The end is slowly drawing closer for farmers suing the Saskatchewan government over changes to the province’s Gross Revenue Insurance Plan.
The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal two weeks ago reserved judgment on an appeal of a July 1997 lower court decision that had dismissed the GRIP lawsuit by 386 farmers.
In that suit, the farmers said the province breached its legally binding GRIP contracts by unilaterally changing the farm support program in the spring of 1992.
They also wanted the courts to overturn a law passed by the province that said the GRIP changes were legal and denied farmers the right to sue or collect damages
Read Also
Petition launched over grazing lease controversy
Battle continues between the need for generation of tax revenue from irrigation and the preservation of native grasslands in southern Alberta rural municipality.
Wayne Bacon, a Kinistino, Sask., farmer and spokesperson for the group, said that while the lawyer did an excellent job presenting their case, there is no way to predict the outcome.
“That’s a pretty tough call,” he said. “The judges asked some pretty interesting questions of both sides, but you just can’t read what they’re thinking.”
He said a ruling is expected in three to six months, and he expects whichever side loses will want to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
In dismissing the farmers’ claim, the lower court judge acknowledged the province breached the GRIP contracts, but said it was acting in the public interest.
However, the decision is also being appealed by the provincial government and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, which want the court to reject the lower court’s finding that the GRIP contracts were breached.
