Canadians - does this bother you?

To the average Joe like myself, it matters very little as long as I have a deed to a property and can live my life out on that property. As another poster said, I highly doubt the Queen would come and kick me off my property so she could build there.

As for royalties, I don't have any problem with that either. I have many wonderful benefits living here in Canada as opposed to many other areas of the world so if it costs me a bit in royalties, no problem.

I like living in Canada. I like the people here, and I like Americans, too. It's the governments I have some problems with sometimes. Seems to me it's only fair that the Canadian people be the ones to benefit from the land and resources.

Most Texans own the minerals on their land, even in subdivisions. Many in subdivisions in the Fort Worth area are making some tidy little sums on an oil/gas lease and royalties.

One of our drivers' mother-in-law owns the property where the most productive well in the Barnett Shale is located. She gets some $2000 per day in royalties on the natural gas being extracted there.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

I like living in Canada.

I like the people here, and I like Americans, too. It's the governments I have some problems with sometimes. Seems to me it's only fair that the Canadian people be the ones to benefit from the land and resources.

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Do you have a reference to show that the Queen actually gets the royalties, etc.? Somehow I suspect the government actually gets them if it's on crown land. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now!

As for going to the government versus individuals, I'd rather it go to the government. Canadians, are, overall, well taken care of. I'd rather the government put the money toward social programs and intrastructure than some landowner build a giant house, buy overpriced vehicles, and other toys. Now, I know the government wastes money too, but at least the money that's not being wasted is going to the greater good.

I'll take my universal health care, public school system, unemployment insurance, CPP, etc. any day over the mineral rights on a piece of land (really, how many people strike it rich with the mineral rights?).

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

Do you have a reference to show that the Queen actually gets the royalties, etc.? Somehow I suspect the government actually gets them if it's on crown land. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now!

As for going to the government versus individuals, I'd rather it go to the government. Canadians, are, overall, well taken care of. I'd rather the government put the money toward social programs and intrastructure than some landowner build a giant house, buy overpriced vehicles, and other toys. Now, I know the government wastes money too, but at least the money that's not being wasted is going to the greater good.

I'll take my universal health care, public school system, unemployment insurance, CPP, etc. any day over the mineral rights on a piece of land (really, how many people strike it rich with the mineral rights?).

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I couldn't have said it any better. It's a great place to live and I even like the cold weather, no hurricanes, very few small tornadoes from time to time - we're rather fortunate.

One difference there is that when an individual gets paid anything, that money increases the wealth of everyone in the area. When a government gets paid anything, it may well decrease the general wealth where it was paid, since the government can transfer it elsewhere.

On average, a dollar spent by an individual increases the local wealth at least $3, and usually by as much as $7. Even if the individual just puts it in the local bank, that money is available as loans to local people to buy a car, start a business, whatever. This fact was brought up by the media, etc., in Dayton two weeks ago when our hot rod club had a national meeting there. They calculated the benefit to the area was several million dollars, although our members spent less than $500,000. A good share of that to Cold Stone Creamery...

The U.S. gets royalties on minerals, too, although Chinese and Candian companies (in addition to American companies) have been taking advantage of American law to mine for gold and other minerals on federal lands without paying royalties to anyone. However, all the oil and gas extracted from federal lands, including offshore oil and gas, pays royalties to the U.S. government, and the federal government gets the initial lease payments, too.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

The U.S. gets royalties on minerals, too, although Chinese and Candian companies (in addition to American companies) have been taking advantage of American law to mine for gold and other minerals on federal lands without paying royalties to anyone. However, all the oil and gas extracted from federal lands, including offshore oil and gas, pays royalties to the U.S. government, and the federal government gets the initial lease payments, too.

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Hey, seems fair to me - we get gold and other minerals and the US gets our water, er, liquid gold.

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

Do you have a reference to show that the Queen actually gets the royalties, etc.? Somehow I suspect the government actually gets them if it's on crown land. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now!

As for going to the government versus individuals, I'd rather it go to the government. Canadians, are, overall, well taken care of. I'd rather the government put the money toward social programs and intrastructure than some landowner build a giant house, buy overpriced vehicles, and other toys. Now, I know the government wastes money too, but at least the money that's not being wasted is going to the greater good.

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I know how domestic and foreign oil companies work - they pay the owner to lease the mineral rights and surface area. The land is managed by the Canadian government (I'm sure there's a healthy cut for the government) but the Queen owns it. Who else would they pay but the owner?

Personally I wouldn't rely on the government to keep me informed on what it's doing. Historically, governments do not put the people as a priority. They tell people only what they want them to know.

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

I'll take my universal health care, public school system, unemployment insurance, CPP, etc. any day over the mineral rights on a piece of land (really, how many people strike it rich with the mineral rights?).

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Map of active oil and gas wells in Texas 2005 - well before the current boom going on with the shale plays. The Railroad Commission is having difficulty keeping up with all the drilling permits being requested the last 3 or so years - a 2011 map would show many, many more wells.

Some wells are on state land, but the vast majority belong to the "little people" who bought land, or had an ancestor who did. In Texas, the mineral rights go along with the sale of land, unless specified differently.

I believe my thread question has been answered, the Canadians here who responded didn't know, but they don't mind.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Hey, seems fair to me - we get gold and other minerals and the US gets our water, er, liquid gold.

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Yes, but I'm betting the oil companies pay proper royalties to the land owners or the government in Canada, which the companies in the gold mining business are NOT doing in the U.S.

A list of the largest gold mining companies. Note that 5 of the top 10 are Canadian.

Largest Gold Companies

And the royalties they pay to the U.S.

Gold Mining on U.S. Federal Lands

Fascinating discussion. Just to confuse things further: ever since oil companies figured out how, they've been drilling down where it's legally convenient and then across to tap into oil under land they don't own (or so I'm told by someone in the business). It's a perfect crime, committed deep underground where it's very hard to detect, and where plausible deniability is easy: "We're sorry, our extremely complex calculations must have been off."

And by the way, I heard a sickening number today: during 2010, Exxon/Mobil made five million dollars in profit every hour. And still Congress won't stop pouring money into oil company subsidies.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Yes, but I'm betting the oil companies pay proper royalties to the land owners or the government in Canada, which the companies in the gold mining business are NOT doing in the U.S.

A list of the largest gold mining companies. Note that 5 of the top 10 are Canadian.

Largest Gold Companies

Confused?? Of those five Canadian gold locations, the largest is Detour Gold in Ontario, Canada, Penasquito in Mexico, one in Mongolia and one in Australia. What do those have to do with the US and them paying the US royalties? Perhaps I was wrong not to check out your links in other threads.

And the royalties they pay to the U.S.

Gold Mining on U.S. Federal Lands

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I didn't see anything in that article that said Canada was involved in Nevada?????