Letters to the editor

Bill 19; Grain reputation; Keep crowns; Our sandbox; Appreciate her; Not enough ears; Women’s groups; AU trading

Bill 19

Imagine living in a province or state where: 1. property can be seized and the leaders decide payment; 2. a place where not surrendering your rights of property ownership can result in massive fines or imprisonment; 3. a place where thinking about something or the government thinks you are thinking about something can result in fines and imprisonment; 4. a place where your cost and the state’s costs are borne by you.

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Producers face the reality of shifting grain price expectations

Significant price shifts have occurred in various grains as compared to what was expected at the beginning of the calendar year. Crop insurance prices can be used as a base for the changes.

If these ideas are a struggle for you to comprehend, then welcome to Alberta and Bill 19.

Take the time to get a copy of this bill from your MLA or on-line and take time to read it carefully. Note that current legal opinions regarding this bill can also be acquired on the internet.

This bill is not just about power lines, pipelines and roads. It is about a lot of power in the hands of a few ministers. It is about the loss of numerous rights. It a huge blow against democracy as we know it.

I believe that the government’s next step is to build camps for dissenting landowners – after they find some property to seize.

– Herb Norman,

Innisfail, Alta.

Grain reputation

I have attended every country meeting to hear and receive the annual report of my director since I served as chairman of the Canadian Wheat Board Advisory Committee. The title of this year’s report was “Exceptional” and it really was.

The board outlined their plan to brand all domestic products made from Canadian grain. Long overdue.

What really distressed me, Canada has been doing this with our grain for years with Kernel Visual Distinguishability. Our grain is recognized the world over by its shape.

Then, against the advice of every grain company, (federal agriculture minister Gerry) Ritz went ahead and scrapped it before we had another method to do this and put the responsibility on farmers to say what type of grain they were delivering.

If there was any dispute by our customers, farmers could be liable, whether it was their fault or not. This will get worse now that we are losing our inland grading stations.

Are we losing our reputation as a reliable supplier of high quality grain?

I’ve heard some would like to get rid of the Canadian Western designation. Then, what have we got left? When can everybody get on the same page?

– Avery Sahl,

Mossbank, Sask.

Keep crowns

Prior to the (Saskatchewan) election, the New Democratic Party claimed that the Saskatchewan Party had a hidden agenda to privatize the provincial crown corporations. The Saskatchewan Party denied this and said it was NDP scare tactics to promote NDP votes and they had no intention of privatizing our crown corporations.

Now the Saskatchewan Party is asking people for their opinion on privatizing our crown corporations. The corporations are SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel and Sask Government Insurance.

Our car licence on our 2005 Impala in Saskatchewan would be considerably higher priced under Alberta’s privatization program.

The crown corporations provide revenue for the people of Saskatchewan, which amounts to big dollars. If privatized, this revenue is lost to either Sask Party friends or to the large companies or corporations.

If the Sask Party is sincere in privatizing our crown corporations, I would suggest that regardless of political stripe, the people of Saskatchewan let this government know that they are not in agreement to this privatization, as it would be detrimental and costly to the people. After the transaction it would be too late.

People of Saskatchewan need to unite against privatization.

– Bill Howse,

Porcupine Plain, Sask.

Our sandbox

For the older generation that I am from, the word cool meant a great thing.

However, today that is not the case. The good old United States has used this word to try and kill the cattle industry in this country.

Is it not weird that our country, (which) led in the identity ear tag system in cattle to protect the public from BSE, is being chastised by the very country that fought this and hid their own problems.

We view the new policy of the U.S. and see that they have forgotten Canada again. Today, we ship very little spring wheat to the U.S. but instead they buy it from China. You remember, the country that shipped the tainted grain that killed many dogs and cats when it was used to make cat and dog food.

What I cannot get over is that they claimed that it would not kill humans but it sure did a fine job on good old Spot, the dog.

They now bring in barley and corn from South America. Are they now undercutting their own grain producers? Do they really care where their future foodstuffs come from? I believe that we now see a country that is running amok in policy and direction.

I believe that as Canadians, we should rethink our relations in regards to purchases.

Recently, it was announced that Canada would buy our military needs for our armed forces from the U.S. Should we now rethink this purchase? Should we simply say to the Americans, if you cannot buy our goods, then why should we buy yours?…

I believe that Canada is in the best financial shape. If we want to maintain this, then we will have to instill in our southern neighbours that free and fair trade does not mean misusing us but having to work with us.

If you allow this type of treatment to happen in Canada, by the U.S., then in time, our financial picture will look worse than theirs will. Are we being plundered by the country that calls us friend?

I believe that we should (tell) our federal government that if our so-called friends in the south cannot play fair in the sandbox, then maybe we do not want to play with them at all.

We must remind them that we not only produce foodstuffs but that those large pipelines that run underground from Canada to the U.S. can be turned off or at least down. There is nothing worse than seeing the fuel gauge on your car or home heating tank read empty.

– Bob Thomas,

Regina Beach, Sask.

Appreciate her

Men, read this. It is very important to your life.

I lost my wife before Christmas due to cancer. She fought a hard battle, took chemo treatments for two years, was very sick each time.

She did not complain, always a big smile to everybody. This woman worked hard all her life, three meals on the table on time, raised four kids and helped on the farm – every job from milking cows or pitching hay, hauling grain, working in the garden.

It’s hard to lose your wife of 58 years. … All I can say, men, is look after your wife. She was the best thing in your life. Treat her with respect and honour. Tell her how much you love her, as we never had it so good – a cook, a maid and lover.

When she is gone it is the hardest time of your life to go through. When she is gone, be very thankful of the times you spent together. You will always have memories and wish she were still here. …

When you get into an argument talk it out. Never go to bed mad…. Help her when you have time with her work. Buy her flowers and don’t forget to buy birthday cards, valentines, Easter cards and Christmas cards and on your anniversaries.

The last six weeks with her, I put my life on hold. I looked after her at home with my three boys and daughter, who was a nurse. …

She wrote a letter and had me read it on our 58 wedding anniversary, Feb. 10. She said, “I want to thank my family for being there for me my last days. I love all my kids and husband and wish I could have done more for them.

“Sorry, Jack, I had to break our contract made in 1951. You held up your end and I have to go. Take care and have a good life. I had a good life and would not want it any other way. Take care of my kids.”

– Jack Pawich,

Cartwright, Man.

Not enough ears

How do I register the existing tag on the bull I just bought? Surely you aren’t so absolutely daft as to expect me to retag him when he already has one?

There doesn’t seem to be a way to report lost tags. This is a very common occurrence.

What do I do when a cow runs out of ears? I’ve got one that has had six tags.

Could this program be any more cumbersome? I use SaskTel dial-up, not by choice. I have to input sometimes as little as a check mark on a screen, then wait for another screen to open (30 seconds) over and over again.

And then the dial-up drops the call half way through. One time I spent more time registering three yearlings then it took to haul them in, and I live 150 kilometres from the auction.

Generally, when I sit down to update the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, it is a two to three hour event. I’m only running eight cows.

This seems to be merely a money grab for the tag manufacturers. If it was legitimately about animal age, we’d just brand or tattoo the birthdate/country/etc. on the critter.

I noticed it has done nothing for the prices. To help in that regard, I figure it is again not a case of the government doing anything good, but stop doing bad.

If they’d allow us to test for BSE, I’m sure we’d have more overseas markets. Did you know it is illegal for me to pay for and get a BSE test done?

The competition bureau approved all the deals that have left us with the current monopoly situation with regard to packers, the only ones actually making money.

– Mitch Ashdown,

Wynyard, Sask.

Women’s groups

Re: Farewell from Farm Living Editor (WP, March 5).

I take exception to the comment that women’s rural advocacy and networking groups are first of all no longer in existence and secondly that any that have ceased to be are no longer functioning because of the funding cut from the federal government.

There are new networking groups that have formed that meet the needs of women involved in agriculture. They are actively involved in policy discussion and are not focused on cooking and sewing but with business support, communications and advocacy.

These are the needs that need to be met and organizations such as Ag-Elle and Ceres Alberta Women’s Fraternity are only two such groups.

I would think that the Farm Living editor would actively seek out these groups. If she is unaware of them, then I am sure others are also unaware and I believe it is the job of the media, especially The Western Producer, to highlight these groups and not cry over the demise of organizations that no longer meet the needs of today’s women involved in agriculture.

These groups are not relying on a government handout to assist other women. They are not dependent on federal funding to exist and to carry out their good work.

– Jacquie Fenske,

Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.

AU trading

In John Hamon’s interesting letter of March 12, he mentions that “in 2001, when the shareholders of Agricore United voted to dismantle their share structure and reorganize as a privately traded company….”

My research shows that in 2001, Agricore co-operative merged with UGG, becoming Agricore United, which was publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange until June 2007, when its stock was delisted and became part of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, another publicly traded company.

I stand to be corrected, but at no time were any of these companies private, let alone privately traded. They were not private such as James Richardson or Cargill, but started out as co-operatives, then became publicly traded.

I look forward to Mr. Hamon explaining how these companies were privately traded, as he may know something that I don’t know.

Could it be that the Gravelbourg Stock Exchange deals with privately traded laughing stock?