AgriStability deadline must be extended
Kevin Hursh is correct that in some cases the AgriStability program has the potential to help farmers caught in a contract buyout when he wrote in his Nov. 18 column that contract buyouts are an eligible expense for AgriStability calculations.
Manitoba and British Columbia co-operated with the federal government and months ago enabled late enrolment for farmers who wanted to join AgriStability well after the deadline had passed.
If the governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta were truly interested in helping their farmers, they would also enable late enrolment for their farmers, even at this late date.
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The federal government stepped up with the AgriStability offer early to help droughted-out farmers, even though they don’t have much political support here. Oil and gas prices have more than recovered. So why won’t Saskatchewan and Alberta follow the lead of Manitoba and B.C.?
Stewart Wells
Swift Current, Sask.
People have spoken in time change vote
I am sending in this letter in response to the article about the Alberta vote on the time change.
I am a little disappointed at how biased the writer of this article is. It gives the opinions of two people who think that, if anything, Alberta should stay on Mountain Standard Time year around.
The question in the referendum vote was clearly stated on the voting cards. We were asked to vote “yes” or “no” to staying on Daylight Savings Time, or “summer time,” year round. Where would any confusion be involving that question?
Rural municipalities voted six to one on a clear question to keep it on Daylight Savings Time year round, yet the president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta, Paul McLauchlin, says that it was worded wrongly and we should have been given the option of staying on Mountain Standard Time, and rural people wanted that option and that many polling stations were not open due to acclamations.
I come from one of those acclaimed stations, and ours was open, I understood the wording clearly and I voted to stay on Daylight Savings Time year round. Rural polling stations had the majority, six to one, that we stay on Daylight Savings Time year round.
Does Paul not believe the results? How can he say that is not the question “rural Alberta” wanted to be asked? He does not speak for rural Alberta; he has an opinion, like the rest of us. As far as “expert” opinions on high noon, this only makes sense at one place in the province at noon. If you go east or west or north or south, this concept is just a sales pitch. Most of the northern municipalities, which have far less daylight than Calgary, voted to keep Daylight Savings Time year round.
As a rural Albertan and a farmer, I could care less where the sun is at what time of the day, Getting up at 4 a.m. to seed or spray during Daylight Savings Time is more than early enough for me. I would not want to have to climb out of bed at 3 a.m. if we stayed on Mountain Standard Time year round.
I just know that I enjoyed those sunlight hours later in the evening because in the winter I can work outside until supper time and in the summer use those hours for recreation after a long day of work.
There is no way I would ever vote “yes” on a question asking if we wish to stay on Mountain Standard Time year round. The Yukon Territory and Saskatchewan stay on Daylight Savings Time year round, B.C. has voted to stay on Daylight Savings Time year round, and is only stalling because it is waiting for Oregon to change too.
If B.C. changes, it’s only a matter of time before Alberta has to follow. This referendum got voted down by the urban population vote, who never really even have to give a thought to when the sun goes down or comes up because when it does go down, the streetlights go on.
Kent Larouche
Chauvin, Alta.
