Lakers Q and A

[TOM4CWB]

Silver and Bucket,

You must admit that this 'Ship' issue has brought a whole 'new' understanding of how far out of touch the CWB Directors are with real commercial reality.

Here are two inexcusable blunders... that prove chairman OBERG and president and ceo WHITE have been duped and sold a farce:

1. THEY know capital is not free. They are crazy to answer the first question from the selfish greedy CWB view of absolutely no respect for grain growers assets they are confiscating!

Inexcusable.

2. On the second question... by lowering the cost of shipping on the great lakes... where not one kernel of my wheat or barley is shipped... how on earth can my shipping costs be reduced... when I ship and pay to ship to the west coast?

T ishere cross subsidisation and I am being forced; against my knowledge... to pay for laker freight I do NOT know about... to pay costs to the CWB I do not owe... for grain I do not own... to be shipped to markets I will never supply with grain? Are our deductions for freight we pay on CWB grain a hoax?

It would cost way less... in the very near future... when the Panama Canal upgrades are complete... to ship to Africa and middle east by Panamax via the Pacific ports.

It is totally obvious this is meant to buy votes for the CWB 'single desk' in Manitoba.

This decision is like gold in the bank it goes directly AGAINST the Federal COurt ruling telling the CWB to stop funding the promotion of the 'single desk'.

CWB management is totally out to lunch. And now we have absolute irrefutable proof they do not care about the whole west half of the CWB 'designated area'.


Background questions that prove CWB negligent:

"Q. How are these ships being paid for?
A. The investment in these two vessels totals $65 million. This will be paid from general revenues over the course of four crop years. The purchase will not be financed over a longer period, meaning there is no borrowing and no interest charges.
Q. Is this purchase within the CWB's mandate?
A. Yes. The CWB's goal is to maximize farmer returns. Reducing transportation costs by investing in these ships can help achieve that goal. Every year, it costs farmers $70-75 million to move their grain through the Great Lakes. Through this investment, farmers share in the revenue and recoup part of these costs."

[bucket]

So with 14 trips the boats might move 450,000 tonnes out of the 3.8 million the cwb says they are moving now.

How can the cwb save money by doing this?

Its like saying you can save freight by shipping to the local flour mill in saskatoon and still being charged to send it to the west or east coasts.

Nothing about this computes.

[Burbert]

NEXT TIME you boys/girls should vote!
Whinning and snivelling doesn't get it
done, never has, never will

[BTOfarmall]

When I went to school I wood have come up wit 420,000 Tonnes moved per year, per ship, equals 840,000 Tonnes Total. What School You go to???????? Tom's Buddies Guys are a JOKE, roughly only one ship sails per month!!!! Pathetic to say the Least......

[bucket]

Yes I missed that one BTO, you are right. But iis enough capacity to really make a difference?

The railcars haven't proven to be a cost saver in my view, mostly because of a lack of transparency.

[wakopa]

29000 ballets less than 50t 12000 ballets no grain hauled - cwb knows whovotes because of marked envelopes accounting firm helping cwb at election has same repution as cwb - extra ballots sent in when needed - yep fair election for farmers for less

[wd9]

Q: How much CWB grain is moved through the St. Lawrence Seaway, in tonnes and dollar value, each year?
A: Between 3 and 3.6 million tonnes per year, with a dollar value of between $70 and $75 million.

Q: How many trips will they make in a typical year?
A. Each boat will make 14 trips in a typical year.

3,600,000 tonnes divided by 60,000 tonnes for 2 boats and 2 trips is 60 trips. Who is going to haul the other 46 loads? What is operational cost per trip versus custom hauled? CWB ships run for free? How much to ship a tonne of grain across the great lakes?

So many questions.

[TOM4CWB]

wd9,

It costs about $23/t now to ship the CWB grain or the $73m. (CWB figures)

As John Depape said earlier in another thread; shipping normally costs between $17 and $25/t.

To lower the cost from $23/t to $20/t... or $10M... is fine... however:

WHY should an Alberta grain grower pay Great Lakes laker freight? WE DO NOT SHIP EAST!

Is there some unwritten law that allow the CWB to deduct Manitoba grain shipping freight costs off Alberta growers price? IS THIS TRANSPARENT?

This will push more wheat production east... and force Alberta growers into more Canola... IF we are required to cross subsidise grain production in the eastern Prairies. It would also lower feed grain prices for livestock feed in Alberta.

Are we paying the extra freight now?

If we are... would we allow these thieves to steal even more from us???

[buzz]

The more I read about this, the less I like the deal to buy ships.

[checking]

Why did the CWB stop at a two laker purchase since it has full control over how much it can dock off the cheques it prints to farmers?

Why not skin the collective us for $4.50/tonne over four years and cover all fresh water hauling? CWB logic says it's a money maker at two, why not 4.5 times as much at nine ships.

I mean, afterall, does it really matter to some farmers if a thief runs off with $1.00/tonne, or $4.50/tonne? He's still a thief at both rates.

[TOM4CWB]

Checking,

For the CWB to lock in our frieght on the 'Lakes'... for 25 years... is total fraud. They had no right to spend one cent of my money.. on this horrible deal.

Those in the media who have been taken in by this smooth high class rip off sales deal... are obviously NOT paying MY bills!!!

Like calling me up asking for $8K to get a 'Get out of jail FREE card'!!!