Epiphany needed???

[oneoff]

Not any response to a similar thread so I'll ask a question.

Here's the link to the Manitoba Ombudsman's Conflicts of Interest guidelines. What do councillors see as differences between Manitoba's and Saskatchewan's approach to an obvious serious problem?

https://www.ombudsman.mb.ca/uploads/document/files/conflict-of-interest-web-en.pdf

[Braveheart]

We've already contacted the MB Ombudsman re conflict of interest in our local council. HyLife, the hog giant, has plans for large expansion in our RM and our current council has already relaxed some conditional use provisions on existing hog barns and is paving the way for unchecked construction. There is too close of connections between half our council and the hog industry to be ethical.

The Ombudsman so far has shrugged it off but a looming vote may change their minds. These cases are hard to win here.

[SASKFARMER3]

I have a question on the large hog barns WTHell is wrong with a hog barn. I would have 10 more in our area if we could. The nutrient value to my land every third year has turned mined farm land into some of the highest producing around.

I dont get why projects like that are stopped plus it eats up grain.

[oneoff]

I think the point is that a councillor's or reeves position is centered on representing the general electorate; whose best interests carry the day.

Opportunities for personal gain; or family gain and business associates (gains or losses) and even a very good friend's interest have no place in clouding those decisions.

[Braveheart]

The former Reeve here, an always struggling farmer, had a beef with a relative. He used his cronies on council to approve his own hog barn as close directly west of relative as possible. Then, helped site another larger bar as close north of the same relative as possible.

The relative was surrounded so moved his farm yard to a site 8 miles away. The reeve's brother was granted a subdivision to sell land to HyLife for a huge operation 1 mile from the relative's new home.

Conditional uses were for all lagoons to be covered but the former reeve again use influence to eventually quash that. About half the operations here are poorly managed her and stink like hell.

We like hog manure and use it when possible. But, uncovered lagoons here are rotten to live beside. Our farm is 1 mile north of a poorly managed barn that smells every time the wind is south. We no longer have any quality of life. When the lagoon was covered life was better.

SF3, you're typical of some who say, "oh I love hog barns", but then return to their home in town at night.

The former council here had close to half the councillors building barns. But this isn't about hog barns it's about council making decisions while in conflict of interest and for their own gain.

[sofa.king]

Hog barns are great as long as you aren't downwind from them or they don't go broke after you haul them a bunch of grain.

[ColevilleH2S]

"...or they don't go broke after you haul them a bunch of grain"

Yep, been there, done that.

[SASKFARMER3]

Yep did get burned by a Natural Feedlot. What a joke that was.

[wmoebis]

"...or they don't go broke after you haul them a bunch of grain"

Yep, been there, done that.

Yep me too! But at least thier management, Lawyers, Accountants, and bankruptcy agents all got paid from sale of pigs fed my grain.

Corp bankruptcy protection laws are BS.

[Braveheart]

Our mayor owns a number of properties on Main Street. Many of the buildings were done. So, mayor demolishes buildings' hauls half of Main Street to the dump and the week after institutes extravagant tipping fees at dump. Funny timing.

Every back road, goat trail, etc near Deputy Mayor's son's farm is built to the max. Another farmer elsewhere needs a road allowance graded to accommodate larger machinery and her response to him was, "a trail is a trail and shall remain a trail". Listening to ratepayers or there for personal?

[foragefarmer]

"SF3, you're typical of some who say, "oh I love hog barns", but then return to their home in town at night."


Just like the investors and owners of the barns do. How many family farms are involved in these factory hog barns, how many farm sites are located at the barns sits? Nothing but vertically integrated, feed mills building barns, all the small guys have been squeezed out.

Not to mention the meat from the factory farms tastes like shit, full of antibiotics to keep them alive, so very few open hoop barns where the pigs can burrow and move freely.

Very interesting correlation between barns burning and low hog prices, one goes up when the other goes down!

Living down wind would definitely decrease quality of life!

[fjlip]

twelves miles away and still smell gets here. Fertilizer is great, not living near them. Barns are getting OLD, falling down even. Short term project...
Visit Lethbridge, wrong wind and WHOLE city is COW SHIT, smell of money it is said.

[grassfarmer]

Seems to be a lot of that in this part of the world Braveheart. Nepotism is probably worse than anywhere I've lived before. MASC staff doing crop insurance inspections that are clearly in conflict of interest positions. Seems lots of people have no ethics.

[oneoff]

C'mon council members...defend your peers. Tell us your personal secrets of success in protecting your ratepayers from instances such as expressed above.

Tell us how clay capped roads just don't happen to all run by council members land. And how does clay supply giv associated families, close friends and typically the member themselves.. cheques of $20,000 to $470000 and no limit is theoretically possible.

Who gets to bill for a full day "dealing with lawyers confirming my defence to right to privacy act".

NO I DIDN'T MAKE THAT UP.

And on the same expense sheet how about another full day "fighting fire", and another full day spent on "oil company concerns".

All billed and all paid by out of my and other's taxes. And all OK'd by the rest of council which one must assume does look at billing; but considering it isn't nearly all "their" money; one should expect that such crap gets tossed before being paid.