Two groups
To the Editor
Re: SCGA reps letter to editor: This is a reply in regards to the letter to the editor titled “SCGA reps” in the May 6 issue of The Western Producer that mistakenly identified the canola organization obtaining the checkoff as the organization making recommendations on the Estey report.
There are two canola organizations in Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association and the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission.
The SCGA is a grower group funded by a membership fee that focuses on policy issues in the canola industry. The SCGA is the canola organization that supported and made recommendations on the Estey report.
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The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission is a separate organization managed by a producer elected board to administer the canola check-off funds. SCDC’s mandate is to improve the profitability of farmers through funding of research, market development and extension programs.
Any producers wanting information on how their check-off dollars are spent can contact the commission at 306-975-0262.
– Roy Button
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Canola
Development Commission
SCGA explains
To the Editor:
Mr. Crush from Lone Rock (Open Forum, May 6) makes reference to the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association and the democratic structure and the fact that the organization does not speak for him on issues of transportation.
He then goes on to say that the stance the SCGA has taken on the Estey report is outside the mandate of SCGA.
I believe that there is a misunderstanding on Mr. Rock’s part as to who the SCGA is and who the Sask. Canola Development Commission is and what both of those organizations do.
The SCGA is indeed a democratically structured organization with a board of directors elected from the membership body. Membership in SCGA is on a voluntary basis and is paid annually by members.
We function as an advocate for canola producers and lobby governments on various issues such as transportation. We also provide agronomic, marketing and extension information through Canola Country, the association newsletter, as well as through a number of events held across the province throughout the year.
It is the SCGA who fought and won the case to have the inclusion clause removed from Bill
C-4. Our goal is to help make canola production more profitable for producers by working with our processing, exporting and industry partners.
The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission is the only body that receives the check-off funds from canola producers. Their main focus is agronomic and production research, market development and extension work.
The SCGA supports the Estey report, as it is their desire to see a commercial system where good performance is rewarded and bad performance penalized. The Estey report is a good foundation on which to build a viable, efficient and competitive system.
– Lorraine Beaudette,
Executive Director, SCGA,
Saskatoon, Sask.
Estey and Liberals
To the Editor:
So the federal Liberals are feeling alienated from the prairie voters. I wonder why? Shortly, some prominent ministers and members of Parliament will be trekking out West to test the mood of prairie voters.
Perhaps a review of some past Liberal government policies and their impact on farm incomes would explain some of the disillusionment and downright anger felt by many a western farmer.
Their government leaders and industry gurus in past have said we could solve the farm income problem if only … we remove domestic barley marketing from the CWB; we eliminate the Statutory Freight Rates, an impediment to value adding; we remove oats marketing from the jurisdiction of the CWB; we bought some rolling stock for the railways, 14,000 to date; we eliminated the WGTA … whereupon the federal Liberals abdicated government’s historic responsibility to the West under the guise of NAFTA and WTO compliance, thereby releasing the railways from any historic obligations in spite of vast land, mineral, and financial grants.
In fairness though, farmers received a paltry $9 to $14 per acre as a final historic settlement. Finally under the same government, CN was privatized and any historic benefit of ownership by the taxpayers was forever lost.
These acts of reckless political expedience have contributed to the demise of numerous rural communities across the Prairies, their once viable schools, community halls, churches, local elevators and businesses.
Having achieved all this, the federal Liberals and their compliant commodity groups … canola, barley, wheat and oats growers still have not reached their desired goal. The CWB still isn’t quite dead.
Well, we may have reached that historic point in time. The federal Liberal initiated Estey Report, if implemented, will do the job of emasculating forever the unique benefits that collective marketing have brought to prairie farmers with the CWB …
Justice Estey would have us believe that if the rate cap were removed that the climate of deregulation would lead to lower freight rates. His report has added one more element of lack of credibility to the federal Liberal government. …
– K. Norman Dyck,
DeBolt, Alta.
Take stock
To the Editor:
It is unfortunate that Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was not able to be included into the merger with Alberta and Manitoba pools. They were in view a short time ago… doing a good job for the farm members management.
However, Sask Pool unfortunately made a bad mistake to go public on the stock market, which debarred the concept as a farmer owned co-op for Sask Pool.
In the meantime the Alberta Wheat Pool then made a bad blunder to trade some grain elevators with the so-called UGG, which is not a farmer owned co-op since going public on the stock exchange some years ago, and now it appears finally that the UGG president has influenced UGG delegates to vote to selling out to foreign multi-national grain manipulators … .
It is long overdue that Canadian farmers take stock of what is happening here. There’s still maybe time to turn around to save our farm communities and family farms from corporate takeover and a feudal dog-eat-dog system, and to build a big supporting Canadian farmers co-op orderly marketing commodity system.
There are many mixed emotions, split opinion regarding the only two left as farmer-owned co-ops. …Agricore Co-operative now may be our only hope for the farmers to market their produce in orderly form if they would give their full support in that direction.
– C.A. Evaskevich,
Hythe, Alta.
Funds for roads
To the Editor:
The letters to our minister regarding the state and needs of our highways are inappropriate.
People who know anything about Judy Bradley know she is fully aware of our highway needs. Judy Bradley is the best Minister of Highways Saskatchewan ever had because she has done more to be fair as possible than any of her predecessors. Writers would have made better use of their time had they advocated increasing rail grain traffic.
In attempts to satisfy stockholders seeking to gain wealth without doing any real work, elevator and rail companies CEOs are resorting to consolidation. Elevator closures and rail-line abandonments are the primary reason for assaulting our highways.
It is unlikely that letters sent to our good minister included such facts or suggested how funds may be made available to restore our road and highway systems.
Grain companies lure deliveries from smaller points by offering door premiums or/and better grades. That must end.
Another plot devised to paralyze small points is to direct grain pickups at inland terminals and keep smaller delivery points plugged and in this way force farmers to deliver to inland terminals.
Then the CEOs suggest farmers are not interested in patronizing small points. We need an effective car allocation system based on elevator space available. Any attempts by a grain or rail company to contravene this provision shall be penalized at least $1,000/load.
In addition, writers could suggest doubling or tripling licence fees on trailers designed for hauling grain. A permit levy is charged on out-of-province grain trailers.
Chassis and cab grain trucks designed to haul a load exceeding nine tonnes shall be similarly surtaxed. All such funds be directed toward our highway system.
It would be interesting to know how many such writers suggested withdrawing from NAFTA and reinstating the Crow.
– Stuart Makaroff,
Saskatoon, Sask.
Boar battle
To the Editor:
I cannot help but literally laugh at our present provincial government in Manitoba when it comes to hog matters. In The Western Producer March 18, the first sentence of an article titled Wild Boar Roundup reads: “Jim Downey was a little teed off last year by the damage done to the golf course near Beausejour, Man. Wild boars, scrounging for food, tore trenches through the fairways of the Mars Sand Hills golf course, which cost thousands of dollars to repair, said Downey. “We fixed it as fast as we could and tried not to get upset about it.”
However, it would appear that come between Jim Downey and a golf game and look out, our provincial government can suddenly come to life. The article continues on to say that as of March 9, 40 wild boars had been removed in the area surrounding the golf course.
From this problem the following has happened: proposed new legislation to win the battle against wild boars running around which can be in place as soon as this spring. This is quoted from a wildlife biologist Mr. Ken Rebizant.
There have been a mere 17 different locations reported with escaped wild boars. They even look to the future and state that they don’t want the problem to get any bigger.
The animals are accused of rooting up wildlife habitat, damaging sensitive ecosystems, ransacking gardens and crops and the worst … chasing people.
The proposed legislation takes a tough stance on this type of behavior. The Department of Natural Resources is allowed to set up control areas to snare, trap or even shoot the animals.
Big game hunters would also be allowed to shoot wild boars, even though no planned limit on the number of escaped wild boars is evident.
It is expected that the hunters would butcher them for meat. According to Rebizant, it’s delicious.
In municipalities where escaped wild boars are at large, local residents would be allowed to shoot on sight.
However, non-residents would have to have permission. They don’t want 200 people out there shooting wild boars at various times of the year.
Under new legislation, anyone wanting to import wild boars to Manitoba would need approval from Natural Resources. He would also need to meet standards, not just guidelines, as set out for mega hog producers of Manitoba.
Manitoba Agriculture states these standards would have to meet their satisfaction. The new legislation would also put the onus on the farmer to capture any wild boars that escape. Not bad work for guys wanting an undisturbed golf game.
Here in the real world, grassroots groups have been in conflict with the provincial government for the last 10 years to have legislation put in that would monitor hog manure disposal from mega high intensive hog operations.
We have been fighting for years and presenting proof from our American counterparts that these hog operations root up wildlife habitat, damage sensitive ecosystems, let alone our drinking water supply, and lower your real estate if you have the misfortune of suddenly living beside one of these big stinkers.
So, Mr. Rebizant, the next time we are downstream and downwind of a mega high intensive hog operation, I invite you to my place for pork on a bun.
– Debbie Nissen,
Oakville, Man.
Biggest farce
To the Editor:
Congratulations for printing the excellent pro CWB letters in your paper dated April 22.
There was also so much truth in what was said about the Estey report. As I write this a group calling themselves a coalition of 92,000 farmers are urging the (today) federal government to adopt said report.
Said coalition is the biggest farce to invade Ottawa since confederation. They list their members and they fail to mention that they are also financed by the grain trade and traders (players) from Winnipeg and Chicago to name a few.
Your paper also has a story or press release from the Prairie Centre (very and always critical of the CWB). Who the hell is the Prairie Centre and just who pays their bills?
– Lorne Radcliffe,
Cardale, Man.
