Environmental group seeks ethics investigation into Alberta Premier Smith adviser
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Environmental lawyers are asking Alberta’s ethics commissioner to investigate an energy regulator board member and adviser to Premier Danielle Smith for conflicts of interest.
Susanne Calabrese, a lawyer for Ecojustice, says David Yager’s appointments combined with his history of consulting for oil and gas companies put him at odds when he was hired to craft a government strategy for managing inactive oil wells.
The strategy was published in April and put forward nearly two dozen recommendations, including having legislation create companies that would take over inactive wells and use profits for cleanup efforts.
Critics like Calabrese say the strategy and its recommendations are more focused on sustaining and supporting oil companies than accelerating cleanup of the nearly 80,000 inactive wells across the province.
