Angry Alberta farmers are complaining they were the hardest hit in Thursday’s budget and some wonder if they were targeted for voting for the opposition in the last provincial election, says Wildrose agriculture critic Ian Donovan.
Many of Alberta’s 45,000 farmers found out this week the governing Conservatives have eliminated a six-cent farm fuel rebate that saved them $30 per tractor or combine every day they were working their fields, he said.
The cancellation of the rebate took $30 million out of their pockets while funding for several other agricultural programs was cut.
Overall, agriculture operational spending was chopped by a third, or $282 million, to $863 million, according to budget documents.
The Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties has also complained about the elimination of funding for bridges on local roads, for resource roads and for rural airport paving. Funding for water and wastewater projects was also chopped, the AAMDC said.
“We feel that rural Alberta, with the combination of what’s happening to municipalities and agriculture, took one of the bigger hits in the budget,” said association president Bob Barrs.
“We just think its unfair. We need infrastructure dollars to keep the Alberta economy going.”
Donovan, who farms in the Little Bow riding he represents in southern Alberta, said he has received a flurry of emails from farmers upset over the elimination of the fuel rebate.
“There are a lot of angry farmers out there,” Donovan said.
The circumstances have some farmers wondering if they are being punished for voting against the Tories since the Wildrose now holds nearly every rural seat in southern Alberta, he added. The premier, finance minister and agriculture minister all vehemently deny politics played a role in the reductions.
“We know not everything will be acceptable to everyone but right across the province, we have asked people to be part of the belt-tightening,” Premier Alison Redford said Friday. “This is a democracy. People can vote for whom they want to.”
There are agriculture producers across the province who voted for her party or other parties and all were “impacted equally” by the budget decisions, Redford added.
Finance Minister Doug Horner, who calls himself a rurban MLA because he lives in an urban riding but has land in rural area, said he wasn’t “going after anybody,” but noted Alberta has agriculture programs most other provinces don’t have.
“Did we hit in agriculture? Yes we did. Did we hit in other areas? Yes we did, because this was a tough budget,” Horner told reporters in Calgary.
Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson said despite the elimination of the fuel rebate, Alberta farmers still receive a nine-cent a litre fuel allowance.
“I had tough decisions I had to make,” he said. “Nobody is going to be jumping up and down over changes like this, but it wasn’t a body blow.”
Olson said he could have spared the fuel rebate and cut all funding to 295 agriculture societies from the smallest to the Calgary Stampede.
“Those are the kind of choices I was forced to make, but at no time was there a word of discussion about retribution or anything like that.”
Mandy Melnyk, 33, who farms about 150 kilometres north of Edmonton, said the elimination of the allowance could be enough to push struggling young farmers off the land. She doesn’t accept the argument that since other provinces don’t have a similar rebate, Alberta farmers shouldn’t have one either.
“It’s just another slap in the face,” said Melnyk, co-chair of the NDP rural caucus.
Humprey Banack, a vice-president with the Wildrose Agricultural Producers, said he was also concerned about cuts to Alberta Agricultural Financial Services, which will result in the layoff of 30 people.
Liberal David Swann and NDP critic David Eggen said the cuts to rural programs will have negative consequences for the province.
With files from Don Braid and James Wood, Calgary Herald dhenton@calgaryherald.com
