Mary MacArthur

A war of words has broken out after workers at the Maple Leaf Edmonton plant voted 68 percent in favor of strike action. Fax lines have been hot between company officials in Toronto, the union office in Edmonton and reporters across the province covering the escalating packing plant dispute after the Aug. 26 vote. Even […] Read more

One of Canada’s oldest and largest ranches is for sale. The 540,000 acre Douglas Lake Ranch in southern British Columbia near Merritt is for sale for $103 million. The ranch is owned by the Woodward family, who owned the department store chain. Charles Woodward’s sons Kip and John have managed the ranch since their father’s […] Read more

EDMONTON – A new craze sweeping North America may be the answer for women who have always harbored a secret desire to get a tattoo, but have been too afraid. Mehndi, an Indian body art using henna paste, is a way women can decorate their bodies without leaving a permanent mark, said Veronica Allen, who […] Read more

A slice of sweet Maple Leaf bacon may soon be as rare as a fiddlehead fern. Workers at Maple Leaf’s hog slaughtering plant in Edmonton were scheduled to take a strike vote Aug. 26 and results were not available at press time. Workers at two other plants in North Battleford, Sask. and Hamilton, Ont. have […] Read more

Peace River farmers already reeling from too much rain, poor crops and bad weather are being hit with another crop disaster. The worst outbreak of bertha army worms since the 1970s is ruining canola, the only crop worth any money, said John Huffman, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture in Grande Prairie. “There is a significant […] Read more

An Alberta short-line railway has added another two sections of track to its growing rail company. CN will transfer its 90 kilometre Hagersville subdivision from Nanticoke to Brantford, Ont. to Raillink by way of a 21-year-lease. Raillink will also acquire CN’s track around Hamilton’s north-end industrial area. “We are very pleased to add these important […] Read more

PINE LAKE, Alta. – Rebecca Wozniczka came to the day-long camp on farm safety because her mother thought it would be a good idea. By the end of the day, Wozniczka was glad she came. Even though she lives on a farm she never realized there were so many hazards. She admits to riding in […] Read more

DRUMHELLER, Alta. – For farmers it’s like watching a battle in Jurassic Park. The combines are prehistoric beasts fighting it out. They lumber and groan as they smash away at a wheel or radiator in attempts to disable their prey before going in for the final kill. It’s the annual Combine Crash. “All your frustrations […] Read more

Hot weather and little rain may have grain experts moaning about crops in Alberta, but the acid test will be the number of new combines and pickups sold this fall, said an Alberta Agriculture crop specialist. “That’s how you can tell how things are going,” said Blair Shaw, of Taber, Alta. “There will be individuals […] Read more

Workers at Western Canada’s largest cattle slaughter plant are back to work after three weeks on the picket line. Workers at Cargill Food plant in High River, Alta. last week voted 53 percent in favor of the 31/2 year contract that boosts the starting wage by 80 cents to $8.80 an hour. The biggest obstacle […] Read more