RED DEER — Alberta’s farm safety legislation has united the province’s agriculture community.
More than 70 people representing 95 percent of the agriculture industry have joined together to develop a unified approach to the farm safety bill, otherwise known as Bill 6, said Kent Erickson, co-chair of the Jan. 22 meeting.
“The number one goal of this coalition meeting is we want to have one clear unified voice sending good clear messages to government,” said Erickson.
Erickson said the joint Crop and Livestock Sector Working Groups want to work together to make proposals to the government about what health and safety, labour and employment regulations should look like.
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The group tried to find Bill 6 problems that farmers couldn’t accept.
It wasn’t the farm safety aspects that farmers opposed, but labour legislation, he said.
“The biggest areas of concern, as the entire coalition, are the detail around labour and employment standards.”
He said the government needs to accept that grain producers and livestock operators are subject to the weather.
“When we’re in peak times, we are not able to manage the environment,” said Erickson.
Alberta agriculture minister Oneil Carlier announced six technical working groups, of 10 to 12 people from industry, farmers and labour to work together to build a workable farm safety bill.
Four groups will focus on occupational health and safety, one on labour and another on employment codes.
Each group will be led by a mediator to help develop workable solutions.
Erickson said the coalition will help solidify the farmer message to government when commissions suggest members for the roundtables.
Coalition members stressed during the discussion that it’s important to have a safety association or group that could help farmers implement the regulations, similar to what exists in Manitoba and British Columbia.
mary.macarthur@producer.com
