OKEOVER INLET, B.C. – At the end of a winding dirt road, north of Powell River on the Sunshine Coast, are clusters of some unusual farmers living on the beaches of Okeover Inlet. These are farmers of the sea where oysters, clams and other shellfish are grown every year for seafood lovers. At Grace Harbour […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Union, grain companies deadlocked on overtime
The debate over hours of work in country grain elevators reveals unwavering, opposing positions. The grain industry told a federal hearing in Calgary last week that thin profit margins in grain companies prohibit them from paying overtime or hiring additional staff during busy spring and fall periods. Union officials said years of record profits indicate […] Read more
Weak bones pose problem for women as they get older
POWELL RIVER, B.C. – When grandma slips on the carpet and breaks her hip, in all likelihood her hip broke first and then she fell. That is because she has osteoporosis, the leading ailment in older Canadian women. Bones become so fragile, a sufferer can break a wrist opening up a can. And when older […] Read more
Profits scarce in sheep dairies
AIRDRIE, Alta. – When Norman Storch’s children go out to milk, they don’t worry about getting a stinging slap in the face from a wayward cow’s tail. Instead, they work with quiet sheep that stand patiently in a parlor waiting their turn. For the last year, Norman and Leona Storch, of Hanna, in east-central Alberta, […] Read more
Lethbridge fights over cost of hog plant to city
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Charges that a proposed hog processing plant could cost Lethbridge city taxpayers more than $9.6 million are wrong, says the mayor. “It’s absolute drivel,” said David Carpenter, in an interview following a public meeting last week. Carpenter said numbers presented at the meeting by business consultant Al Barnhill included costs but ignored […] Read more
Women like organic lifestyle
POWELL RIVER, B.C. – Getting their hands dirty 14 hours a day is a calling for Tina Fraser, Rebecca Jehn and Mary Alice Johnson. A love of the land lured three women from divergent backgrounds to Vancouver Island where they are part of a community of organic vegetable farmers. Describing their experiences at the Oct. […] Read more
Livestock’s link to Alberta water woes unproven: expert
Health officials have lifted an order to the residents of Shaughnessy to boil all drinking water. The southern Alberta hamlet of 300 was told Oct. 15 to boil its water after elevated levels of cryptosporidium and giardia were found in the water. The problem was detected when a sick dog was diagnosed with the protozoan […] Read more
Farmers find money sometimes does grow on trees
POWELL RIVER, B.C. – Being a successful farmer doesn’t mean owning a giant combine and more land than the neighbors. For one Vancouver Island arborist, there’s more profit in growing Christmas trees on 30 acres of land. Dan and Mary Hanson, owners of Arbordale Nurseries near Courtney, had gross farm gate receipts of $690,000 last […] Read more
B.C. farm women’s group provides valuable link
POWELL RIVER, B.C. – Keeping the fires of enthusiasm burning for farm women who feel overtaxed by government and work has become a major goal of the British Columbia Farm Women’s Network. While many Canadian farm women’s groups are faltering, this group has managed to hold hands across the mountains and the rivers of a […] Read more
Ranchers urge Alta. to give leaseholders more rights
BROOKS, Alta. – When vacationers accidentally burned three acres of grass on Sandy Henry’s leased grazing land, it steeled his desire to keep the public out of his pasture. The uninvited guests started the fire with a barbecue and if the neighbors hadn’t spotted it, the situation could have been worse, he said. That anecdote […] Read more
