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Montana probes EUB spy allegations
2 Americans say they were spied on during call
Jeff Holubitsky
The Edmonton Journal, p 3
Thursday, August 23, 2007
EDMONTON - A Montana energy regulator is looking into Alberta Energy and Utilities Board activities after receiving complaints that two American citizens, including a former prominent Greenpeace member, were spied on during a conference call.
"To me, if any government entity is monitoring private citizens exercising their rights of speech and assembly, it's up to political people to say that's not what democracy is about," Montana Public Service Commissioner Ken Toole said Wednesday.
"I'm a civil libertarian and I've objected to the monitoring of citizens in the U.S. because of the Patriot Act. I take this very seriously."
Toole said he has long been interested in issues involving Alberta because of a proposal to connect the state with the province's power grid within the border district that elected him. After receiving a copy of an Edmonton Journal story on the weekend, he decided to find out what was happening.
He has since had an informal discussion with Montana's attorney general about turning over his findings if anything comes of his inquiries. He said he is waiting for an Alberta government report on allegations the EUB hired four private investigators to monitor opponents of a high-power transmission line at spring hearings held in Rimbey.
"At this point I'm still waiting to see what gives," Toole said.
"I'm not sure what the legal ramifications of it are, but aside from that, if it turns out there was some kind of monitoring operation of citizens who are opposed to power lines, politically I would object quite strongly."
The Alberta regulatory board, which operates independently of government, has consistently denied it hired investigators to spy on the landowners. It said in June that it hired the four Calgary investigators to watch only for the potential of violence after the local RCMP detachment refused to provide security. A scuffle had broken out at an earlier hearing in Red Deer.
At that time, a board official also denied knowing an investigator had in fact infiltrated a conference call among farmers, environmental activists and their lawyers.
Last week, however, the Alberta NDP released 66 pages of documents obtained under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that included an e-mail dated May 9 that outlined how a private investigation firm had been contracted to "provide intelligence gathering and observation for what takes place inside the (Rimbey Community Centre.)"
One of the environmentalists who took part in the conference call was James Roof, a former senior director of Greenpeace in charge of worldwide protest campaigns and co-founder of the Ruckus Society. The society came to prominence during World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle a decade ago.
He said he became involved with the power-line issue because of the line that would transmit Alberta power into the United States. He said that was the topic of the phone call.
"We were making the argument that this was all an export plan for private profit," he said.
"This is what we get from deregulation, private companies making public decisions."
The EUB should never have hired private investigators, he said
"I think it is outrageous and I think it speaks very poorly for the state of democracy in Alberta and Canada," Roof said. "Who is running Alberta? Is it the fossil fuel industries or is it the people?"
The other American involved has not been identified.
NDP Leader Brian Mason said Toole contacted his party at the suggestion of the EUB because his party had obtained the documents. An EUB spokesman said the privacy commissioner had denied the information to the board because it is under investigation.
"This new American interest is further proof there is something seriously wrong with the AEUB," Mason said.
"It is a matter of very serious concern when state officials from the United States get involved."
EUB spokesman Bob Curran declined to comment because of investigations by both the province and privacy commissioner.
[email protected]est
The Edmonton Journal
2 Americans say they were spied on during call
Jeff Holubitsky
The Edmonton Journal, p 3
Thursday, August 23, 2007
EDMONTON - A Montana energy regulator is looking into Alberta Energy and Utilities Board activities after receiving complaints that two American citizens, including a former prominent Greenpeace member, were spied on during a conference call.
"To me, if any government entity is monitoring private citizens exercising their rights of speech and assembly, it's up to political people to say that's not what democracy is about," Montana Public Service Commissioner Ken Toole said Wednesday.
"I'm a civil libertarian and I've objected to the monitoring of citizens in the U.S. because of the Patriot Act. I take this very seriously."
Toole said he has long been interested in issues involving Alberta because of a proposal to connect the state with the province's power grid within the border district that elected him. After receiving a copy of an Edmonton Journal story on the weekend, he decided to find out what was happening.
He has since had an informal discussion with Montana's attorney general about turning over his findings if anything comes of his inquiries. He said he is waiting for an Alberta government report on allegations the EUB hired four private investigators to monitor opponents of a high-power transmission line at spring hearings held in Rimbey.
"At this point I'm still waiting to see what gives," Toole said.
"I'm not sure what the legal ramifications of it are, but aside from that, if it turns out there was some kind of monitoring operation of citizens who are opposed to power lines, politically I would object quite strongly."
The Alberta regulatory board, which operates independently of government, has consistently denied it hired investigators to spy on the landowners. It said in June that it hired the four Calgary investigators to watch only for the potential of violence after the local RCMP detachment refused to provide security. A scuffle had broken out at an earlier hearing in Red Deer.
At that time, a board official also denied knowing an investigator had in fact infiltrated a conference call among farmers, environmental activists and their lawyers.
Last week, however, the Alberta NDP released 66 pages of documents obtained under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that included an e-mail dated May 9 that outlined how a private investigation firm had been contracted to "provide intelligence gathering and observation for what takes place inside the (Rimbey Community Centre.)"
One of the environmentalists who took part in the conference call was James Roof, a former senior director of Greenpeace in charge of worldwide protest campaigns and co-founder of the Ruckus Society. The society came to prominence during World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle a decade ago.
He said he became involved with the power-line issue because of the line that would transmit Alberta power into the United States. He said that was the topic of the phone call.
"We were making the argument that this was all an export plan for private profit," he said.
"This is what we get from deregulation, private companies making public decisions."
The EUB should never have hired private investigators, he said
"I think it is outrageous and I think it speaks very poorly for the state of democracy in Alberta and Canada," Roof said. "Who is running Alberta? Is it the fossil fuel industries or is it the people?"
The other American involved has not been identified.
NDP Leader Brian Mason said Toole contacted his party at the suggestion of the EUB because his party had obtained the documents. An EUB spokesman said the privacy commissioner had denied the information to the board because it is under investigation.
"This new American interest is further proof there is something seriously wrong with the AEUB," Mason said.
"It is a matter of very serious concern when state officials from the United States get involved."
EUB spokesman Bob Curran declined to comment because of investigations by both the province and privacy commissioner.
[email protected]est
The Edmonton Journal
