V-day for farm workers in Ontario

The recent victory in the Ontario Court of Appeal allowing farm workers to form unions and bargain collectively comes after a long, protracted, and exhausting battle to give them the same rights as other workers. Farm workers carry out some of the most dangerous, difficult, and dirty jobs in the country, under conditions most Canadians

Polluters liable for “excessive annoyances”

“So long as farmers engage in normal farming practices, the normal common law of nuisance won’t apply.” – William Amos, Ecojustice A landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling that companies can be sued for polluting despite operating within government regulations could have ramifications for agriculture. Supreme Court judges ruled November 20 that a Quebec cement


Farmers not well served by grain transportation reforms

“We have a first-class system. I don’t think there’s anybody who beats us. When you talk to buyers around the world they say, ‘You’ve got all of this and you still screw it up.’” – MARK HEMMES From the farmer’s point of view, reforms made eight years ago to Western Canada’s grain transportation system have

The Jacksons – for Nov. 20, 2008

Darkness had fallen several hours earlier and a cold wind howled through the branches of the giant elm tree in the front yard of the Jackson house. Inside however, all was warm and cosy, the dining room light shining brightly on the four people sitting around the table. Andrew and Rose were there, of course,


Governments must be ready when free markets free fall

There has been a determined effort to move away from the governmental regulations, not only in the financial and agricultural sectors, but in other sectors as well. Is extremism in the name of free markets a virtue or a vice? As we write this column, it appears that congressional and administration leaders have come to