De Pape vs Hursh on CWB Ships

[agstar77]

Shared with the federal Government, so Ritz knew ahead of time.

[Fransisco]

Think about it this way, at $6.50/bushel it comes to 10 million bushels of wheat.

[Hopperbin]

Along with forced seaway participation.
Grain will get sold at a loss to pay for the vessels.

[Hopperbin]

Along with quebec ownership of the other vessels, we will be assured to have no say on the sale of our grain.

[Kodiak]

You're absolutely right Hopper. Why would anyone lock themselves into a situation where you have transportation costs and destinations locked in ahead of time? What if it makes more sense to ship through the gulf of Mexico? Or the PNW? CN has a direct route to the gulf and it might be very competetive to make shipments through that route rather the seaway in the future.
Now the CWB will be forced to use the seaway even if it is a more costly alternative in order to justify their "investment". Any way you look at this, this is going to cost us. And we won't ever really know how much.
What a bunch of jacka$$e$.

[wmoebis]

I wonder if this was voted on by the new by the new directors or before they were voted in?

If before why weren't we made aware of it before the election?

If after it should have been made public so it could have been made a campain issue.

And don't try tell me Ritz didn't know about this all along. Maybe it was even his and Harpers idea, trying to stir up more unrest with the board.

Maybe they couldn't say anything because it is part of the Gag order that Harper has on the CWB and his ministers.

[TOM4CWB]

wm,

Looks like the ships were at the first meeting back after the election in 2011.

On the CWB, specifically asking; Gerrid asked this question, then CWB's Ms. Andrea Coulling [andrea_coulling@cwb.ca] wrote...

Gerrid asked;

"Has a survey been done of farmers (note not permit book holders) about capital purchases by the CWB?
looking forward to your reply.


and their reply...[andrea_coulling@cwb.ca]


"Hello Gerrid.



In answer to your questions, we have not specifically surveyed on the issue of a laker purchase. What is clear is that farmers welcome efforts to increase their bottom line. Surveys, meetings and individual discussions all reinforce this message. I think you would agree that farmers want the CWB to maximize their returns and minimize their costs.



This includes innovative solutions such as ownership of transportation infrastructure like rail hopper cars and lake vessels. Seventy-four per cent of farmers surveyed in 2006 (annual producer survey) said they believed it was important for the CWB to get more deeply involved in grain transportation. In 2009, 81 per cent agreed that transportation costs were a problem."

It is obvious the CWB did NOT ask about the ships specifically.

If they did... Measner and Mission would have been a big problem... so this issue is steeped in secrecy and not square to growers from the start.

VERY hard to defend the position taken... so grain growers were NOT asked about lakers.

I am told, as Minister Ritz indicated clearly in his recent statements about the ships... Minister Ritz said no... to funding these ships from pool accounts.

CWB Chair Oberg/President White went directly AGAINST the request of CWB Minister Ritz. Face value is the only fair assessment of the facts a reasonable person could assume!

Chair Oberg wants to confront the Federal Government and have a war.

[riders2010]

The whole thing is disfunctional. We have a minister of wheat board that cannot do anything about what happens there??????? How would consultation with farmers occur????? We would be right back to square one, would farmers with more acres have more say, would old farmers have less say, would everyone with a permit book, just have a say?

I agree with Mr. Depape we are going to pay for something we do not own. But on the other hand maybe there would be some cost saving and maybe just maybe they could move those ships and the grain when they want to and not when on outside shipping company wants to move the grain. but then again looking at the track record of moving grain by their rail cars puts more than doubt that it will run as it should.

But in the end, when Ontario and Quebec grain is controlled under the wheat board that will be the day that the board would have legitamacy to control anything to do with western wheat and barley.

[riders2010]

Bucket I agree with what you are saying about the gov standing up for us farmers or rather not doing it. But the part about getting a majority, they already have all the seats practically in the grain growing areas and this is not an issue for Ontario and Quebec where they cannot get more seats unless they secretly fund the big arenas etc.

If they want to kill the cwb they should introduce legislation stating all farmers across the country are equall and fall under agriculture Canada and therefore should be under jurisdiction of the cwb for wheat. Ontario and Quebec mps would shoot it down in a heartbeatm and if they voted against their own bill. This may be a round about way to get it shot down country wide. jmo

[bucket]

riders2010

They could do it if they wanted to and there are many ways to get it done.

That is what makes me question my support for the conservatives. The liberals will never change the cwb but I know that. I just expected the conservatives to do something - minority or not.

They could implement the cwb across canada and that in itself would put the matter to an end quicker than what they are doing now. Which is nothing.

[riders2010]

I agree I am getting so sick of these games. Pretty soon farmers should realize either they are incompetent to get it done or they are just playing us, either way it's pathetic that our political system operates this way.

[Kodiak]

Hey Watermelon;-)

Yes maybe they will be able to move some grain when others won't. How often will that happen? Once in 2 years? 10 years? Given the overcapacity on the lakes and the fact that they have an investment then now have to "prove" to us, there is a 1% chance we will come out on top. They just turned a variable cost into a fixed cost and have forgone the benefits of competition in the grain transportation sector by doing so.