Daniel Schott’s reaction was one of bewilderment and disbelief when he read a letter from Manitoba Hydro in early March.
Schott, who farms with his mother near Warren, Man., owns a section of farmland bisected by a transmission line. Manitoba Hydro owns the right of way for the power line, known as Bipole I, which cuts diagonally across the Schotts’ land.
When the power line was built in the 1960s, Schott’s grandfather was required to sell his land to the utility company for the right of way. The arrangement since then was that Hydro allowed the family to use the land in exchange for maintaining the right of way to certain standards, Schott said.
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“My grandpa was the original owner of the land … and (the family) hasn’t been bothered ever since (by Hydro),” Schott said.
That is why a letter from Manitoba Hydro, demanding the Schotts sign a five-year lease to rent the right of way, was such a surprise.
“They are reassessing the land in the area and they’re wanting us to pay rent ($30 per acre) on the land (60 acres) between the towers,” said Schott.
“I don’t know why they’re trying to do this now.”
The Schotts were not the only farmers in the Warren area to receive such a letter. More than a dozen farmers were also told they would have to pay rent to Hydro.
Grant Hamilton has 70 acres in the power company’s right of way, 50 of which are under cultivation.
“The area that we don’t farm, (directly) under the towers, is maintained weed free,” he said.
The right of way for Bipole I, according to Hydro’s website, is 137 metres wide.
Hamilton said he was also bothered by the tone of the letter. The utility told Schott that the lease must be signed by May 15 or Schott would be charged with trespassing.
The threat and uncertainty are especially troubling for Schott because his family typically uses the land under the power lines for hay. However, last fall he worked the 60 acres and was planning to plant a crop this spring.
“I spent a bunch of money breaking it up,” he said, as well as buying seed, fertilizer and chemical stored at his farm.
Last week, Schott went public through a provincial Progressive Conservative party news release.
Bob Brennan, chief executive officer of Manitoba Hydro, admitted Hydro had been too aggressive.
“We should’ve gone out and talked to them, explained everything to them,” instead of simply sending a letter, he said.
“It seems to me we could’ve done it better.”
To make it easier on the affected farmers, the company will offer a reprieve on the leases for two months, he said.
“Go ahead. Plant a crop. It’s business as usual.”
However, the company still intends to implement a lease agreement with producers, requiring a payment for use of the land.
“We’re paying the taxes on it so they’re going to have to help us out with that,” he said.
Despite the deadline extension, Schott said paying rent is unacceptable.
He said the status quo is a good deal for the power company because doing its own maintenance would be more expensive for the utility.
“It works well for all parties.”
