Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen was through Drumheller Friday afternoon, July 26 on a barnstorming tour of the province consulting farmers on safety.
The United Conservative Party campaigned on replacing the controversial Bill 6, The Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act with the Farm Freedom and Safety Act. This is to come after consultations with producers. He says talking with farmers is key.
“The biggest thing I think has changed is farmers are actually appreciative of the fact that we want to hear them. We want to hear what they have to say about what farm safety legislation should look like,” Dreeshen told the Mail. In 2015 when the NDP brought in Bill 6 it took the farming community by surprise and then took two years of consultation within the scope of the original Bill 6 to try and improve it. This is a brand new approach where we are saying let’s actually look at a big broader scope vision of what farm safety legislation should be so it is actually practical, it’s common sense.”
This was the fourth stop on his tour and the second that day hosted within the Drumheller-Stettler Riding. Local MLA Nate Horner introduced Dreeshen at the meeting before the approximately 30 residents who were on hand and worked their way through the material.
Dreeshen says one of the main concerns he is hearing from farmers in the consultation has to do with using WCB.
“Farmers are still frustrated, lots of them still have to buy into WCB while they have private insurance. They are paying two insurance premiums even though they have no intention of using WCB, they are using private insurance they have had for years, and in a lot of cases it covers them and their workers better than WCB,” he said. “The fact they are forced to have dual insurance premiums is a frustration we always hear.”
Bill 6, he says also brought confusion with compliance.
“Farmers think they are in compliance but in actuality, if Occupational Health and Safety were to show up on their farms, they are not. That is an issue that we want to make sure we have a piece of legislation that can be implemented,” he said.
The consultation on the new safety bill will go until the end of August. Farmers can also participate by filling out an online survey at www.alberta.ca.
“Our intention is to introduce a piece of legislation that will follow by this fall,” said Dreeshen. “Farmers at these events have been positive and excited they are actually being listened to.”
