Alberta
B.C. ranchers struggle as drought sends hay prices soaring
British Columbia rancher Suzanne Fradette had just got off the phone with a hay broker who had grim news amid an ongoing drought that has sent feed prices soaring: “It’s bad out there.”
“We’ve got a fairly small herd, like 140 head, but we are thinking it’s going to be about $100,000 this year for hay,” said Fradette.
That’s a 30-per-cent jump compared to recent years, and a painful price for a relatively small ranch.
Fradette runs the Back Valley Ranch ranch with partner Jerry Steves in the Deadmans’ area between Savona and Cache Creek, about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
Fradette said they are just “keeping their heads above water,” getting by one day at a time. Feeding their herd costs about $700 per day.
Fradette and Steves aren’t alone in their plight, with drought conditions pushing up feed prices across much of the country.
Agriculture Canada’s most recent drought monitor report says 76 per cent of the country’s agricultural landscape is either abnormally dry or experiencing moderate to severe drought this summer.
The B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness says most of the province remains at either Level 4 or 5 drought conditions, urging people and businesses to continue to conserve water, even as the first rain in more than a month falls this week on Metro Vancouver.
Low precipitation and historically early snowmelt have already pushed eight of B.C.’s 34 water basins into the worst Level 5 drought category, when all efforts should be made to conserve water and protect critical environmental flows. A further 13 are at level 4, meaning harm to ecosystems and communities is likely.
Fradette said that in previous years, her phone would be ringing briskly with offers of hay to feed her livestock, but things have changed this year.
“This time, I’m trying to phone around about it. There is no hay,” said Fradette.
Fradette said ranchers and farmers are struggling to get by.
“I always make the joke, I’m like, ‘I don’t want to be rich, rich. I just want to be change-my-oil-when-I-need-to rich.’ That’s our goal right there,” said Fradette.
Andy Wolfe operates Mount Lehman Farm, a family-owned beef ranch with 140 head of cattle in Abbotsford, B.C.
He said that thanks to “his farmer intuition,” he planned ahead this year to find three different suppliers to secure enough hay to cover him until next year.
“I basically took all the supply I could get from about three different local suppliers where normally I would be dealing with just one.”
Wolfe said loss of farmland to industrial usage led to shrinking production of hay, a problem compounded by the drought.
He said hay prices were skyrocketing. Large bales that cost $65 last year are now $130, said Wolfe, and even that price required negotiation with suppliers.
“Most people are paying way more,” said Wolfe, adding that some ranchers had to downsize their herd because of the hay shortage.
Although Wolfe said he has enough hay to make it through the year, he’s already worrying about next year.
“My concern is if this year’s drought is going to affect next year’s prices,” said Wolfe.
“I made it through this year and I am going to be OK this winter, but if the drought continues, I don’t know what I’m going to have to pay for hay. Next year is my biggest concern.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2023.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
Alberta
Fortis et Liber: Alberta’s Future in the Canadian Federation
From the C2C Journal
By Barry Cooper, professor of political science, University of Calgary
Canada’s western lands, wrote one prominent academic, became provinces “in the Roman sense” – acquired possessions that, once vanquished, were there to be exploited. Laurentian Canada regarded the hinterlands as existing primarily to serve the interests of the heartland. And the current holders of office in Ottawa often behave as if the Constitution’s federal-provincial distribution of powers is at best advisory, if it needs to be acknowledged at all. Reviewing this history, Barry Cooper places Alberta’s widely criticized Sovereignty Act in the context of the Prairie provinces’ long struggle for due constitutional recognition and the political equality of their citizens. Canada is a federation, notes Cooper. Provinces do have rights. Constitutions do mean something. And when they are no longer working, they can be changed.
Alberta
30 million contraband cigarettes valued at $25 million dollars seized in Alberta
New release from Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)
Record setting contraband tobacco seizures result from AGLC investigations
Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) recently concluded several investigations which netted two of the largest contraband tobacco seizures in Alberta history. The combined total of the contraband tobacco seized was 154,800 cartons of contraband cigarettes (30.7 million individual cigarettes). These seizures are a result of the work conducted by AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit with the assistance of provincial law enforcement agencies.
- In a January 2024 investigation, approximately 43,500 cartons (8.7 million individual cigarettes) were seized. This equates to $7 million in retail value with a provincial tax avoidance of $2.4 million. This included the seizure of 15,000 grams of contraband shisha.
- In April of 2024, 60 wrapped pallets were seized from a warehouse setting netting a total of 111,300 cartons of contraband cigarettes (22 million individual cigarettes) which equates to over $18 million in retail value with a provincial tax avoidance of $6.6 million.
- Criminal Charges are pending in both cases.
“These are significant contraband tobacco investigations involving individuals that are part of organized networks whose proceeds defraud Albertans millions of dollars in tax revenue. AGLC will continue to work with our partners to investigate and disrupt the individuals and organizations involved in these illegal activities as part our commitment to a strong contraband tobacco enforcement program in Alberta.”
- Gary Peck, Vice President, Regulatory Services, AGLC
“Contraband tobacco hurts law abiding businesses that follow the rules, and it costs Albertans millions each year from lost tax revenue. Our government is committed to keeping illegal tobacco off the streets and ensuring that the sale of tobacco products comply with the law.”
- Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Over the last nine months, AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement unit has seized an estimated 35 million contraband cigarettes and 115,000 grams of contraband shisha from across the province. The total potential lost tax revenue is estimated to be more than $10.1 million.
Contraband tobacco:
- is any tobacco product that does not comply with federal and provincial laws related to importation, marking, manufacturing, stamping and payment of duties and taxes;
- comes from four main sources: illegal manufacturers, counterfeits, tax-exempt diversions and resale of stolen legal tobacco; and
- can be recognized by the absence of a red (Alberta) or peach/light tan (Canada) stamp bearing the “DUTY PAID CANADA DROIT ACQUITTÉ” on packages of cigarettes and cigars or pouches of tobacco.
In addition to lost revenues that may otherwise benefit Albertans, illegally manufactured products also pose public health and safety risks as they lack regulatory controls and inspections oversight.
Albertans who suspect illegal tobacco production, packaging and/or trafficking are encouraged to contact AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit at 1-800-577-2522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Under a Memorandum of Understanding with Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, AGLC enforces the Tobacco Tax Act and conducts criminal investigations related to the possession, distribution and trafficking of contraband tobacco products. In 2022-23, provincial revenue from tobacco taxes was approximately $522 million.
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