Thy Neighbour As Thyself

The disturbing news that our provincial government had decided to breach the Hoop ‘n’ Holler bend in order to take pressure off the weakening Assiniboine River dikes raised mixed feelings. “Why do we have to be the scapegoats?” one area resident protested. Another wondered, “How can they decide to sacrifice my land to spare others’

Smoking Guns And Testy Waters

We almost expected to hear the hoofbeats of a white horse in the background as Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger rode to Lake Winnipeg’s rescue last week. Armed with a new report by Saskatchewan biologist Peter Leavitt that says changing agricultural practices, specifically increased hog production in Manitoba, are to blame for at least half of


Export Sales Will Pay For Bipole III Route

When it comes to Manitoba Hydro, reliability is everything. It powers our economy to the tune of half a billion dollars every year, and it does so while providing the lowest power rates in North America. This huge benefit is good for families and businesses all around the province. The Hydro project, Bipole III, will

Will The New Recipe Work?

On Feb. 4, Prime Minister Harper and U.S. President Obama created a U.S.-Canada Regulatory Co-operation Council (RCC) with a mandate to reduce regulatory red tape at the border. The leaders pledged to remove barriers to the trade of goods between the two countries, with specific reference to food. Food and agricultural products were highlighted because


Letters – for Jun. 9, 2011

Cargill’s stance hardly a surprise The Page 9 headline in the May 19 issue of theManitoba Co-operatorreads: “Cargill calls for orderly end to orderly marketing.” Cargill’s stance should hardly come as a surprise to farmers. After all, what wolf wouldn’t welcome easier access to the sheep. So farmers, let us beware of the big bad

Let Farmers Vote On CWB — It’s The Law!

Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act is clear. If the minister responsible for the board wants to change the CWB’s “single-desk” marketing system, the minister must first do two things: Consult with the CWB’s board of directors; and Hold a clear, democratic vote among producers to determine whether they support the specific changes


Making Election Hay

Although some were cautious in their praise, few in the farming community had any quibbles with the special compensation package the province announced to help farmers cope with losses related to flooding and livestock lost in the late-April blizzard. And rightly so. The package, at least on the surface, is comprehensive and goes beyond what

The Ambassador’s Cheerios

David Jacobson, U.S. ambassador to Canada, gave this year’s Fulbright Lecture at McGill University on Canada-U. S. relations. He used the occasion to argue that the two countries should sit down together and negotiate greater regulatory harmonization, especially in areas such as food standards. He illustrated his point by making fun of the “unnecessary” differences


Farmers Should Be Paid For Stewardship Role

Amid the extensive coverage local and national media provided recently of high water on the Assiniboine River, one phrase kept echoing in my memory, “Never waste a crisis.” General Rick Hillier, retired Canadian chief of defence staff, uttered that profound advice and it is something Manitoba farmers should take to heart. For a moment we

Letters – for Jun. 2, 2011

Well, Stephen Harper and his Tories finally have their longed-for majority. Harper tells us in his victory speech that “we will have to govern well, govern in people’s interest” and that “even as a majority you have to, on an ongoing basis, keep the trust of the population.” Is that going to be the case