ASBPC Advisory Activities

November 6, 2023 the ASBPC was pleased to join Minister Sigurdson and staff at the Alberta Legislature just prior to their annual Organizational meeting.

Minister Sigurdson and Deputy Minister Jason Hale meet with the committee for an hour to discuss current issues and resolutions. The meeting was attended by Brenda Knight (Central Rep), Dustin Vossler (South Rep), Walter Preugschas (NW Rep), Bob Chrenek (Peace Rep), Gene Hrabec (NE Alternate), Jason Schneider (RMA Rep), and support staff.

2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative

First on the agenda was a discussion about the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative and the feedback from municipalities. The Committee learned about the complexities of the program and the criteria needed to have the federal investment. The program is a 60/40 Federal/Provincial investment so the province is working hard to ensure investment.

Resolutions 3-23, E1-23 Funding for Extension

Funding for extension associations and activities continues to be a concern for ASBs and their stakeholders. Minister Sigurdson recognized that there has been a lot of shifts in extension and that the focus has to be on providing direct benefits to the farmers and ranchers in a ways that work for them. A brief discussion about the minister’s support for the work on the Cooperative Extension Model and how the ASBs are a key component to any system and need to be part of the development and steering.

Resolution 12-23 Review of the Land and Property Rights Tribunal

Minister Sigurdson has first hand experience with the issues addressed in this resolution as he was chair of the Special Committee on Real Property Rights who’s 2022 final report contains recommendations for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Minister Sigurdson has a keen interest in seeing those recommendations addressed and will continue to engage. Discussions are happening even if progress seems slow.

Resolutions 1-23, and 2-23 Solutions to the Veterinarian shortage

The ASBPC relayed to the minister and deputy minister that the UofC faculty of vet medicine, ABVMA and ABVTA expressed a desire for a bridging program that would help Alberta to attract foreign veterinarians to credential in Alberta. They learned that the process of getting expressed credentialing requires engagement at the federal level and that this is something that is a possibility. The province has increased funding to the vet program and will continue to invest at the rate that the school can handle. There are plans to grow the program at the rate that the UofC can manage.

Resolutions 4-23, 5-23 Wildlife concerns in Alberta

The Committee brought up the various resolutions that involve the conflicts with wildlife, particularly the increase in numbers of elk and bears. Concern was expressed over the frequency of population counts and how the high populations are impacting farmers in various parts of the province. The minister assured the committee that these concerns are being brought to the attention of the minister of envrionment and that they are looking for solutions, both from a wildlife management perspective as well as a feed and livestock protection perspective.

At the end of the meeting Brenda was able to mention how important the mental health programs are and the desire to see these programs continue to grow both access to supports and the awareness of how and when to get help. The committee was able to share with the minister the new brochures from AgKnow.ca and encourage him to continue to invest in the work being done.

Follow up Letter

There wasn’t time to address every topic with the minister so the committee committed to following up with a letter.