THE WEAKEST LINK
I was offended by Paul Miller’s op-ed (WP March 12) “Railways got bad rap in transport woes” (which asserts) that last year’s transportation backlog was caused by cold weather. Miller further contends Canada’s railways are investing $1 billion a year to offset some of winter’s negative effects.
CP will have a lot of catching up to do if it plans to make up for the approximately 4,800 jobs that were eliminated under CEO Hunter Harrison over the past two years. CP has also shed more than 400 locomotives and 11,000 cars.
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It’s difficult to see any evidence that CN and CP are responding to the growing needs of their shipping customers.
Meanwhile, both ends of the value chain have responded to the increased production and demand for Canadian grain. Farmers are investing in more on-farm storage than ever before. Grain companies are undertaking multimillion-dollar expansion projects at country elevators and port terminal facilities. Western Canadian ports are also responding to increased demand: Port Metro Vancouver has invested billions to increase efficiency and capacity.
Canada’s railways could take a closer look south of the border at how BNSF is responding to winter challenges and working to meet their customers’ needs. Last year alone BNSF spent $5.5 billion across the U.S. to increase capacity and create efficiency. It increased the size of its fleet by investing more than $1.6 billion in locomotives and freight cars and invested in new sidings, expanded existing sidings and established double tracking in areas with increased traffic.
And instead of laying off employees over the winter, BNSF keeps staff on call to mitigate weather-related emergencies and keep the trains running. This “over resourcing” strategy ensures BNSF is able to successfully meet growing customer needs. In Canada, we would settle for “adequate resourcing.”
This year’s winter in Western Canada pales in comparison to the frigid temperatures of 2014, yet both CN and CP are falling behind in their grain shipments. According to the weekly performance reports issued by the Ag Transport Coalition, as of Grain Week 28, the number of unsupplied cars has reached 22,884, a shortfall equivalent to 11 percent of shipper demand.
Miller stated “key opportunities for reducing winter backlogs also lie within the supply chain itself.” Currently, country elevator stocks in store are at sitting at 90 percent of working capacity in Alberta, west coast stocks are now below 80 percent and falling, and the vessel lineup off the west coast is increasing. If you believe a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, then the railways are costing Canada’s agriculture supply chain, and ultimately Canada’s economy dearly.
Kent Erickson
Chair, Alberta Wheat Commission
Irma, Alta.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
I am a retired farmer who has seen many changes in farming over the years. The country schools are all gone, small towns and villages mostly gone. The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration is gone, community pastures gone, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool gone, Canadian Wheat Board gone, thousands of farmers gone, farmers union almost gone.
So what is filling in the vacancies? Community culture is fading fast. Farms are getting larger and larger. Big corporations are financing these farm operations.
These changes, no doubt, are called progress. The people who govern our country are responsible for what is transpiring in the farming industry. Large corporations are taking over the growing and selling of grain.
One glaring example is the mess we’re in regarding spring wheat. Since the federal government stole the CWB, farmers have been at the mercy of large grain companies. Farmers are getting much less for their grain than they could have received through the CWB.
History has a way of repeating itself. The same situation existed in 1924 when farmers were fed up with getting ripped off by the grain companies. Farmers formed the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Following that, farmers demanded the formation of the CWB. Farmers gained control over grading, delivering and marketing of their wheat.
The sad thing is, we elected this government. We, as farmers, are ultimately responsible, federally and provincially. Prime minister Stephen Harper, Conservative MP David Anderson, agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and premier Brad Wall — they speak of freedom in marketing. My view is we are back where we were in 1924. If we put these characters back in power again, God help us.
Merle Sproule,
Lafleche, Sask.
SMALLER IS BETTER
Re: The editorial “Rewards of land investment must be balanced with risks” and the Capital Letters column “Land prices top of mind for next generation” (March 5).
Many people believe the evolution towards huge farming corporations with huge capital costs, and huge operating loans is inevitable. If so, the extinction of the small communities that are intrinsic to Saskatchewan’s identity is also inevitable.
There are many things we do better than the developing world, but on this subject they could teach us a thing or two.
I have travelled in developed and undeveloped countries around the world. The big expensive corporate farm model is by no means the status quo, yet seems to be all we can imagine in North America. Around the world small farms produce more food with less land, make a living, enjoy the support of their government, and are part of vibrant communities.
There are a couple of things we can do to alter the course we are on. There are alternative models of farming and young people interested in farming should try models that interest them and don’t require 5,000 acres of land and a half million dollars’ worth of equipment. Structure — in the form of policy, programs and legislation — needs to support the little guys, or at least not stack the deck against them. If there are no little farms, then there are no little communities and none of the social capital that goes with them.
Joe Hopkins,
Outlook, Sask.
