As voting wound up last week for Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association directors, the provincial government moved to change the laws to give the organization more authority.
The Agri-Food Amendment Act will repeal and change legislation to allow the SCA to handle beef check-off money.
The Cattle Marketing Deductions Act and its regulations have been in place to collect the provincial and national levies and distribute the provincial portion. The amendments will repeal that law.
Under current legislation, a development commission like the SCA is not authorized to collect a non-refundable levy, such as the national checkoff.
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“Amendments to the Agri-Food Act, 2004, will allow this to take place,” said agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud. “Levies collected by a development commission for its own purposes will still be refundable.”
Opposition MLA Deb Higgins said she has questions about the legislation and adjourned second reading debate Nov. 4.
Meanwhile, the sealed ballot boxes collected from the districts where elections have been taking place since Oct. 20 were to be opened in Regina Nov. 12 and results announced that afternoon.
Elections were held in Districts 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 5, 6, 8 and 9A, while candidates in 3B, 4, 7 and 9B were acclaimed.
The winners will be joined by four other directors appointed by the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association and the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association and the past-president, for a board of 16.
Janice Bruynooghe, the management consultant who has guided the SCA through its establishment and the elections, said turnout was strong except as the meetings moved northward and the weather allowed harvest to continue.
For example, in Kerrobert and Turtleford, where the candidates were acclaimed, just 20 people showed up at each meeting last week. In Shellbrook, where there was an election, 30 people attended.
That contrasts with well-attended meetings in the south. Swift Current saw more than 100 people and 90 registered voters. In Kenaston, 110 people, 90 of them voters, attended and in Yorkton 60 of the 75 people voted.
Even in Piapot, where there was no election, 40 people showed up in a snowstorm.
Bruynooghe said the discussion at all the meetings was strong and several themes emerged.
Support for the SCA was among them, with many saying ‘why didn’t we do this earlier?’ she said.
Many wanted to talk about the challenges in the industry.
“These guys, their backs are against the wall,” she said. “Every meeting we’re easily there until 10 or later.”
