8 minute read
The Impending Farming Crisis
BY SHANE WENZEL
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Dutch farmers are fighting for their farms and their livelihood. For weeks they blockaded highways, streets, food warehouses and government buildings with tractors, trucks, hay bales and manure. The Dutch government is imposing new ‘new green’ policies that they acknowledge will put many farmers out of business. All this on the pretext of protecting the environment. Farmers will face fines and rigid restrictions on their use of fertilizer. Many are being ordered to drastically cull their cattle herds; shockingly by 25 to 95 per cent.
Their proposals for tackling nitrogen emissions require a radical cut in livestock. Estimates are that 11,200 farms will have to close and another almost 18,000 farmers will have to significantly reduce their livestock. Although this ongoing Dutch farmer protest is capturing the most world media coverage the entire European Union’s net zero mandates are sparking massive tractor convoys in numerous other European countries. Coming on the heels of the devastating impact of the COVID lockdowns, Holland’s new farm mandates threaten to destroy many Dutch farmers, who are the most innovative and productive farmers in Europe and the continent’s largest agricultural exporters. It is quickly becoming obvious, that the WEF and the UN are singing from the same song sheet when it comes to controlling global “food systems.” Their plans for control do not bode well for human life and freedom on this planet.
Will Canada be next? It appears it just might be. Ottawa has decided it too would jump on the fashionable netzero bandwagon by proposing a 30 per cent reduction in nitrogen fertilizer. Understandably, this discussion has caused Dutch-style fears by Canadian farmers. Clearly such draconian nitrogen cuts would devastate the farm sector and have dire consequences for food availability and food costs. Canadian farmers produce and export much of the world’s grain products, peas, beans, lentils, soybeans, beef, pork and apples. Reducing fertilizer by 30 per cent will easily reduce profitability to the farmers and impair their ability to stay in business.
While no mention of tractors taking to the streets in Canada have been heard, it is not impossible. There is talk among American farmers to strongly protest as the net-zero policies keep biting deeper. This war on our farmers appear to be an extension of a larger battle because we like to eat.
Food prices are already exploding and adding to the growing inflation problem. What will a reduction in supply bring? People are learning that under inflation they are already paying 12 months of bills with 11 months of income.
Saskatchewan recently introduced provincial jurisdiction over its natural resources under the Saskatchewan First Act, with the intention of protecting the economic growth and prosperity for the people of Saskatchewan. This jurisdiction includes the right to explore non-renewable resources, operate sites to produce electrical energy, regulation of fertilizer use, application, production, quantities and emissions. We should watch their success closely.
Could Canada handle another convoy? Would it be as poorly handled as the Trucker Convoy? However, as we go into our fifth week of investigation into the government handling of the Convoy, it appears the convoy protestors are easily winning more population support than the invoking of the Emergency Act.
Shane Wenzel is president of the Shane Homes Group of Companies. Follow him @shanewenzel on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.His column is written for the Alberta Enterprise Group, @AEG on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Helping Those in Need Without Judgement or Reservation
At shopping malls and retail outlets across the city, dozens of Calgarians will be volunteering at Salvation Army Christmas Kettles, asking for your support. The annual Christmas Kettle Campaign is now underway. “The Kettle Campaign is our most important fund raiser, and it is essential as we strive to meet the need,” says Robert Baldauf, a volunteer and chair of the Army’s Calgary Advisory Board. “The fact is, a growing number of people in our community are turning to The Salvation Army for support and without kettle donations many Calgarians would go without, and not just at Christmas time but throughout the year,”
Funds raised through the local campaign stay in Calgary and go to support dozens of programs including hunger relief for individuals and families through food banks and feeding programs, shelter for people experiencing homelessness and support for those needing housing, rehabilitation for those struggling with substance use disorder, Christmas assistance such as food hampers and toys, after-school programs and children’s camps, school nutrition programs for children and youth, and life-skills classes such as budgeting, cooking on a tight budget and anger management.
The Army is also helping to look after the needs of many new Canadian families who have fled strife and war in their home countries. “We’re helping people from places like Ukraine and Afghanistan, who often arrive with little more than the clothes on their back,” says Baldauf. “They are so appreciative but without support from the community through our Kettle Campaign, it will be a challenge to meet the need,” adds Baldauf.
This year’s Kettle Campaign got a kick-start at the annual Hope in the City luncheon attended by more than five hundred local business leaders and now the Army’s army of kettle volunteers are on shift at malls and stores throughout the community. All the kettles accept cash, or you can tap your donation using a debit or credit card. The Christmas Kettle Campaign is one of Canada’s largest and most recognizable annual charitable events. There are more than 2,000 kettle locations across the country, thanks to support and cooperation of retail partners. For many Canadians, the Christmas kettles are their only point of contact with The Salvation Army all year and so this is the best opportunity to make a meaningful donation.
To donate online and for more information visit salvationarmy.ca/alberta.
The Statistics are Sobering
by Bill Brooks
Of the estimated 4,000 suicide deaths in Canada each year, close to 75 per cent are men. Men in Canada live on average five years less than women. Two-thirds of men are less likely to visit a doctor than their female counterparts. Of the top 13 causes of death in Canada – including all cancers, cardiovascular disease, accidental and non-accidental trauma men lead women in 12 of the 13 causes. Women tend to die more frequently than men from Alzheimer’s disease/ dementia – with the theory behind this being that men simply don’t live long enough to die as frequently from this disease. Men tend to remain stubborn and stoic about their mental and physical health problems.
Women for Men’s Health (WFMH), a not-for-profit group that works in concert with the Prostate Cancer Center, is striving to change the real inequities that exist in gender health. Dr. Shelley Spaner, a radiologist with Mayfair Diagnostics and Prostate Cancer Centre board member, founded WFMH in 2017. Its mission includes creating awareness around strategies to remove barriers preventing men from living their healthiest lives. WFMH stives to empower and mobilize women as key players in helping shift men’s behaviors towards maintaining their health.
Since its inaugural event in 2017 – an intimate reception for 50 guests aboard the S.S. Moyie – WFMH has made substantial headway. The Gloves on Gala held Feb 2,2018 at Hotel Arts was a resounding success. With 300 guests in attendance, the gala raised more than $150,000. Funds were directed to the expansion of a 2,500-sq.-ft. men’s health clinic at the Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC). The clinic is a unique space dedicated to men’s health. The clinic, in conjunction with the Centre’s MANVAN and Get Checked Program, assesses basic health parameters including PSA testing, BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose and mental health screens – all factors that can impact long-term health.
Never one to rest on her laurels, Spaner reworked the focus – and name – of the gala to reflect the ever-changing landscape of men’s health. The Big Ball, as the signature fundraising effort is branded, has experienced exponential growth. The 2022 iteration, held in March this year at the Hotel Arts, raised more than $230,000. Funds were directed to continue the work of Dr. Jun Kawakami, a Calgarian urologist who lost his life to an aggressive pancreatic cancer in August 2020. Prior to his premature death, Kawakami was building a program in Pre-habilitation Medicine at the Prostate Cancer Centre. This initiative strives to ensure that patients facing challenging medical circumstances receive not only world-class medical care, but the support needed to prepare them for aspects of their healing journeys – physical, mental and emotional.
The fifth annual Big Ball will take place January 27, 2023 at Hotel Arts. Proceeds from the 2023 event will continue to fund the development of the Kawakami Pre-habilitation Clinic and the Men’s Health Centre of Excellence at the Prostate Cancer Centre.
Visit www.prostatecancercentre.ca for tickets and sponsorship opportunities.
About the author
Bill Brooks has covered the social scene for The Calgary Herald/Calgary Sun for more than 30 years. He is a past board member of the Prostate Cancer Centre and founder of the annual Bill Brooks Prostate Cancer Benefit that has raised more than $8.8 million throughout its 19-year run.
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