A tentative deal between the Teamsters union and the over 3,000 rail workers it represents and CN Rail will mean that normal rail operations are set to resume as early as today. A news release sent mid-morning on Tuesday says: “I’m pleased to announce we’ve reached a tentative agreement with CN,” says Francois Laporte, president… Read More
Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) walked off the job Tuesday, November 19, to begin a strike protesting what the union calls unsafe working conditions. Negotiations between CN Rain and the union have been on-going for the past seven months with federal mediators being used in the past five months. The 72-hour strike… Read More
With two potential new models for collecting seed royalties on the horizon, farm groups across the Prairies are wanting to hear from producers as to what their preference would be. Currently, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have put their consultation process on hold with farmers. This comes after… Read More
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal ruled Friday afternoon, the federal carbon tax imposed on the province is constitutionally sound and falls within the legislative authority of Parliament. The court ruled 3-2 in favour of the federal government. The ruling was dissented by Justices Ralph Ottenbreit and Neal Caldwell, with the argument that Part 1 of the… Read More
Farm groups such as the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) have lobbied the government this past month to get cardlock fuel included in the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA) exemption and it looks like they’re close to the finish line. In the release of the federal budget, the government announced it’s looking into… Read More
Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe made a major funding announcement concerning flood mitigation at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) annual convention being held this year at Saskatoon. Moe says that there are 96 Conservation and Development Authorities and 13 water association boards, which operate under the Saskatchewan Conservation and Development Association (SCDA), and provide… Read More
A loophole discovered by the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) could be a headache to farmers come April 1. Todd Lewis was recently in Ottawa at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual general meeting where he learned that not all farm fuel will be exempted for producers. “It is our understanding that farm… Read More
The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has returning faces along with some new ones to its board of directors following its annual general meeting. Along with changes to leadership, the farm group also passed a number of resolutions. At its annual general meeting, current president, Todd Lewis, was elected again to the position for… Read More
From the emails sent to RealAgriculture, so far farm groups have not been very supportive of the new federal carbon tax policy. The plan, released on Tuesday, indicates farmers will be exempt from the fuel tax which goes into effect April of next year. It calculates to about four cents more at the pump, and… Read More
The Canadian government has announced a new livestock tax deferral program which covers some, but not all, major cattle areas within the country. Although both the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA) agree it’s a good start, neither believe it will cover everyone who needs the program. “Livestock producers… Read More
The time is now for the federal government to take action and help livestock producers affected by dry conditions with a tax deferral program, according to Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). Lewis notes feed shortages are top of mind for most producers and there’s plenty of uncertainty right now if… Read More
The scoop: Transport Minister Marc Garneau has decided to accept the Senate’s main grain-related amendments to Bill C-49 — the government’s long-awaited transportation legislation. Farm groups are applauding the minister’s decision, while urging MPs and Senators to agree on the amendments and to pass the bill before the summer break. The story: Farm groups are… Read More
The president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan says railways should have to cover the cost of having ships wait in port for delayed grain shipments. Todd Lewis has written a letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay calling for CN and CP to pay demurrage charges caused by rail… Read More
Farmers, researchers and government policy people are in Saskatoon today for the Prairie Agriculture Carbon Summit, hosted by the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan. As APAS president Todd Lewis explains in the interview below, the intent of the conference is to drive a conversation about the role farm practices have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions… Read More
Todd Lewis found himself at the end of the driveway on his family’s farm near Gray, Sask., this week watching a motorcade pull up. Among the people climbing out of the vehicles parked along the gravel road was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — a rare visit to a farm by a sitting prime minister. Accompanying him were Agriculture… Read More