Our provincial minister of agriculture wants you to believe that he generously gave leaseholders what they wanted after there was a huge uproar over proposed Crown land modernization changes made by then minister Ralph Eichler.
That is not the case.
After huge leaseholder protests, Ralph Eichler conceded and agreed to bring back family transfers, ensuring continuity and the survival of the family farm.
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He also agreed to allow a one-time transfer of “legacy” leases to allow the orderly sale of ranches bought by newcomers who now want to leave Manitoba and its draconian, non-conservative, lease changes.
It would also allow for the sale of ranches by Manitobans, without family to transfer to, who have lived within the transfer parameters their whole lives.
Those were the promises but the one-time transfer has been removed from the regulations.
If this regulation is passed there will be no unit transfer in Manitoba.
Ranches in northern Manitoba become unviable and unsalable. Not a single ranch has sold since the Crown land freeze, nor will they sell.
Personally, we would never have come here. We would have gone to Saskatchewan where land prices are similar but they have not destroyed their leased land system and they have a solid government that’s supportive of agriculture.
All other ranches in Canada, making use of leased land, have a unit transfer process.
Why is this government so off track?
Shelley Dyck
Ste. Rose du lac
