PRIVATIZING NO SOLUTION
(There has been) recent hype over the Saskatchewan Transportation Corp. losing money, the increase in cost of operation and now talk of privatization — like privatization is the magic solution to everything.
Privatization is not the solution to anything as far as I’m concerned. (Saskatchewan premier) Brad Wall has pretty much sold us down the river and pats himself on the back.
I’m surprised how many don’t know the difference between a crown, or commission, and a corporation.
Read Also
Proactive approach best bet with looming catastrophes
The Pan-Canadian Action Plan on African swine fever has been developed to avoid the worst case scenario — a total loss ofmarket access.
The mandate of one is to provide a service and create jobs, albeit with subsidies. The mandate of the other is to screw it up so to make the most profit possible for themselves and the banks who have the holdings.
I use the STC four or five times a year, but even if I didn’t, I like to know it’s there….
Here is one example: I left my truck at Kramer Auctions on Highway 16 because I drove a tractor home. My wife doesn’t drive so I rode my bike to the highway here and took the bus right to Kramer’s via Saskatoon. Perfect.
The recent cost of $10 million included expansion, new buses and drivers. I‘d guess it should be less next year, but even if it isn’t, $10 million is not a lot for a top -rate transit system in a growing province. I worked for a transit system that cost several billion per year, paid for by the city (of) Toronto and the province. Just our electric power bill alone is $20 million.
So I say leave the STC alone and let’s use it more. It’s there for all of us.
Ross Hingston,
Landis, Sask.
SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOUR
With recent suicides of Canadian military people, and 2014 being the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War and the 70th anniversary of Canada’s D-Day landing, if ever there was a time the (prime minister Stephen) Harper government should be recognizing the sacrifices of our veterans by providing them with necessary support, this is it.
Instead, they closed nine Veterans Affairs offices.
The contempt shown by minister of veterans affairs Julian Fantino to a group of concerned veterans on Jan. 28 was shameful.
This incident reveals an administration more committed to shrinking government than in compassion or indeed using common sense — another example of the Harper re-gime swinging an ideological wrecking ball first and trying to manage the destruction later.
In a recent email, Conservative MP David Anderson claimed: “The closing of nine Veterans Affairs offices across Canada allows us to provide greater support for veterans by utilizing every Service Canada Centre across Canada, which numbers around 650 offices.”
Has Mr. Anderson been in one of these crowded offices with its overworked staff lately? It will be, “take a number and get in line Gramps; there are a couple of dozen passport applications to take care of first.” And what about the trained and knowledgeable staff being lost?
David Anderson seems a nice guy, so one wonders how he and other Conservative backbenchers really feel when asked to mouth the condescending government line that the Public Service Alliance of Canada “ is manipulating our veterans.” Don’t insult our intelligence.
Veterans are survivors who aren’t about to be manipulated by PSAC, the government or anyone else.
At Dieppe and Juno Beach, in Korea and in Afghanistan, we asked our soldiers to put their lives on the line. It is Canadians’ understanding that when they need it, we will do for veterans as they have done for us. Accept nothing less from your MP.
Doug Bone,
Elrose, Sask.
STOP BILL C-18
I have just received my 2014 Saskatchewan Seed Guide. I have counted approximately 70 different wheat varieties and approximately 24 different barley varieties that are mostly plant breeders’ rights protected, which really means farmers have to pay more….
Why in the world do producers need so many costly private varieties when we as producers only seed one or two varieties at a time?
What is wrong with so-called farm groups that lobby against democratic producer organizations and push insane farm policy on behalf of seed companies?
Why are groups like this out to destroy the publicly owned varieties that we have now? These varieties were very common and are slowly being deregistered and replaced with PBR varieties, which farmers will have to pay royalties on.
If (agriculture minister Gerry) Ritz gets Bill C-18 passed, it will put producers under the authority of the UPOV 91 treaty.
When that happens, if producers do buy their PBR seed, not only will they pay a big price when they buy the seed but the seed companies are given rights to collect royalties on the crops that farmers want to sell that are grown from that seed.
These end point royalties could amount to $1 to $4 per tonne for the next 20 years on the grain that is harvested. And there is no guarantee that the seed companies will spend these huge windfalls on new development or new varieties. I will bet that most of that money will go to their shareholders….
This insane Bill C-18 has to be stopped by producers. They cannot sit idly by anymore and must take action against the federal government by talking, phoning or emailing their MPs and voicing their opposition to this bill.
Remember your Conservative MP will retire with a fat lifetime pension while we and our grandchildren will go on paying for UPOV 91 forever.
Eric Sagan,
Melville, Sask.
CREATE HEALTHY SOIL
The existence of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and genetic engineering reflect a failing agriculture industry. These technologies compensate for neglected soil and plant health.
Weeds are nature’s forgiveness to cover and repair abused soil. Fungi and insects do not compete with animals or humans for food. Fungi and insects return to the nutrient cycle organic materials that will not nutritionally maintain an animal or human.
Disease and insects will not harm healthy plants. Genetic engineering is prolonging an unsustainable agricultural system’s inevitable demise.
The green revolution’s focus on plant production has neglected the health of the soil, causing infestations of weeds, disease and insects and the growth of the input industry.
Green revolution technologies allow low quality food to be salvaged and fed to animals and humans, preventing starvation, while diminishing trans-generational health.
When facing weeds, insects and disease, understand it is a failure of creating a healthy soil environment, not a deficiency of pesticide applications.
Producers are killing the messenger, so to speak, by following the recommendations of the input industry.
Garrett Osborn,
Big Beaver, Sask.
