$28 million for 85000 acres.

[bucket]

Is only around $330 per acre . I realize its not enough for the cost of growing PEI potatoes but it sure seems to have come faster than anything related to a ban on Western Canadian crops into India. Or Flax into Europe.

It sure seems like we will be at the bottom of the list as to things to talk about in the Federal AG committee.

Western Canadian farmers and ranchers issues didn't make the menu for talking points when they get back to work in February 2022.

Motion to talk about PEI and BC floods came from a Western Conservative MP.

[bucket]

And just to twist this a little more ...

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its national survey for potato wart ahead of schedule, the federal government says.

Potato wart was not detected.

Results of the survey have been submitted to APHIS, CFIA says, and should “serve to provide reassurances they need that it is safe to resume the trade of fresh potatoes.”


So is it or was it a crisis?

[poorboy]

I am glad the government is supporting PEI potato farmers and looking into the BC floods. Both are very real and sad situations for those involved. Much better than just paying people to stay home and do nothing.

[Quadtrack]

CFIA has made blunders in the past and it appears continues to do so. Too much bureaucracy and govt interference. It appears the wart crisis is either unfounded or completely blown out of proportion. Not only that, but it was identified in Pennsylvania years back so how the US does not have it…
The 28 mil is to transport the spuds elsewhere, across the country. Western potato fields aren’t a worry? Not likely they will get much further west than the Quebec trucking firm likely to haul them. Other than moving product, doubt the pei farmer gets much out of this.
The BC situation is pretty much a summation of 100 years of govt bungling of the Sumas lake region and development. Short term disaster assistance ought to be lock step with permanent engineered solution to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Bleating about renamed Pineapple Express and climate crisis is an absolute deriliction of duty. A drained lake is gonna refill unless the man made project is done properly. Political grandstanding doesn’t trump physics.
As for our drought situation, it too has happened before. It would as good as anything if the govt would take their foot off our throat (carbon tax, CFS, fertilizer limit, politico interference in PMRA, etc) and we will figure a way through it. Less govt would help more than an ad hoc payment that only ends in capitalized in land.

[shtferbrains]

On the BC situation they have known for 30 years at least that the dike was inadequate but had done an engeneering study that said they needed to be earthquake proof to save them from the great big one.
Made the project so expensive they just kept kicking the can down the road. The dikes they have look like those back roads that the grader hasn't been down for years.
Typical example of all levels of government trying to pass the buck.

Now it's Billions and they still have no dikes.

[bucket]

On the BC situation they have known for 30 years at least that the dike was inadequate but had done an engeneering study that said they needed to be earthquake proof to save them from the great big one.
Made the project so expensive they just kept kicking the can down the road. The dikes they have look like those back roads that the grader hasn't been down for years.
Typical example of all levels of government trying to pass the buck.

Now it's Billions and they still have no dikes.

I thought I read somewhere that between the Canada and US governments the dikes needed 30 million in upgrades to help reduce what happened.

30 million isn't the interest on the billions they will be paying for the cleanup.

[redleaf]

PEI problem is an interesting situation. Not 100% sure how it all plays out but from what I was told a large corporate farm owned by a wealthy east coast family happened to be the source of last potatoe wart issue and the piece of land that was the source was identified. Now it just so happens that same piece of land is once again the source of a new investigation. If so that is ridiculous that it should ever have been replanted to spuds. This same large farm is now poised to benefit from a captive market where they may buy processing potatoes for pennies on the dollar. Not sure if this is all exactly true but certainly raises an eyebrow.