Progress
Despite
Challenges
BY PATTY ROSHER, KAP GENERAL MANAGER
Believe me when I say that I’m no adrenaline
junky, but I do like canoeing the fast water.
Sometimes I’ll plan what I think is the best
route between the rocks, but the rushing water
pushes the canoe in a different direction. All I
can do is try to keep us upright and paddle on.
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly pushed KAP members
and staff in a different direction than we had set out at the
beginning of the year.
Things that did not get done because of COVID-19
The provincial and federal governments quite rightly focused
on public health and the economic well-being of those imme-diately
affected at the beginning of the pandemic. That focus
and the public health orders effectively put the legislative
schedule and in-person consultations on hold.
After some very productive meetings with provincial min-isters
and staff, we expected to see new legislation on trespass-ing
this spring that would have helped to protect farmers from
unwanted visitors in their barns and fields. Had that happened
there would have been consultation and an opportunity to talk
to the non-farming community about animal agriculture and
the impact of trespassing on farming operations.
GM’S MESSAGE
In February, we were heartened by Ontario MP Philip
Lawrence’s private members bill that would have exempted
farmers from paying the carbon tax on gasoline, diesel fuel,
propane, and natural gas. In March, the Manitoba provin-cial
government unveiled its Green Levy, which would have
exempted the costs of heating barns and drying grain from
the carbon tax. At the time, KAP expressed some concern over
the additional red tape of a federal-provincial carbon tax, but
the proposed levy answered, in part, the call for an exemption
for those costs. However, both initiatives are on hold and the
carbon tax debate continues to eddy.
On March 20, we submitted our comments on the agri-cultural
deferral under the mandatory training for entry-level
truck drivers. We had some good ideas in our submission
that would ensure safety on the roads, but reflect the nature
of agriculture trucking, specifically addressing the cost,
time commitment, and training and testing capacity. We
have not heard much from Manitoba Infrastructure or
Manitoba Public Insurance on this. At the end of April, we
wrote Minister of Infrastructure Ron R. Schuler to request that
the deferral continue at least until Jan. 31, 2021, to ensure that
farmers can focus on harvest. On June 26, the provincial gov-ernment
approved a six month extension until March 1, 2021.
Photo courtesy of Patty Rosher, KAP general manager
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Manitoba Farmers’ Voice § Summer 2020 § 43