EDMONTON — Alberta farmers will be able to ask for special permits this spring to haul grain to the elevators despite the road bans.
Transportation minister Wayne Drysdale said his department is working with the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties to allow farmers to haul grain from their farms to the elevator on roads normally banned from travel because of soft road conditions.
“The last thing we want is the rail companies to say, ‘we’re here now to pick it up’ and you can’t get it delivered. We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,” Drysdale told the recent AAMD&C convention.
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“The trains finally get the grain moving this week and the road bans come on. We’re going to work together to give out some special permits for farmers that need to move grain to elevators.”
AAMD&C president Bob Barss said the association is encouraging municipalities to allow farmers to haul grain on the banned roads.
“It will take a little bit of work and a little bit of co-ordination, but I think the end result is worth it if we can make sure when the trains come the grain will be there,” he said.
“We’ll have extra work to make sure that road is maintained. If it shows wear, we may have to move it to the next unbanned road. The roads are going to be soft, but we have to support our industry and support our producers. We’ll have to do some extra grading and extra gravelling to make sure we move the grain.”
Barss said he hopes municipalities and the transportation department can work together so that farmers need to obtain only one special permit to haul grain and not have to apply to both their local municipality and the department.
Barss said he’s not sure how much road damage will be caused by the ban exemptions because no one knows how much grain is still to be moved this spring.
“It might be a little more maintenance, but to support our industry it is worth it.”
Drysdale said the special permit would be similar to permits that farmers require when hauling wide loads of hay.
“It won’t be that hard for farmers to phone in where they’re going and what they’re hauling. They still have to be legal.”
