SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – A producer organization created two years ago is hoping to regain momentum and evolve into a credible farm voice.
The Prairie Producer Car Shippers Association held its third annual meeting here Feb. 12 with about two dozen people in attendance. That compares to about 100 who voted to form the organization in 2002.
At the time, they were united in controversy, worried the Canada Grain Act was to be opened as part of a Canadian Grain Commission review, and that the right to ship producer cars could be lost.
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The members intended the PPCSA to be a single-issue group.
Last week, chair James Woodworth asked the members to identify the issues the executive should work on over the next year and longer.
He also said the executive had dealt with various concerns as they arose but hadn’t had time to focus on membership. He noted the website has only been running since last week.
Woodworth said there was much more interest in the group when it first formed but that didn’t translate into membership. The annual fee was set at $100.
“We never ever did (get cheques),” he said.
Gordon Fritzke of Golden Prairie, Sask., said the organization did a poor job of staying in touch with the members and keeping them informed about what it was doing on their behalf.
“They never heard any more after they spent $100,” he said.
Those at the meeting debated how membership fees should be collected, and finally directed the executive to establish individual and group, corporate or association rates based on a sound budget.
The association lost $1,836 last year, taking in only $1,860 in memberships and spending $3,696. It does have money in the bank from previous years’ fees.
Ron Gleim, president of the Western Rail Coalition, urged the group to budget for at least one trip to Ottawa to gain credibility with decision-makers.
The organization is a member of the Farmer Rail Car Coalition, which is working to purchase the federal hopper car fleet. It also plans to work on issues like allocation, single car freight rates, joint running rights, branch line abandonment and container shipping.
Maintaining and expanding membership is also on the list.
