Alberta Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier has agreed to work with a coalition of farm groups to improve farm and ranch safety in the province. The Alberta Agriculture Farm and Ranch Safety Coalition, or the “AgCoalition,” was formed in response to Bill 6 — the Alberta government’s new farm labour legislation. The group aims to provide… Read More
Category: Bill 6 – Enhancement of Protection of Farm and Ranch Workers
A coalition of Alberta farm groups formed in response to the province’s new farm labour legislation is getting itself organized. The Alberta Agriculture Farm and Ranch Safety Coalition, or the “AgCoalition” as it’s known, announced a formalized governance structure, communications protocol and plans for involvement in provincial consultations today. The group’s mandate is to “unify… Read More
Bryan Walton, CEO of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, and general manager of the National Cattle Feeders’ Association, joins us for an update on cattle feeder news, including: the Alberta Beef Industry Conference, the agriculture coalition in Alberta, and a new feedlot assessment tool. Alberta Beef Industry Conference The Alberta Beef Industry Conference kicked off… Read More
Do you think of yourself as an inclusive person? Are you able to tolerate and embrace the behaviors or beliefs of a wide array of people? Are you able to consider people’s thoughts that are not the same as your own? Do you only respect people that agree with or support your opinions? Are you an… Read More
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has provided an answer to those wondering how it would even begin to select working group members for the next phase of consultations on the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act. As of today, the government will be accepting nominations for the positions. “Farming is more than a job, it’s a way… Read More
We have more than covered the negative side and controversy of the Bill 6 legislation in Alberta. The biggest benefit of the bill is not the protection of workers, a safer farm workplace or compensation for injured or disabled workers. Much of this is either already happening or is not truly enabled by the bill…. Read More
The Alberta government is in the process of figuring out the details of its controversial farm labour legislation — Bill 6, which took effect on January 1st. “There are a lot of technical things that have yet to be worked out,” explains Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier in this video, filmed at FarmTech in Edmonton earlier… Read More
Alberta’s Crop Sector Working Group (CSWG) is encouraging farmers, ranchers and their employees to participate in an online survey surrounding Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act. “The survey is designed to acquire productive, on-farm feedback relating to Bill 6,” said Kent Erickson, chairman of the Alberta Wheat Commission, in a release. “Sufficient… Read More
Over 100 adults and children are lost to agricultural fatalities on an average year in Canada. And though that number has started to drop in recent years, there is still much to be done to promote farm safety, particularly around machinery. Check Out All Our Kickin’ Tires Podcast Episodes In this episode of Kickin Tires, special… Read More
The Alberta government passed its new farm labour legislation last week. Bill 6 is supposed to make Workers’ Compensation Board insurance coverage mandatory for farm workers while bringing Occupational Health and Safety and labour standards to farms. Amendments made to the bill clarified that it only applies to farms with at least one paid worker…. Read More
Despite large protests calling on the province to delay or drop the legislation, the Alberta government passed Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, on Thursday. The legislation passed third reading with 44-29 vote after government house leader Brian Mason invoked closure to limit debate. With mixed messages coming from government… Read More
From the reported merger talks between two giants in the ag input industry to limited talks about the proposed farm labour legislation in Alberta, here’s this week’s TWORA podcast, featuring perspectives from John Masswohl, Ian Brodie, Brian Voth, Derek Jamieson and Richard Phillips: Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts… Read More
The debate whether Alberta farmers and ranchers need Bill 6 is being discussed in full at the town halls, the rallies, in all social media channels and on RealAgriculture.com. We thought it would be interesting to look at Bill 6 through a different lens — through the lens of an experienced political expert. What about… Read More
As the Bill 6 debate continues in Alberta, Real Agriculture is taking a look at how other provinces regulate farm labour, health and safety. Are there lessons to be learned from how other provincial legislation was developed and how it’s constructed? Let’s take a look at Ontario. In June 2006, Ontario agriculture was brought under… Read More
I’m not surprised that Alberta farmers railed against Bill 6. Usually, the status quo is easier to live with than change, particularly imposed change. And in the case of Bill 6, change would occur in everything from farm culture to the bottom line. It still might. But hopefully, not to the same extent. In response… Read More