Region 7 > Alberta

The sent the following letter to Alberta Turkey Producers on May 7, 2018: Re: Growing Alberta’s turkey sector through diversified production for niche markets It has come to our attention that the upcoming meeting of the Alberta Turkey Producers Board of Directors may consider reducing the current quota exemption from 300 birds per calendar year produced

Red Deer, AB— On February 15, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear the case, Orphan Well Association, et al. v. Grant Thornton Limited, et al., also known as the Redwater Appeal.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) urges federal Agriculture Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, and his provincial counterparts, Hon. Oneil Carlier (Alberta) and Hon. Lyle Stewart (Saskatchewan), to provide immediate relief to cattle farmers affected by the expanding quarantine measures required in response to the discovery of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) infection of six Alberta animals.

On December 10, 2015, the Alberta Provincial Government passed Bill 6 – the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranching Workers Act. Until this time, farm and ranch employers were not required to register with the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) or provide any form of workplace insurance for employees. The Farming and Ranching Exemption regulation didn’t allow health and safety inspectors to enter or conduct investigations on farms and ranches where people, including children, have been seriously injured or killed. It is estimated that between 1990 and 2015, 9,000 workers have sustained injuries requiring hospitalization and approximately 400 people have lost their lives on Alberta farms and ranches. 65 were children.

I have the good fortune of living and working in a rural community and I have also had the privilege of working with individuals and families whose livelihoods depend on farming and ranching. In addition to this, I am proud to be a member of a multigenerational farming family. Over the years I have observed a trend in regard to farm related injuries and the economic and social ramifications for those who are not covered by workplace insurance.

The Alberta government recently introduced Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, which, if passed, will require farms with one or more paid employees to carry Workers Compensation insurance. The National Farmers Union supports Bill 6, which is currently being debated in the Alberta Legislature.