Some hog farmers had been worried that this autumn’s Manitoba municipal
elections would split communities apart over hog farming issues and
bring in slates of anti-hog barn activists to take over rural municipal
councils.
And they expected to see this year’s annual convention of the
Association of Manitoba Municipalities become the launching pad for
campaigns against the hog industry.
But in the end, the hog barn issue overwhelmed the elections only at a
few flashpoints, and there was scarcely a mention of pigs at the
Read Also
China’s grain imports have slumped big-time
China purchased just over 20 million tonnes of wheat, corn, barley and sorghum last year, that is well below the 60 million tonnes purchased in 2021-22.
convention.
“I guess it hasn’t ended up being a big item for discussion,” said AMM
president Stu Briese halfway through the convention.
In the end, not a single resolution about intensive livestock
operations was debated and the provincial cabinet received no direct
questions about the issue in a session with delegates.
Briese said in the autumn elections, the hog barn issue was important
in “eight to 10” RMs, but most RM elections were about a number of
local issues and single issue candidates did not dominate.
Ronald Kingdon, a councillor in the RM of Saskatchewan, said whether to
allow large hog barns to set up in the RM was not the biggest issue he
heard.
“It was brought up, but no more than many other issues,” said Kingdon.
Even in some of the most heated RMs, such as Daly and Piney, the hog
barn issue did not overwhelm other issues.
“I don’t think it controlled the vote,” said RM of Daly reeve Evan
Smith.
“It certainly had some effect, but it didn’t control it.”
Briese said the few electoral contests where hog barns became the main
issue did not produce a uniform result. Some elected people likely to
place tougher restrictions on large hog barns, but others replaced
people who were generally antagonistic to large barns with people who
are in favour of them.
Newly elected Daly councillor Ruth Pryzner said the silence about hog
barns at the convention shouldn’t be taken to mean the issue is settled.
She said many new councillors like her are worried about the provincial
government’s intention to take environmental approvals out of the hands
of municipalities. A resolution calling for the AMM to oppose the
province’s plan was put forward, but it missed the deadline for
resolutions so it was not debated at the meeting.
