An Oklahoma man says Saskatchewan’s Farm Land Security Board is forcing him to sell a farm that’s been in his family for 99 years.
The board has given Dale Kreimeyer until Nov. 1 to sell, saying he can’t own more than 10 acres because he doesn’t live in the province at least half of the year.
That means he has to sell 630 acres, some of which his grandfather homesteaded in 1909.
“I’m arguing the farm has always been in the family,” Kreimeyer said.
“You gave it to my grandfather for free. You can’t take it away 99 years later.”
Read Also
Anaerobic digestion seen as possible emissions solution
Cattle manure is one of the feedstocks that can be used in anaerobic digestion systems.
His grandfather arrived in the Midale area from Wisconsin, lured by the promise of a free quarter section if he farmed the land for three years.
After he died in 1959 his daughter Myrtle inherited the farm. When she died in 1998, the land was passed to her son Dale.
“Once she died, the farm land security board said, ‘you sell the farm,’ ” Kreimeyer said.
Myrtle was a Canadian citizen who, as a nurse during the Second World War, ended up in Texas.
Kreimeyer, who was born in the United States in 1953, said he probably could apply for dual citizenship but still couldn’t fulfill Saskatchewan’s residency requirements.
Under provincial legislation, non-residents have to reduce their holdings to the allowable 10 acres within five years if they inherit land from a non-resident, haven’t lived in Canada for five consecutive years or don’t acquire the land while living in Canada.
Since his mother’s death, Kreimeyer has had two exemptions allowing him to continue owning the land. However, the board recently denied a third application.
He has taken his case to the Midale area’s MLA and agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud’s office, but with no luck.
“I don’t think I’m going to win.”
Jim Chernick, farm ownership manager with the board, said he couldn’t talk about specific cases, but added the legislation is clear.
He said the goal of the 1974 act was to repatriate land to residents.
“The key is the residency of the landowner who wills the land,” he said.
Changes made five years ago extended the rights of Canadian citizens living in other provinces to own more land in Saskatchewan but didn’t apply to non-residents.
“People do apply for exemptions,” he said.
“We would look at what the consequences of that are.”
Chernick said in some cases land owned by non-residents has been rented to local people for generations.
Kreimeyer’s land is rented and he is fixing up the farmhouse to rent it out as well.
He said the province is making money from him because each exemption application costs $50, he pays his annual farmland taxes and is also charged a non-resident tax.
He owns the royalty rights on the land, which has seven oil wells, and will keep the royalties even after the land is sold.
Kreimeyer said he is using freedom of information legislation to determine how some non-residents receive exemptions and others don’t.
He also questions why there is no appeal process in place when an exemption is denied.
