With recent protester blockades leading to rail traffic disruptions across Canada, the bitter divide between the environmental movement and the oil and gas industry has grown wider than ever before.
The conflict is already hurting Alberta’s already-fragile economy and creating financial concerns both nationally and for Canada’s reputation as an international trading partner.
Whether long-term solutions can be found to close the gap between activists and the petroleum industry remains an open question. What is known is that unless solutions are found the negative impacts will continue.
And one of the sectors that will continue to be hurt is the agriculture industry.
Critical to both the economic and social well-being of Alberta and Canada, the agriculture industry relies heavily on the railway system to gets its products to national and international markets.
Jeff Nielsen, the chairman of the 60,000-member Grain Growers of Canada and an Olds-area farmer, says any disruption of the rail network is very bad news for agriculture producers in this region and across Canada.
“As farmers, we work hard to grow the best crops for our markets around the world,” said Nielsen. “By cutting us off from our customers our industry, economy, and, ultimately, our reputation as a reliable shipper is at risk.
“We are an industry that relies on export markets in order to survive and thrive. Without access to these markets via rail, we risk compounding further losses on top of what has already been a harvest from hell (as he calls the 2019 harvest).”
The fact the currernt crisis revolves around the bitter conflict between the petroleum industry and Indigenous groups is of very little comfort to farmers and ranchers facing potentially catastrophic impacts.
The agriculture industry is one of the most environmentally responsible sectors of the nation’s economy and has no dispute with either the petroleum industry or Indigenous groups.
Unfortunately, as long as Canada’s political leaders remain unable to fashion workable solutions, Alberta’s farmers and ranchers will remain caught in the middle.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Mountain View Albertan.
