DRUMHELLER, Alta. – The skies were grey and the mood black as Alberta cattle producers rode on horseback to protest the passage of a controversial grazing bill.
The 300 leaseholders wanted a word with Alberta premier Ralph Klein, who was inside the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology with other western premiers in mid-May.
He didn’t come out to hear their complaints that a Conservative government they had supported for 25 years was selling them out to oil and environmentalist interests.
The Agricultural Dispositions Statutes Amendment Act received third reading in mid-May. It removes direct compensation to leaseholders for damages from industrial activity and raises questions about trespass on rented property.
Read Also
Canada’s slaughter horse industry lacks transparency
The lack of clear reporting and public access to data keeps the industry largely hidden, leaving questions about humane treatment and traceability unanswered.
The ranchers like the crown lands policy the way it is.
They feel the government broke a century-old agreement that trusted cattle producers to manage the grass and water. In their minds, the unknowns of the act jeopardize their security and take away hard-won property rights.
It is a battle being fought across Western Canada as ranchers dependent on leased land fight governments, resource industries and the public over land rights.
Surprisingly, the often unpolitical Alberta has become the flashpoint for the dispute.
MLA Tom Thurber, the government man in charge of the issue, promised that ranchers’ concerns over compensation and public access will be addressed in regulations to be written this summer.
The ranchers don’t buy it.
Calgary oilman and rancher Ken Stiles said the act is flawed and cannot be repaired with regulations.
Instead of the oil compensation money going to conservation projects, he says it will get lost in the government’s general revenues. With less power to manage crown lands, he predicts trouble.
“I have a feeling the standard of stewardship is going to be significantly reduced,” he said. ” The farmer and rancher cannot afford the stewardship like this.”
Alberta political icon Jack Horner, whose brother once was deputy Alberta premier, said the Conservative government has become cocky and passed this legislation without sufficient consultation.
“It takes away my powers and destroys stewardship,” said Horner, who ranches in southeastern Alberta.
He has had oil spills on leased land. He has had to destroy animals after they were tangled in well site fences and equipment. He has had to struggle to force oil companies to own up to their responsibilities when they caused damages.
For smaller losses, there was the compensation plan that saved him and the company time and trouble. With compensation gone, keeping land in good shape may seem like an expensive cause.
Meanwhile, critics note that the several million dollars the Alberta government will divert from leaseholders is a drop in the oil barrel compared to the $250 million in oil royalty tax credits paid to oil companies and their investors.
