.
I’m detail oriented.
I’m a team player.
Tangible:
“At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers.”
“For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget.”
“While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings.”
These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice.
Getting hired isn’t based on “I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales,” “I’ve been a web designer for over 15 years,” “I’m young, beautiful and energetic,” blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn’t based on “I’m overqualified,” “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you’ll serve a purpose.
When you articulate a solid value offer, the “blah, blah, blah” doesn’t matter. Job seekers focus too much on the “blah, blah, blah,” and when not hired, they say, “It’s not me, it’s…” The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the “blah, blah, blah”—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience.
Not impressive: Education
Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results.
You aren’t who you say you are; you are what you do.
If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words.
The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don’t be like most job seekers, someone who’s all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a “good game” about everything they can “supposedly” do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it.
More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you’re looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition.
Increase sales: “Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I’m confident that I can increase BioGen’s sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025.”
Reduce cost: “During my 12 years as Taco Town’s head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House.”
Increase customer satisfaction:“During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin’s net promoter score.”
Save time: “As Zap Delivery’s dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy’s Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more.”
If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that’s evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you’ll make to the employer.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.
The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.
Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.
The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.
The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.
The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.
The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.
Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.
In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.
“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.
As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.
Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.
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