DEFENDING DEMOCRACY
Recently, our prime minister, Stephen Harper, volunteered himself to go to the Ukraine to help the people there safeguard their democratic rights.
Just a minute now. Wasn’t this the prime minister who twice prorogued his own Parliament in order to avoid defeat in a confidence vote?
Wasn’t he the prime minister, with his agriculture minister, Hon. Gerry Ritz, who fired the farmer-elected members of the Canadian Wheat Board and dismantled this organization, which farmers had spent generations to build, without giving them their legal right to vote on its future?
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Wasn’t it prime minister Harper who initiated several omnibus bills, each allowing very little time for debate or questions in parliament? Seems like a very unlikely “defender” of democracy.
Donald Thompson,
Rosalind, Alta.
ACTION NEEDED NOW
Re: Feds commit another $1 million to Lake Winnipeg. (Winnipeg Free Press, May 23)
It seems to me the eutrophication problems now plaguing Lake Winnipeg waters all began, as minister Steve Ashton indirectly suggests, more than 40 years ago when something unnatural was allowed to happen to this lake.
That something was construction of the Jenn-Peg dam and the Hecla Island causeway, which have obstructed the lake’s natural water outflow regime.
As long as four decades ago, scientists such as Eve Pip, David Schindler and John Vallentyne openly ex-pressed their concerns about what they could visualize taking place.
Nobody paid attention. It would never happen. But it has happened.
Now, Lake Winnipeg has won the “Threatened Lake of the Year Award”, a testament to bad, short-sighted and ill-informed decisions taken by people over the years.
In the final analysis, Lake Winnipeg needs positive action now. But such action is a long way off, since the signed accords that deal solely with inflow are only now being put into place, and the year 2020 means at least six more years of waiting.
John Fefchak,
Virden, Man.
WEEDS STILL HERE
I have no reason to contest the letter from Dave Weisgerber in the May 8 issue, but I don’t suppose he will mind if I comment on one sentence — “The fences were choked with weeds and every time the wind blew the land was half a mile in the air.”
Now, putting drought to one side, when anything can happen, I state that summerfallow used to make me feel sick, especially the almost recreational summerfallow once so common.
However, around here, continuous cropping, with spraying added, doesn’t seem to make weeds a thing of the past. We have more weeds than ever, certainly no less, and weeds once unknown here.
C. D. Pike,
Waseca, Sask.
HELMETS FOR SAFETY
The Saskatchewan All-Terrain Vehicle Association (SATVA) has launched an ATV Helmet Safety Campaign to encourage everyone in Saskatchewan to wear a helmet when riding an ATV.
ATV safety is a major concern in the province. Last year, eight people were killed and 47 were injured while riding an ATV, making it the highest fatality rate and second highest injury rate for the province since 2000.
According to the RCMP, in five out of the eight fatal accidents last year, the rider was not wearing a helmet.
Over the past 14 years, 442 individuals have been injured and 50 people have been killed, and already ATV injuries and fatalities are being recorded in the province. Unfortunately, many people still refuse to wear a helmet even though they are required by law to wear them on public property.
As the sale of ATVs in Saskatchewan continues to grow, with annual sales reaching roughly 8,000 quad-style and side-by-side ATVs, the likelihood for injuries and fatalities continues to grow as well.
Children and young teens are especially at risk as they lack the knowledge, physical size, strength, and cognitive and motor skills required to operate ATVs safely.
However, wearing a properly fitted helmet is important for all riders as they can save lives and help prevent injuries from happening, particularly since head and spinal cord injuries are among the most common ATV injuries.
Recent research indicates that wearing a helmet can reduce an individual’s risk of death by 42 percent and of suffering a head injury by 64 percent.
I hope that everyone will take the time to wear a properly fitted helmet this ATV season, regardless of whether they are riding on public or private land.
ATVing is a great way to get out and enjoy the great outdoors and they are an excellent farm-use vehicle, but accidents can happen at any time. Wearing a helmet can ensure that you and your family and friends enjoy a safe and fun riding experience.
Don’t become an ATV statistic. Wear a helmet and protect your head. Your loved ones will thank you for it.
For more information, visit www.satva.ca.
John Meed, General Manager,
Sask. All-Terrain Vehicle Assoc.
Lumsden, Sask.
PRODUCER CARS
It is raining today so I have a chance to catch up on some reading. I pick up the latest edition of The Western Producer dated June 12.
The headline on the front page catches my eye, “Grain shipments flowing again”. Catchy heading so I read on. Millions of tonnes of grain are now flowing steadily through the three major export facilities.
Sounds good, but something is missing. Yes, there is a mention of durum shipments down but not too significantly. I grow durum. Agriculture minister (Gerry) Ritz then states that the latest figures show our efforts to get the grain moving are working. Hmmmm. Why is there no mention of grain movement south to the U.S.A.?
I ordered a producer car Nov. 12, 2013, for shipment to Missouri and it is still in the bin. I am not alone as this is a common problem across the Prairies.
Both CN and CP have indicated they have met the government order — yada, yada, yada. I am ready to trash the paper but I soldier on.
Next I read, “Railways exceed car requirements.” CN has surpassed Ottawa’s expectations on car movement. Mr. (Claude) Mongeau states, “we have done exactly what we promised without need for regulatory intervention”.
Uh oh, something smells like rotting grain here. Why am I still waiting for a car for my durum destined for the U.S.A.?
A quick check with my local producer car loading manager and find I am 96th in line for a car and as well, I am up in the 200s for three cars ordered for shipment to Thunder Bay.
On a good week if we are lucky we might get five or 10 cars. But CN say they are exceeding the federal mandate by 11 percent. I call CN and they say they won’t ship any south as they need to meet government orders. I call government and they say the order is for all corridors, east, west and south.
I have the radio on and a country and western singer twangs out the words to his song, “A little less talk and a lot more action,” is applicable, and is certainly true in my situation. By the way, did I mention there are only six weeks left in the crop year? But I guess that point is now irrelevant.
Where is the CGC? Where is Garth Steidl, producer car officer? Does anybody really care?
Is this a concerted attempt on someone’s part, maybe government, railways and, heaven forbid, the big grain companies, to eliminate the producer car shipper, short lines, and producer car loading facilities?
If this is the case, just send me a note, or give me a call and confirm my suspicions, but don’t just ignore me like I have some kind of communicable disease.
Tim Coulter,
Briercrest, Sask.
