THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016
VOL. 94 | NO. 12 | $4.25
DRIVERLESS TRACTOR | P82
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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WWW.PRODUCER.COM
TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING
MANITOBA ELECTION
Farmers raise election issues Manitoba farmers try to put agriculture in election spotlight BY ED WHITE WINNIPEG BUREAU
SEE ELECTION ISSUES, PAGE 4
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Joanna Emslie collects grain samples while accepting a load of wheat for cleaning at the Strathmore Seed Cleaning Plant east of Strathmore, Alta. | KEVIN LINK PHOTO
LEGAL APPEAL
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Tribunal dismisses $50,000 fine against CP BY BRIAN CROSS SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Canadian Pacific Railway has successfully appealed a $50,000 penalty for failing to meet a government-imposed grain shipping target in 2014. The fine was levied after a Transport Canada investigation determined that CP failed to meet a government imposed mandate requiring the railway to move at least 536,000 tonnes of western Canadian grain per week. CP appealed the fine early last
year, and the Transportation Appeal Tribunal upheld the appeal in a decision handed down earlier this month. “The (transport) minister has not proven, on the balance of probabilities, that the applicant, Canadian Pacific Railway, contravened … the Canada Transportation Act,” said a March 9 ruling written by appeal tribunal member Gary Drouin. CP’s alleged infraction occurred in September 2014, during Week 6 of the 2014-15 shipping season. CP and Canadian National Rail-
way were required to move minimum weekly amounts of western Canadian grain or face monetary penalties. The fine against CP was one of three that Transport Canada levied in 2014. CN was also fined $100,000 for two similar infractions. CP announced its intention to appeal its fine in early 2015, suggesting that conditions outside the company’s control impeded its ability to meet Ottawa’s targets. SEE CP FINE DISMISSED, PAGE 4
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Attention Wheat Growers! Now accepting delivery of hard red spring wheat and durum wheat.
Drop off samples at your nearest AGT location today F.O.B. Farm Options Available • Contracting Programs for Pulses & Specialty Crops
MARCH 24, 2016 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4 The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240
Few expect Manitoba’s April 19 election to be dominated by farmspecific issues, but farmers still have a lot at stake. “Water management,” said Manitoba Beef Producers’ president Heinz Reimer when asked what sorts of issues his organization wants to see politicians address this campaign. It’s a common and continuing concern for Manitoba farmers across the province, with all main production areas often suffering from floods, saturation and water damage. Recent examples include spring flooding along rivers and waterways, massive rain-caused river flooding such as what was experienced along the Assiniboine River and chronic problems with poor drainage after heavy rain. Reimer said completing the outlet channel for Lake Manitoba is essential because farms near the lake have suffered significant damage from extreme water levels. “We just want to make sure that our candidates stay committed to seeing this outlet project get completed,” said Reimer. In 2014, the NDP government pledged almost half a billion dollars to build an outflow channel from the lake to reduce chronic flooding, especially when water from the Assiniboine is redirected into the lake via the Portage Diversion during floods.