Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 24, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba A17 Winnipeg free press focus thursday june 24, 2004 Marc Gallant / Winnipeg free press archives if the Manitoba governments Bill 40 passes it will restrict Rural municipalities to an All or nothing decision when it comes to livestock operations in the province. Municipal councils would to have last word a t first glance the Manitoba government a Bill 40 seems like a helpful piece of legislation designed to help Rural municipalities make development decisions based on a Long term zoning plans. On closer scrutiny it becomes More obvious that the Bill would Force Rural councils to treat All livestock operations As if they have the same environmental and social effect. If the Bill passes it will restrict Rural municipalities to an All or nothing decision when it comes to live Stock operations by effectively forcing municipalities to choose either to restrict expansion of traditional livestock enter Prises such As cattle ranching or accept intensive livestock operations. The first thing that has to be under stood is that there is a vast difference at every level Between traditional livestock operations and the modern approach to livestock production As defined by intensive livestock operations Ilos. Bill 40 seems designed to simplify the approval process for Agri business investors to get intensive livestock operations built without engaging in the raucous process of local democracy at the town Hall level before deciding How a municipality might want to define itself. With its zoning requirements ? Broad definitions As applied to agricultural activities ? the Rural municipal councils no longer have the last word. Once a coun cil zones an area As unrestricted agriculture it is open to All forms of livestock production. If a person were to look at Bill 40 with a suspicious Eye it would to take Long to see where the authors of the Bill have gone out of their Way to disguise its True intent. The suspicious person might con clude the intention of Bill 40 is to fast track Ilo building and environmental permits in areas that have so far have not had to Deal with the problems Ilo complexes can bring. Legislation the cynical person might see it As legis lation that forces municipal councillors in cattle country to accept the Mega hog barns or restrict expansion of existing cattle ranching operations in their areas. The most insidious aspect of this Bill is to put All manure into the same bucket and treat it equally. Anyone who a Ever held a pitch Fork or driven past a cattle pasture one Day and a hog barn the next knows they Are As different As Chalk and old cheese. In a ranching situation cattle manure is spread As it is produced by the cattle As they Graze for most of the year. The Short time the cattle spend in the Winter feeding areas can in no Way be compared with the environmental effects of millions of Gallons of liquid hog manure being produced and spread Over the land for Miles around each hog barn. Nor can it be compared with the manure problems produced by Chicken barns and cattle feedlots. Problem the problem is that the policy wonks who wrote Bill 40 either Don to understand the difference Between hog barns and liquid manure and cattle pastures or they really Are trying to fast talk Bill 40 past the Rural municipal councillors. Proponents of Bill 40 argue that its Only Pur pose is to make it easier for Rural councillors to facilitate development by creating specific areas for specific types of development. The Bill Calls for rms to zone land As agricultural recreational residential and so on with the appropriate setbacks and land use restriction As required by existing environmental legis lation. Which then invites the question Why Bill 40 is required. The alarm Bells should have gone off when councillors discovered that Accord ing to Bill 40, All types of livestock production activities Are evaluated Only by their manure output and defined Generi Cally As livestock this Means that Rural municipalities where land has been traditionally used for letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email hats off to All the candidates after the election results were announced on tuesday night Dan Van dal showed that he was the classiest candidate in the race. By showing up in time to introduce the new mayor Sam Katz and by putting Winnipeg first throughout his remarks at mayor Sam a Headquarters and at vandals own Campaign get together he showed that he was in the race for the right reasons. Hats off to All of the candidates who had the guts to run and the voters who turned out in near record numbers making True Al Golden a Post election comment democracy has been congratulations to mayor Katz. Dave Christianson Winnipeg our blood is still Gold re blood donor age Cap foolish seniors insist Page a3, june 20. I have to agree that to Stop someone from donating blood at age 71 is arbitrary if not foolish. I gave my last donation in May because i passed 71 this month after Over 50 years donating blood. Quite a sad affair especially because i am still willing and Able to continue donating. Our hair May have turned Silver but our blood is still Gold recognizing the health concerns Canadian blood services has although Why lbs was not worried about them at age 70.5 years has me puzzled have a possible solution have the willing so called Over the Hill donors get a certificate from their doctor verifying that the donors should have no problems to continue donating blood with the donors then co signing that any medical complications arising therefrom Are donors responsibilities or something to that effect. Just an idea Chris Kennedy Winnipeg Why voters stay away political scientists pollsters and politicians ask the same question each time an election is called Why do voters stay away from polling stations elec Tion Day each of these groups should know the answer. During election campaigns politicians make promises they have no intention of keeping. Once elected politicians forget who elected them. You can fill this newspaper with political lies and broken promises. These Are the same people who Force All sorts of hardships on Joe Public but have no trouble giving themselves Nice salary increases and obscene benefits. Politicians from every political Stripe created this mess. Until they clean up their collective act voters will stay Home on election Day. Liberals new democrats and conservatives May appear different on the outside. They Are not different because they Are politicians. Political scientists pollsters and politicians know Why so Many people Don to vote. You would think the politicians would fix this by doing what they Promise to do once they Are elected. Carry out your promises and the Vot ers will come out to vote. Frank Plawucka Dauphin Farmers problems Are important on the same Day As the debates there was a farm protest regarding the be problem. I am disturbed that the problems of Farmers Arent More of an election Issue. I find it very disgusting that a por Tion of the Canadian electorate thinks it is More important for a teenage girl to get an abortion than for a Farmer to make a decent living. Stephen s. Lesavage Winnipeg doonesbury its time politicians listened i a a 21-year-old citizen of Winnipeg. On june 22 i voted in the mayoral election but i will not be voting in the Federal election. Many people ask Why. I Don to blame them. Its my democratic right. Its what my ancestors fought for. We All have the right to decide who will be running our country and who will be making the decisions which will affect my future. I have often Felt that voting was fruitless. But nevertheless i have always voted in Federal provincial and municipal elections but not this year. I decided to vote in the municipal election on june 22 because i Felt that the candidates represented themselves Well. They addressed the issues that i want to see taken care of at City Hall. Now in the Federal election i feel that this had turned into a mudslinging match. Everywhere i turn it seems As if the scandals and what this Guy did wrong what that Guy did wrong ranching activities will now have no option but to accept the Ilos or risk limit ing the traditional ranching activities simply because Bill 40 does not recognize the profound environmental difference in the two livestock production systems. As things stand Bill 40 seems to be designed to eliminate a Rural municipality a ability to define itself and the Type of economic activities people want to see in an area. If Bill 40 is put into effect the Way it is currently written the Rural municipal councillors can Duck their responsibility to stand before their ratepayers at the local Community Hall and explain Why they Are or Are not allow ing an Ilo to be built in their municipality. Proponents argued that Bill 40 is a Good thing because it makes it easier for Rural councillors to Deal with hog barn decisions. Opponents ask Why should it be easier democracy there is nothing wrong with Down Home democracy As its Practised in the Community Hall. If the councillors believe they should not allow a hog barn the Council should have the courage to say Why it made the decision at a town Hall meeting and support the decision. The provincial government has no business telling Rural municipalities what they should and should not allow. Persisting with Bill 40 will prove to Many Rural peo ple the nip has abandoning the family farm and is in bed with corporate Ilo investors and Loving it. Has taken Centre stage. This is not Rele vant anymore. I do realize that in every election there will be some candidate bashing but i do believe that this years candidates have taken it to a level that i have not seen before. I am disgusted at the display of elementary schoolyard fighting that our nations possible leaders have demonstrated. If they want to fight like Little boys go Back to school. I Don to care. Issues that Are relevant to Young Vot ers have to be discussed. When i have spoken to my Peers generally i get the same reaction Why should i vote they Don to care about me. All they do is act like politicians Don to listen to each other. Maybe if they started to listen instead of just talking incessantly maybe our youth would want to vote and make a difference. In the last Federal election less then 25 per cent of voters aged 18 to 24 actually voted. There needs to be a greater responsibility put on the politicians for the reasons Why youth Don to vote. Chantal Erickson Winnipeg by Garry Trudeau ;