While urban municipalities are expanding, the oil and gas industry in Alberta continues to gobble up the rights for oil and gas deposits in the province - and to pay significantly for those rights.
The province announced in late December that it took in more than $3.5 billion during 2011 for the sale of oil and gas rights.
That figure is roughly 48 per cent higher than sales in 2010, the previous record year.
"Land sales illustrate that Alberta continues to be competitive in attracting new investment, which benefits all Albertans," said Energy Minister Ted Morton, who went on to credit new technologies to access deeper deposits as mechanisms that will keep rural communities strong - and resource revenue flowing to the government.
from Western Investor February 2012
