Task Force Meeting in Grimshaw

[ASRG]

Just recieved a report from Grimshaw, AB. and the first government open house, for the task force on property rights.
Little groups with a Gov. minister and a facilitator writing everything said down on a big sheet of paper. A whole lot of listening and not much talking by the government boys!....the BIG LISTEN!

[forage]

Quite noticeable there is no task force meetings in our Ag Min. Berger's riding. Damn sure he wouldn't want to show is face in the public to hear what ranchers in our area have to say. Well quess what Evan we are heading to Olds on the 11th . See you there.

PS ASRG I have read posting on your web site and heard your radio broadcast . Keep up the great work on these government Bill issues.

[ASRG]

forage: I brought that very point up during a conference call last week with groups from all over the province!
Why are there no meetings being held in the eastern slopes south of Calgary?
Fort Macleod, High River, Pincher Creek, Nanton, etc?
The feeling was Evan would get roasted and that wouldn't look very good for his re-election! Evan has been a very vocal supporter of all the LAND GRAB BILLS and has not been very supportive of landowner concerns?
Why would someone who is supposed to be representing farmers and ranchers take that position?

[Burbert]

wiltedrosetommie, You've slipped another
cog buddy!!!

[ASRG]

Apparently it got a little wild last night in Grande Prairie. About 350 people. They took the mike away from the facilitator and it got passed around the room.
Very angry and vocal crowd told the task force repeal these bills or you're gone!

[forage]

Hope the task farce gets a ear full at Olds.

[grassfarmer]

That sounds like a good strategy ASRG, I have no
time for these "open houses" with little booths
where the intend it to break up the meeting into
small groups so the power remains with those
hosting the event. They are supposed to be listening
- so give the microphone to the landowners and
listen.
Maybe we'll try that at RMH tomorrow night.

[ASRG]

Ian: I agree totally with you on the format. I guess my take on this is: I have little trust in this government...this little excercise is mostly a PR event!
Our goal is to educate landowners who might not understand what the government has been doing to their property rights. If there are eight people standing there when you say "You stole my property (and explain why you say that)....... you have eight more informed people?
The message we want to get out there is these bills need to be repealed.....all four of them.....because they all violate our basic common law property rights. We also want a Property Protection Act....and we want major input in writing it! The Alberta Property Rights Initiative has a pretty good legal draft of what we need....so no government can ever try to pull this kind of garbage again!
I hope to make it to Rocky tonight, but not sure, as I have to be in the Alberta Court of Appeal, early tomorrow for the Kelly vs Grizzly resources case.(an interesting case involving costs for a landowner forced to defend their rights against an unwanted sour gas well).
If I don't make it to Rocky I hope you can fill me in? We have a lot of people visiting our website looking for info on the task force meetings.

[rkaiser]

Just wanting to support and encourage your efforts ASRG and GF. We all have fish to fry these days and all I can offer at this time is koodos.

[per]

Just to reiterate what ASRG said; we can and will say our piece but at the same time we need to educate the people in the crowd. Not much more we can say to the politicians but plenty of regular folks out there could use help clarifying the content and far reaching scope of these Acts.

[grassfarmer]

Is that a hoodoo kind of kudo? Randy, lol.

[per]

Wasn't it a Clapton song that had the phrase; "Who do you think your fooling"?

[grassfarmer]

Well I'm back from Rocky and despite it being a
flashy, lavish production I can't help but think it was
all very plastic, very fake. Probably 80-100 people
with goodness knows how many Government types
and facilitators and a handful of MLAs. So the
strategy was to split the crowd in 4 groups each
with a facilitator and a person to write our
comments on a big sheet of paper. Our note writer
couldn't spell simple words so that wasn't too
encouraging. With hired facilitators who were at
pains to point out they were not part of the
Government so it created the appearance that what
we were telling them was new, that they hadn't
heard it before. All the time the MLAs and other
Government "agents" are skulking around on the
perimeters of the groups doing "extra listening".
Our group certainly told them in no uncertain terms
that these bills are unacceptable and must be
repealed ASAP.
All very nice, all very polite but at the end of the day
I don't think that expressing our views in this format
will bring about a fundamental change in
Government policy. Lets face it this exercise was
more about boosting the PC ratings in the polls
ahead of an election than protecting property
owners rights.

[ASRG]

I would concur with what Ian said. Mostly a PR stunt.
Olds wasn't much different. A bigger crowd, maybe a bit more rowdy.
The message that came out of both these meetings was:
REPEAL the four land bills...before an election....or we won't be voting for you!

[grassfarmer]

A friend commented to me after the meeting how
this was "kindergarten democracy" highlighting how
far democracy has slipped in this province. The idea
that Government would go out on a fake listening
tour after the fact and ask for citizen input.
Shouldn't the debates be held in the house (the
legislature) between the various politicians and
good law be drawn up based on the consensus of
the peoples representatives - the MLAs?
Instead we have a government that cancels sittings
of the house, and never really permits much of a
discussion anyway. Smacks of a dictatorship to me.