Larry Maguire says farmers can’t wait any longer.
The president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association said the group will host a transportation summit in Regina next month to examine grain movement in Western Canada.
“Somebody has to take the initiative,” Maguire told reporters at a Vancouver Port Corporation meeting in Regina. “Farmers are so frustrated with the fact that they haven’t been able to deliver their grain.”
He said farmers have received conflicting answers about who is to blame for the transport delays of prairie grain this past winter, and the federal government did not call an inquiry before heading into the election campaign.
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Maguire said estimates that the backlog cost farmers $100 million are probably too low.
“When we get into the situation where we’re looking at those kinds of dollars, the finger pointing that’s been going on, the deflecting of responsibility from one sector to another doesn’t move any more grain,” he said. “And that’s the frustration that we have as farmers today.”
Co-operation needed
Maguire said the willingness of the industry to come together would make the summit different from meetings that have already been held on this issue.
The goal will be to develop a working model that would make the grain handling and transportation system more accountable, he said.
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool president Leroy Larsen said representatives from that organization would attend a summit.
“I think it has to be a total review of the situation we’ve just gone through,” he said, adding there has to be more than a verbal commitment from industry players to fix the problem.
Larsen said prior to the election call the three prairie pools were lobbying for a task force review.
“I am asking that some resolution be in place before the grain starts moving this fall,” he said.
The summit is expected to be held in late June and include all industry players.
