David Rolfe left his recently seeded farm in western Manitoba to
drive 250 kilometres to Winnipeg to rain on federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief’s parade.
Rolfe, who is a director of Keystone Agricultural Producers, wasn’t willing to see the federal government take credit for helping fix the rural road system.
“It’s just not enough. It’s just a drop in the bucket,” said Rolfe just after Vanclief, Manitoba agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk and Association of Manitoba Municipalities rural vice-president Stuart Briese officially announced the beginning of the Prairie Grain Roads Program.
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“If it was new money it would have been very welcome, extremely welcome,” said Rolfe, who attended the announcement and peppered Vanclief with pointed questions.
“But it’s old money, previously announced money, and there’s nothing new in it for Manitoba.”
The grain roads program was announced last year. Across the Prairies, the federal government is putting $175 million toward improving “strategic” grain delivery roads. Provinces and municipalities have to share the cost with the federal government.
Most goes to Saskatchewan, which has the most grain delivery roads.
Manitoba’s share of the federal money is $33.8 million. The provincial and municipal governments will top that up to more than $67 million. The money will be spread over five years and given out to municipalities that apply for the money and whose projects are considered strategic by the committee overseeing the program.
Vanclief said the money was a sign of the federal government’s commitment to help prairie grain farmers accommodate shifting transportation patterns caused by rail line abandonment.
“The federal government is in for 50 percent, and we’re pleased to do that, in an area in which we don’t have to have any jurisdiction at all,” said Vanclief.
Rolfe pounced on Vanclief, describing the $6.7 million annual funding as “peanuts” compared to the $145 million the federal government collects in gas taxes in Manitoba each year.
Briese expects the money to start flowing to municipalities in early to mid July.
Vanclief spoke at a food processors convention, where he was warmly received, and visited an area outside Winnipeg where hog production is expanding.
The day before the announcement, prime minister Jean Chrétien, who was in Winnipeg for a fund-raiser, was criticized by some farmers for not meeting with farm group representatives. More than 100 anti-free trade protesters demonstrated outside the hall where Chrétien was speaking, stopping traffic and breaking a plate glass window.
