Snowstorm wreaks havoc

By Pamela Keith
Staff Reporter

Heavy snowfall and freezing rain turned highways and roads into skating rinks on Sunday, creating a challenge for drivers to keep their vehicles on the road.
Foothills Regional EMS (FREMS) responded to a couple of minor accidents along Highway 2, but aside from those collisions, reported a fairly quiet day and night.
“It’s been very quiet,” said FREMS director Fred Stegmeier. “I am surprised. This would normally be a very busy day, especially during the rush hour commute, but people must have been prepared.”
In Calgary, however, it was a much different story for motorists traveling on Deerfoot Trail Sunday night. Slick conditions on ice-covered stretches of the busy freeway led to a steady stream of fender benders and more than a dozen pile-ups.
As a result of the snowstorm, a portion of Deerfoot Trail between Peigan Trail and 17th Ave. had to be closed for emergency crews to clean up the mayhem. By the time the snow had stopped falling, the city reported 71 collisions with 11 of those resulting in minor injuries.
Although it was a relatively quiet day for emergency crews in the foothills, tow truck operators with Big Rock towing were knee-deep in calls.
The company responded to more than 30 calls on Sunday to people sliding into the ditch off Highway 2A coming into Okotoks and Highway 2 between High River and Okotoks.
A tow truck was hit on Monday morning while responding to a call at the intersection of Highway 2 and 338th Ave. The driver is fine, however, the truck sustained approximately $5,000 to $6,000 damage.
“This is a little reminder for people to be careful when they see the flashing lights,” said Sharon Hart of Big Rock Towing.
“We are always prepared for these snowstorms. They are quick and nasty, and they surprise everyone.”
The flurries began falling around 9 a.m. on Sunday and by 7 p.m. it was nearly an all out whiteout. According to Environment Canada, approximately one foot of wet snow fell to the ground near Okotoks; another two to four cm of snow is expected to fall on Monday and Tuesday.
Since March and April are considered transition months, Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Kulak said it’s typical in southern Alberta to see the temperature rise as high as 17 C on one day, like it was on Friday, then drop to -7 C the next.
“We certainly can’t say if there is going to be more big snowstorms or not,” said Kulak.
“Alberta is notorious for May long weekend snowstorms, although we haven’t had one for a number of years. You have to be winter weather prepared until at least the May long weekend.”
As the snow continues to fall, RCMP are advising motorists to slow down and make sure the windshield washer fluid is topped up as the mercury bounces back to the plus side later this week.

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Agriculture -
Producers vote for choice

Macleod MP Ted Menzies is pleased with the results of the plebiscite on barley.

By John Barlow
Editor

Western Canadian producers will have a choice when it comes to marketing their barley this fall.
Last week Canadian Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl announced the results of the barely plebiscite with 62 per cent of the 30,000 voters stating they wanted to decide how to market their own product.
Macleod MP Ted Menzies, a farmer in Claresholm, said he was pleased with the results of the plebiscite and he was not surprised producers voted for choice over the monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Producers now have the choice to sell their barley to the CWB or market their harvest on their own.
“Farmers from across Western Canada have made their choice clear,” said Menzies. “They want to be able to market their barley as they see fit. The results of this plebiscite echo what I have heard from my constituents for a long time. Farmers want to choose how to market their grain and removing barley from the single-desk is the first step to realizing this.”
Menzies said more than 50 per cent of the eligible voters cast a ballot in the plebiscite meaning producers in the prairie provinces cared about this issue.
In addition, there was a clear majority meaning the federal government has the support of the farmers to proceed with offering marketing choice.
“This is a positive,” said Menzies. “Farmers now have the opportunity to deal directly with maltsters. We have cut out the middle man — it is that simple.”
However, the federal Liberals have attacked the results of the plebiscite saying the government “concocted” the results to pave the way to dismantling the CWB.
“What the government has done is combine the results of two of the questions in order to produce the outcome it wants — that is the end of the Canadian Wheat Board,“ said Liberal MP Ralph Goodale.
Fellow Liberal Wayne Easter added, “This entire process has been tainted from the outset. They put forward deliberately misleading questions.”
The Liberals’ concern is with the questioning in the plebiscite which asked producers to either maintain the CWB’s single desk system, allow the board to participate in a free market or scrap the CWB’s role as a barley marketer.
The Liberals said the second option is “completely bogus” as dual marketing is not an option and the Opposition stated some producers who voted for option two were in support of keeping the CWB in place.
However, Menzies countered the strong result in the plebiscite show there is a great deal of support for choice in marketing.
“This just verifies our platform and this is the right choice,” said Menzies. “We have to make sure we are backing the farmers.”
Farmers who supported marketing choice have stated under the CWB monopoly producers have not been getting the premium price for their grain the CWB is intended to receive. Also, they believe they have missed out on many marketing opportunities.
“Western Canadian barley producers will now have access to timely and accurate world market signals and prices,” said Brain Otto, a farmer near Warner, AB and a member of the Market Choice Alliance. “This means I will be able to make more accurate and informed business decisions that will lead to better management for my farm.”
Menzies said the appropriate changes to the CWB will be made by Aug. 1 to ensure producers can market this year’s barley harvest under the new regime.
The success of barley marketing will likely have a ripple effect through the CWB.
If barley is successful wheat will be the next step, but Menzies said there are no immediate plans to have a plebiscite on wheat.
“We will look at wheat next. It is not a matter of if, but when,” said Menzies. “If this is indeed the best thing for farmers — it is hard to envision freedom of choice is not a good thing — and if it works for barley why not wheat?”

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