MPs to vote on a new carbon-pricing exemption for farmers

“Fossil fuels are some of the most volatile fuel prices on the planet and farmers are going to, naturally, I think, try and find a way to get off of them,” said

MacGregor.

Conservative MP John Barlow and Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron did not respond to requests for comment by the deadline.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF AMY LANETTE MELISSA DELARONDE, late of the City of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, deceased: All claims against the above estate, duly verified by Statutory Declaration, must be filed with the Undersigned at Mayer Dearman & Pellizzaro, 101 – 83 Churchill Drive, Thompson, Manitoba, R8N 0L6, on or before, March 8, 2023.

Dated at the City of Thompson, in the Province of Manitoba, this 1st day of February, A.D. 2023.

Mayer Dearman & Pellizzaro

Solicitors for the Executrix

Attention: ROBERT G. PELLIZZARO

NOTICE TO:

TELENA JEAN-MAY NEUFELD, BY ORDER OF THE COURT OF KING’S

BENCH pronounced January 24, 2023:

TAKE NOTICE THAT a Statement of Claim has been filed against you by the Plaintiff, CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE, on November 29, 2022, in Court of King’s Bench Winnipeg Centre File No. CI 22-0138608. THIS NOTICE is published pursuant to the terms of an order for substitutional service granted by the Court.

AND TAKE NOTICE THAT should you not file a Statement of Defence within twenty (20) days after service of the Statement of Claim is effected, default of pleadings may be noted against you.

LEVENE TADMAN GOLUB LAW CORPORATION

Barristers and Solicitors

700–330 St. Mary Avenue

Winnipeg, MB R3C 3Z5 (204) 957-6404

PHILLIP M.G. CHAMBERS

File No. 122589

BY NATASHA BULOWSKI LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER, CANADA'S NATIONAL OBSERVER

A private member’s bill that would exempt certain agricultural activities from the federal carbon price is heading back to the House of Commons with a few changes.

The bill would amend the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to add natural gas and propane used to dry grain and heat livestock barns to the list of farm fuels — including gasoline and diesel — already exempt from the federal price on pollution.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture and AgriFood finished its study of Bill C-234 in November, and it is expected to pass a vote in the House despite the Liberal Party’s opposition.

“I know that I'm going to vote in support of it … I think the Bloc Québécois probably will,” NDP MP Alistair MacGregor told Canada’s National Observer in an interview. MacGregor sits on the committee and is the NDP’s agriculture and food critic.

Over five committee meetings, MacGregor and Conservative MPs made the case for the fuel exemption because farmers don’t have other commercially viable fuel options, particularly for grain dryers.

Ontario Conservative MP Ben Lobb tabled C-234, which is similar to a previous private member’s bill that died on the order paper when the last federal election was called. That bill was conceived after the 2019 “harvest from hell” on the Prairies when farmers had to use more energy than expected to deal with a wet grain harvest.

Liberal MP and committee member Ryan Turnbull says the bill will disincentivize investment in developing alternative technology because it removes the carbon price from the equation. Instead of passing a bill that erodes the strength of the carbon price, the solution should be to increase access to financing for farmers to move to renewable energy, he told Canada’s National Observer in an interview.

Compared to heating livestock buildings and greenhouses, grain-drying technology is trickier because while climate-friendlier options exist, they are not widely available in Canada, Turnbull said.

“But we could solve that problem in another way rather than just exempting farmers … basically just saying, ‘OK, well go ahead and burn fossil fuels for the next eight years.’”

Biomass-fuelled grain-drying technology looks promising, Turnbull and MacGregor both noted.

“What I heard very loudly and clearly at committee and from my meetings with various stakeholders is that it's just not feasible at this moment in time and that they would appreciate a little bit of a break, especially when they are having some of those extreme weather events that are leading to very wet har- vests for their grain,” said MacGregor, referencing the biomass technology, which he “would love to see us develop” in the coming years.

The committee amended the bill to include a sunset clause that will end the exemption eight years after it comes into force, though there will be the option to extend the exemption if viable technologies are not available. Several witnesses who spoke to the committee recommended they add a clause like this, including National Farmers Union representative Glenn Wright.

The problem is an eightyear exemption leaves no incentive to change or invest in new technology, said Turnbull. “That's the power of the price signal, and that's why the price on pollution is often revered and talked about as the most effective market-based mechanism for moving to a zero-carbon economy.”

MacGregor agrees the price signal from the carbon price is “absolutely crucial” to encourage people to change their operations but said without options available to switch to, there won’t be results.

“C-234 is an important measure only for this interim period … the industry will understand that this is only for a set amount of time,” said MacGregor. The sunset clause means the industry will get “a little break right now, but it's not going to last forever.”

The NDP’s decision to support the bill surprised Turnbull.

“I'm really shocked that a party that has been calling for the end to all fossil fuel subsidies is essentially supporting a fossil fuel subsidy,” he said.

He cautioned that eroding the price signal in one industry also runs the risk of setting a precedent where any industry can ask for an exemption when there are no commercially viable alternatives.

“I think that that's the wrong move to make. It's precisely at that moment that we have to say, ‘OK, how do we advance and assist as a government and how do we work together with industry partners … advance and scale up and ensure that commercially viable solutions and alternatives are available in all those industries?’”

Since the 2019 harvest from hell, the federal government has made some changes to help farmers. In December 2021, the federal government introduced a tax credit to return fuel charge proceeds to farming businesses in provinces that use the federal carbon pollution pricing system because they don’t have their own equivalent system in place. These provinces are Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

A $50-million funding stream for the purchase and research of more efficient grain dryers was announced in 2021. The soonto-be-launched $15-billion Canada Growth Fund will also be able to help mobilize resources to tackle problems like this, said Turnbull.

Solicitors for the Plaintiff

Mortgage Sale

The building and land known as 86 Juniper Drive, Thompson, Manitoba, as described in Certificate of Title No. 1920788/3 will be sold at auction on Tuesday, the 7th day of March, 2023, at 10:15 a.m. by teleconference. There will be no in-person attendees at the auction. In order to participate you must pre-register at least 24 hours prior to the auction by contacting Jasmine Pascual at jpascual@darcydeacon. com or 204-318-2236.

The Vendor under Power of Sale is informed that on the property there situate a single storey family home with frontage area of approximately 62.5 feet. The Vendor is advised that the property consists of a kitchen, living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms, and a full bathroom. The Vendor is also advised that the property has forced air heating and a detached single garage.

REALTY TAXES: The realty taxes with respect to the said land are paid in full to December 31, 2021. The property is sold subject to taxes and penalties accruing after that date. Any outstanding water, sewer and utility account(s) for the current and prior years, whether or not added to the tax account at any time, are the responsibility of the purchaser.

PRIOR CHARGES: Caveat No’s. 33795N/3, 33796N/3 and 34471N/3

TERMS: Deposit in the amount of $16,800.00 by way of bank draft, certified cheque or cash (to a maximum amount of $7,500.00) and the balance according to auction sale conditions.

The building and land are to be sold subject to a RESERVE BID to be announced prior to the sale.

The auction sale will be conducted pursuant to an Order for Sale issued by the District Registrar. Certain parties may be prohibited from purchasing the property, including but not limited to, parties who by virtue of their employment or relation to a person involved in the sale process would have special knowledge of the circumstances pertaining to the sale. For more information and a list of prohibited purchasers please visit: www.teranetmanitoba.ca.

All persons wishing to attend the auction are required to pre-register with the mortgagee’s agent, noted below, at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled auction.

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TRAVIS

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