Mel Knight

Mel Knight was born July 30, 1944, in Beaverlodge, Alberta.{{cite web|url=http://www.melknightmla.com/about.html |title=Knight's biography on his personal website |accessdate=2008-05-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614213536/http://www.melknightmla.com/about.html |archivedate=2010-06-14 }} His father worked for Northern Alberta Railways, and Knight grew up in the Peace Country.{{cite news|url=http://www.dobmagazine.nickles.com/columns/pulse.asp?article=/magazine/columns/061218/mag_col2006_di0015.html |date=December 18, 2006 |title=Mel Knight: Alberta's New Energy Minister Is Thoroughly Oil-Soaked |publisher=DOB Magazine |accessdate=2008-05-07 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He graduated from Hillside High School in Valleyview, and worked as a roughneck and repairing equipment before earning his certification as a journeyman mechanic.{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=56 |title=Knight's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography |accessdate=2008-05-07}} He worked for drilling and petroleum companies until 1970, when he founded his own firm, Knight Measurement and Control, which eventually employed 55 people. He retired from this company in 1996. In 1972, he moved to a farm south of Vallyview, where he raised cattle and grew forage commercially. He bought a service station in 1974 that later operated as an antique shop (later shut down when the MD purchased the land for road access). He is also active in real estate.

Knight served as a municipal councillor for the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16.

Knight first sought provincial office in the 2001 Alberta election as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Grande Prairie Smoky, where incumbent Progressive Conservative Walter Paszkowski was not seeking re-election. Knight was easily elected, taking more than two-thirds of the vote against three opponents.{{cite web |url=http://elections.ab.ca/Public_Website/files/2001StatementOfResults/2001_SOR_55.pdf |title=2001 Alberta provincial election results, Grande Prairie Smoky |accessdate=2008-05-07}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} He was re-elected by smaller margins, although still with majorities, in the 2004 and 2008 elections.{{cite web |url=http://elections.ab.ca/Public_Website/files/Statements/56.pdf |title=2004 Alberta provincial election results, Grande Prairie Smoky |accessdate=2008-05-07}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite web|url=http://results.elections.ab.ca/56.htm |title=Alberta 2008 provincial election results, Grande Prairie Smoky |accessdate=2008-05-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302025432/http://results.elections.ab.ca/56.htm |archivedate=March 2, 2009 }}

As a backbencher in Ralph Klein's Progressive Conservative caucus, Knight moved a number of government bills. The first was 2003's Electric Utilities Act, which made some changes to the government's deregulation of the province's electricity market.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_25%5Csession_3%5C20030226_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=February 26, 2003|format=PDF}} Much of the debate around the bill was about whether the government's deregulation had worked well to date.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_25%5Csession_3%5C20030226_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=February 26, 2003|format=PDF}}{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_25%5Csession_3%5C20030304_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=March 4, 2003|format=PDF}}{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_25%5Csession_3%5C20030305_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=March 5, 2003|format=PDF}} The bill was passed on a party line vote, with Knight's fellow Progressive Conservatives voting unanimously in favour and the opposition Liberals and New Democrats voting unanimously against.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_25%5Csession_3%5C20030326_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=March 26, 2003|format=PDF}} Knight also sponsored the Securities Amendment Acts, separate bills with the same name from different years, 2005 and 2006.{{cite web|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill05.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 26th Legislature - 1st Session (2005) |accessdate=2008-03-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005105724/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill05.htm |archivedate=2006-10-05 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill06.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 26th Legislature - 2nd Session (2006) |accessdate=2008-03-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604234239/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill06.htm |archivedate=2011-06-04 }} The first of these was designed to harmonize the securities regulation with that of other provinces.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_1%5C20050323_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=March 23, 2005|format=PDF}} It was supported by Liberals Rick Miller and Bill Bonko, who considered it a step in the right direction.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_1%5C20050407_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 7, 2005|format=PDF}} New Democrats gave it a mixed reception, with Ray Martin agreeing that it did make some improvements, but with his colleague David Eggen trying to kill it on third reading, saying that what was needed was a supra-provincial securities regulator.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_1%5C20050420_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 20, 2005|format=PDF}} The 2006 edition of the Securities Amendment Act implemented further harmonization, and passed with little debate.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_2%5C20060411_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 11, 2006|format=PDF}} The Securities Transfer Act of the same year consolidated and harmonized the province's rules for transferring securities, and passed with all-party support.{{cite hansard | url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_2%5C20060501_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=May 1, 2006|format=PDF}}

In the 2006 Progressive Conservative leadership race, Knight endorsed eventual winner Ed Stelmach.{{cite web |url=http://daveberta.ca/?p=670 |title=List of MLA endorsements during 2006 Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership race |accessdate=2008-05-07}}

When Ed Stelmach became Premier in December 2006, he named Knight to his cabinet as Energy Minister.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/stelmach-names-smaller-cabinet-1.600083 |title=Stelmach names smaller cabinet |date=December 15, 2006 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=2015-06-03}} In this capacity, Knight oversaw some of the Stelmach government's most contentious policy issues, beginning with the government response to the Alberta Royalty Review, which recommended dramatically higher royalty rates from companies extracting oil in Alberta. The government rejected many of the review's recommendations, but did increase royalty rates by approximately 20% (25% less than recommended by the panel).{{cite news |title=Alberta increases royalties charged to energy companies|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-increases-royalties-charged-to-energy-companies-1.649434 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=October 25, 2007 |accessdate=2015-06-03}} These increases were criticized as too low by the opposition Liberals and New Democrats and as too high by some industry groups and Paul Hinman, the Wildrose Alliance Party's leader and sole MLA.{{cite news |first=Jason |last=Fekete |url=http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/govrel/news.cfm?story=72305 |title=Stelmach defends easing royalty rules; Opposition calls retooling a sign of flawed plan |publisher=Calgary Herald |date=January 22, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-07 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|title=Stelmach opponents promise to reopen royalty debate |url=https://nationalpost.com/related_links/story.html?id=288027 |publisher=National Post |first=Jason |last=Markusoff |date=February 5, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-07 |author2=Jason Fekete |author3=Archie McLean }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Knight also dealt with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board affair, which resulted from the June 2007 revelation that the EUB, a government-mandated and appointed body responsible for regulating energy resource development, pipelines, transmission lines, and investor-owned electric, water, and natural gas utilities, as well as certain municipality-owned utilities, admitted that it had hired private investigators to spy on landowners who opposed the construction of a major power line in the Rimbey area.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/08/25/utilities_regulator_admits_hiring_spies.html |title=Utilities regulator admits hiring spies |publisher=Toronto Star |date=August 25, 2007 |first=Patti |last=Fong |accessdate=2008-05-07}} Even as Stelmach defended the use of investigators, Knight called on the EUB to explain itself.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-energy-board-s-use-of-private-eyes-under-investigation-1.678821 |title=Alberta energy board's use of private eyes under investigation |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=June 26, 2007 |accessdate=2015-06-03}} He ordered a judicial investigation into the issue, to run parallel to an investigation being conducted by provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/landowners-want-police-to-look-into-spying-accusations-1.685945 |title=Landowners want police to look into spying accusations |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=July 10, 2007 |accessdate=2015-06-03}} After Work's investigation found that the EUB had violated provincial law and infringed on the landowner's privacy, the opposition parties called for Knight's resignation.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/energy-and-utilities-board-minister-pressured-to-resign-1.630858 |title=Energy and Utilities Board, minister pressured to resign |date=September 18, 2007 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=2015-06-03}} However, when Stelmach unveiled his new cabinet after his victory in the 2008 election, Knight remained as Energy Minister.{{cite news|first=Jon |last=Harding |url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?id=81268aa7-8421-4715-828e-73f78ff256e6&k=80756 |title=Knight keeps post as energy minister |date=March 13, 2008 |publisher=Calgary Herald |accessdate=2008-05-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104091513/http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?id=81268aa7-8421-4715-828e-73f78ff256e6&k=80756 |archivedate=2012-11-04 }}

The major legislative initiative of Knight's time as Energy Minister has been the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, which became better known by its order paper designation, Bill 46.{{cite news|publisher=Alberta Farmer |title=MLA Supports Bill 46 |url=http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=498&x=story&xid=366567 |date=January 8, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-07 |first=Anthony |last=Kovats }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The bill split the EUB into two parts, the Alberta Utilities Commission (responsible for regulating utilities) and the Energy Resources Conservation Board (responsible for regulating oil and gas).{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?k=70938&id=3fa20118-2e44-45d5-acf4-651fefe01d9a |title='It's been quite a year':Mel Knight |publisher=Calgary Herald |date=December 18, 2007 |accessdate=2008-05-07 |first=Geoffrey |last=Scotton |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104091528/http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?k=70938&id=3fa20118-2e44-45d5-acf4-651fefe01d9a |archivedate=2012-11-04 }} The legislation was controversial, as elements of the EUB's governing legislation that provided for public notice and consultation in the event of energy construction projects were missing from the new entities.{{cite news |publisher=Vue Weekly |date=October 31, 2007 |url=http://www.vueweekly.com/bill_46_another_step_back_for_democracy_in_alberta/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222091826/http://www.vueweekly.com/bill_46_another_step_back_for_democracy_in_alberta/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |title=Bill 46 another step back for democracy in Alberta |first=Lyn |last=Gorman |accessdate=2015-06-03}} Opposition parties and activists protested the bill, but it passed through the legislature with the support of all Progressive Conservatives present.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marathon-legislative-session-breaks-record-1.651396 |title=Marathon legislative session breaks record |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=December 5, 2007 |accessdate=2015-06-03}}

Knight has also presided over the appointment of an expert panel charged with evaluating the possibility of introducing nuclear energy into Alberta.{{cite news |url=http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Expert_panel_to_study_use_of_nuclear_in_Alberta-2404082.html |title=Expert panel to study use of nuclear in Alberta |date=April 24, 2008 |publisher=World Nuclear News |accessdate=2008-05-07}} He was exposed to criticism when, in response to a question from Liberal leader Kevin Taft about why the panel did not include representation from environmental groups, he asserted that the Sierra Club supported the use of nuclear energy in Europe; in fact, the Sierra Club opposes the use of nuclear energy and does not operate in Europe.{{cite news |url=http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2008/04/29/5416926-sun.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504174819/http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2008/04/29/5416926-sun.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-05-04 |first=Jeremy |last=Loome |publisher=Edmonton Sun |title=Minister expected to apologize to Sierra Club |accessdate=2008-05-07}} Knight apologized for his error.{{cite news |url=http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/provincial/Minister_admits_he_got_nuke_ad_facts_wrong.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718092445/http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/provincial/Minister_admits_he_got_nuke_ad_facts_wrong.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |title=Minister admits he got nuke ad facts wrong |publisher=Red Deer Advocate |date=April 30, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-07 }}

In the government's 2008 throne speech, it asserted its intention to provide funding to expand Alberta's biofuels sector.{{cite news |first=Neil |last=Waugh |title=Fantasyland under dome |publisher=Edmonton Sun |url=http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Waugh_Neil/2008/04/16/5298716-sun.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420052333/http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Waugh_Neil/2008/04/16/5298716-sun.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 20, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-07 |date=April 16, 2008}} Knight asserted that this expansion would not result in increased food prices for Albertans.{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2de97e69-4282-486c-92c2-717ffb5cdfd4 |title=Alberta biofuel push won't drive up food prices: minister |publisher=Calgary Herald |date=April 16, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-07 |first=Renata |last=D'Aliesio |author2=Jason Fekete |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104091522/http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2de97e69-4282-486c-92c2-717ffb5cdfd4 |archivedate=2012-11-04 }}

Knight is married to Diana, and the pair has three children. He is a volunteer hockey coach and is active with his local gun club and petroleum association.

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Category:1944 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Canadian farmers

Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Category:Canadian businesspeople

Category:People from the County of Grande Prairie No. 1

Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs

Category:Members of the Executive Council of Alberta

Category:Farmers from Alberta