Just days before the Canadian Wheat Board and prairie elevator companies resumed negotiations last week, the board got an unwelcome surprise from one of its supposed allies in the ongoing dispute over grain transportation rules.
The Inland Terminals Association of Canada, which represents 10 farmer-owned inland terminals, issued a strongly worded News release
news charging the board with negotiating in bad faith.
It accused the board of imposing policies that threaten the viability of not only farmer-owned inland terminals, but of the entire western grain industry.
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The outburst took CWB officials by surprise, given the fact that inland terminals have been participating in the board’s weekly commercial grain shipping tenders, which have been snubbed by the major grain handlers.
“They certainly seemed to be using the system to their advantage,” said wheat board spokesperson Justin Kohlman.
But inland association chair Dale Cumming, a farmer and a director of North West Terminal at Unity, Sask., said that doesn’t mean they endorse the tendering system or the other changes proposed by the board.
“They’re under the misconception that we’re happy about it.”
In fact, he said, the terminals have been participating simply as a matter of economic survival and to provide customers with more opportunities to deliver grain.
Cumming, who acknowledged that he finds the transportation debate “murky” and confusing, said the terminal association is upset that the board has been making policy decisions on issues like freight billing without consulting it first.
“We wanted to let the public know we weren’t being treated the way we should have been and the way (the board) said they’d treat us.”
Justin Kohlman said the board was taken aback by the content and tone of the News release
news.
“We’re surprised because the inland terminals have been one of the largest beneficiaries of tendering,” he said.
“And we’re a little puzzled as to what motivated this.”
Kohlman said the board has been up front and open with the terminal companies throughout the negotiations and has tried to keep them “in the loop.”
CWB chief executive officer Greg Arason sent a letter to the association immediately following a Dec. 27 meeting with grain companies, telling it about the latest developments and asking for its input on what should happen next.
“We’ve had a good working relationship with them all along and hopefully we’ll be able to renew that once this little hurdle has been cleared.”
Cumming said that like a lot of farmers, he’s confused by the intricacies of the handling and transportation system and at times he doesn’t know what would be the best outcome for the average producer.
“It’s definitely more than I can fathom,” he said.
“I’m just a farmer and I don’t profess to know half of what’s going on.”
However, he said the inland terminals have decided to show solidarity with the grain elevator association in future discussions.
Ironically, the association delivered its attack on the board just three days before it was slated to participate for the first time in face-to-face discussions with the board and the elevator companies. Cumming said the timing was purely coincidental.
