The announcement is at SAIT in Calgary (the city for war room HQ). There's a bunch of people in hard hats and safety glasses standing up at the podium. For the record, I am not there. But @nadineyousif_ is on the story today so watch out for that. #ableg
@nadineyousif_ First test of the new Canadian Energy Centre War Room: can they start a news conference on time? There's a big clock right in the room. Time will... tell. I guess. #ableg
The Canadian Energy Centre War Room has been billed as a rapid response strategy to what the AB gov sees as energy misinformation in media.
I hope that strategy isn't being applied to starting news conferences. But at least there's some funky jams on this CBC stream. #ableg
I hope that strategy isn't being applied to starting news conferences. But at least there's some funky jams on this CBC stream. #ableg
In the meantime, check out this swanky new CEC War Room website. It's got what appear to be news articles like: "Alberta father irked by charity group that targets fossil fuel industry" #ableg
canadianenergycentre.ca
canadianenergycentre.ca
This jazzy Coolio High CBC remix playing on the livestream is a straight jam though. #ableg
Everyone standing at the podium just got real serious. Time to rapidly respond to some interested media in the room! They're only ten minutes behind schedule. #ableg
Here we go! Kenney and Savage are here. This is apparently Kenney's first visit as premier to SAIT.#ableg
Tom Olsen, former UCP candidate and leader of the war room, is up. He is happy that he and his team were able to bring the gov's vision to reality. It should respond quickly to "false hoods" says Olsen. They hope to retake the story about AB oil and gas. #ableg
"This work will be backed up by research and analysis," says Olsen. He hopes this turns into a worldwide conversation. He calls the war room a "new media organization" and a think tank. They wanna use story telling techniques to push their story, he says. #ableg
Olsen says "we will respond" when false hoods are spread, where ever they may be. "Our tone will be hopeful, unifying and uplifting," says Olsen. #ableg
Video time! More sick jams. "Canadian oil nd gas makes our world better. It just does," starts the video. Says more healthy babies, more healthy mothers and more happy people all across the world is a goal. #ableg
Alberta energy is awesome, is basically the message of this video. They talk a lot about lowering emissions and carbon footprint in the video too. Clean energy is good, and in Alberta, it's better than in China or other countries, it says. #ableg
Boom! Video done and now Kenney takes the stage. "We are going to stand up for the energy that we so responsibly produce here in Canada," says the premier. The war room will stand up against a foreign funded campaign aimed at landlocking AB energy resources, he says. #ableg
By 2040 the global consumption of oil and gas will still be 70 million barrels of oil a day, claims Kenney. Only a small reduction from now until that time, he says. We have a ton of oil in AB, says Kenney. #ableg
Kenney says the oil of the world should come from Alberta, which has high standards, unlike Saudi Arabia or Venezuela. "This is the largest subsector in the Canadian economy," says Kenney. #ableg
"This is a big deal," Kenney says. Science and research is a huge part of the industry as well, he says. So why setup war room? Because we weren't doing enough to "tell the truth" in a campaign of "defamation and lies," says Kenney. #ableg
Kenney says this is part of what he said to Trudeau: they say AB's natural gas in global markets means a decrease in emissions overall. Ab energy clean, other energy, not so clean, says Kenney. Demand not going anywhere, he says. #ableg
Next week Kenney is going to Europe and hopes to beat the drum for investment in Alberta. #ableg
Energy Minister Savage takes the stage. "We have a very bright future ahead," she says of Olsen's new war room. The reputation of the AB energy industry has been smeared by a foreign funded campaign led by activists, she says. #ableg
"I saw this campaign play out step by step," says Savage. Every pipeline project was targeted in Alberta, she says. The campaigns were all established on misinformation and they all wanted to landlock Alberta, she says. #ableg
Savage says she called out "outrageous claims" in a National Geographic article recently. She says "you've been put on notice" to those who she says publish falsehoods. #ableg
"The future of our province and our country is at stake," says Savage. #ableg
Questions! A reporter asks why we're at SAIT? The location has good partnerships with the industry, says Kenney. Calls it "a symbolic location" to demonstrate investments in environmental progress. #ableg
Critics call this a propaganda arm of government, what do you say? Kenney says renewable will be part of the message as well from war room (also asked about that). "This is designed to respond with facts to a campaign of misleading and dishonest propaganda," he says. #ableg
"When they lie about us, we are going to tell the truth," says Kenney. #ableg
What's the main public relations strategy for the war room? There are three units, says Kenney. Rapid response unit, energy literacy unit with OG content, and a data and research unit, he says. You'll see it at the CEC website and on social media. #ableg
A decade ago, Ed Stelmach launched a program trying to go against media reports, says a reporter. Will this be different? Kenney says this is more robust. "We'll look at what has been effective and less effective in the past," he says. #ableg
Kenney asked about budget and success metrics. He says they'll measure public opinion research. "Tom's group may decide to invest more in public opinion research," he says. Some will be hard to measure though, Kenney says. #ableg
And now I take my leave so I can make a call, but follow along with @nadineyousif_ for more on this story! #ableg
