Prairie farmers say they want full transparency on what a carbon tax will really cost them. Keystone Agricultural Producers president Dan Mazier asked the Senate agriculture committee to insist that the federal government monitor and report on the impacts of the tax and what costs are passed on. “In particular, for the agriculture sector, we […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. asks for carbon plan funds
Funding for a project to seed saline land to grass is among 11 Saskatchewan has submitted to the national Low Carbon Economy Fund, even though Ottawa has said it has to sign on to the climate change framework to be eligible. Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said he hopes Ottawa changes its mind once it sees […] Read more
More Sask. land falls in line with regulations
The Saskatchewan government says it is making progress under new drainage regulations announced two years ago. A record 693 quarter sections were brought into compliance in the last fiscal year, an increase from 328 the previous year. Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said the numbers speak for themselves. “I think it does show that the new […] Read more
Parliament passes transportation bill; royal assent pending
It will require more transparency from the railways
After months of political back-and-forth, Bill C-49 is finally a done deal. The Transportation Modernization Act passed through the Senate yesterday just hours after the House of Commons voted to reject two final amendments the Senate had proposed. It still requires Royal Assent, but that is expected soon and certainly before the Commons rises for […] Read more
Sask. wildfire relief fund raises $500,000
The wildfire relief fund established by the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association after last fall’s fires raised about half a million dollars for affected producers. General manager Chad MacPherson said the effort raised about $254,000 in cash, including a $100,000 contribution from the province. More than $200,000 worth of in-kind donations also came in for feed, […] Read more
Crop spray planes recruited for firefighting duty
A Sask. program has trained 25 pilots — who normally spray crops for pests and disease — to use planes to dump water
Aerial applicators could be on firefighting duty this summer in Saskatchewan. Twenty-five pilots who normally spend their time spraying crops for pests and disease have been trained to use their planes to dump water. Carrot River MLA Fred Bradshaw, who was an aerial applicator for more than two decades, initiated the program. He had, on […] Read more
Prairies brace for new fire season
Know the risks
Tinder-dry conditions this spring might have residents of southwestern Saskatchewan a little more on edge than usual. It’s been seven months since the Oct. 17 wildfires that the province’s fire commissioner has described as catastrophic. The area is typically dry, but after a summer with below normal rainfall, it was drier than usual. That evening, […] Read more
Fires continue to take toll on injured farmers
The scars of Oct. 17, 2017, won’t soon fade for those caught in prairie wildfires that night. The Hargrave family lost 35-year-old James, a rancher and volunteer firefighter with the Walsh, Alta., department, in an accident during the fire near Hilda, Alta. Father and son, Ron and Evan Wedrick of Carmichael, Sask., were severely injured […] Read more
MPs study mental health services for farmers
An advocate for better mental health support for farmers says the House of Commons agriculture committee’s decision to study the issue is a good step forward. Kim Keller, a Saskatchewan farmer who co-founded DoMoreAg, said she hopes the committee work will complement research that has already been done, such as that at Ontario’s University of […] Read more
Transportation bill waits on new vote
Political wrangling over Bill C-49 continues in Ottawa as the bill still has not gained full approval from the House of Commons and the Senate. After Transport Minister Marc Garneau accepted some earlier Senate amendments and rejected others, the Senate once again debated the bill last week. It returned the legislation to the Commons May […] Read more
