The Farmers’ Advocate office in Alberta knew there was trouble when farmers and MLAs began calling it about seismic companies in two areas of the province that were not paying their bills.
“We got tons of calls,” said assistant farmers’ advocate Janet Patriquin.
She said it turns out three seismic crews working in the Wetaskiwin and Pincher Creek areas were linked through co-ownership and didn’t pay farmers after the energy company that contracted them experienced financial trouble.
Her office didn’t get a straight answer about the nature of the financial trouble, she added, but cheques have started to “trickle out” to some farmers.
Patriquin said 80 percent of the calls to the Farmers’ Advocate office are about the energy industry, prompted largely by energy activity and increasing concerns over protecting water sources.
Landowners are also becoming more concerned about properly negotiating or signing a lease.
Patriquin said the office has also received calls from farmers who bought new or slightly used farm implements at auctions and were surprised to learn the warranty didn’t follow the equipment.
