Farmers advocates office

[JD4ME]

From what I read in another post here it appears I'm not the only one who feels the Farmers advocates office is not serving the agricultural community as it could.
What can we do?

[hayburner]

I believe it our problem and only the landowners of Alberta can change what is going on. Instead of advocating for farmers the advocate is lobbying for a government on oil and gas development.
The question is we have to get a feel for how many Albertans have had the same experience I have and organize a complaint process like coppertop explained ie. letters petitions phone calls to Ministers office.I know my experience has left a real bad taste in my mouth.

[coppertop]

To organize a real lobby effort you need to get various groups involved, such as surface rights groups etc.

There is power in numbers so possibly a letter sent as a fan out message to various groups asking that they have their membership endorse it, then forward it to the appropriate MLA's; Ministers and the Premier's office.

[wbrower]

The first Farmers Advocate, Helmut Entrup, did work effectively for farmers; That is until the day that then premier Peter Loughheed walked into his office and threatened to pull the pin on him if he didn't lay off the oil industry. Maybe the same sort of fate could explain why Dean Lien no longer holds this office. Some people have told me that Lien was effective in this position while he was there.

Herein lies the problem. The oil and gas sector seems to own and operate the Government of Alberta.

The Farmers Advocate is only the tip of the iceberg. The Registrar of Land Agents, Chairman of AEUB, Chairman of Surface Rights Board are all very busy with preserving the appearance of regulating industry when in fact their actions speak loudly of their bias in favour of industry and the collection of petro dollars to support the bureacracy of big government.

Until strong minded people are put in these positions and made immune from the pressures and corruption of industry and their bureacrats, nothing will change.

This message board may be as good a tool as any at bringing some things to light. That is if people will use it.

[coppertop]

At this point I don't think there is a Chair of the AEUB, just an interim chairman.

[hayburner]

The chairman of EUB got out before all hell broke loose. The confidence in the EUB has gone among landowners, the daily dialoque on the mistrust and hatred for this pro industry regulator has just about reached the boiling point. The question who regulates the regulatory? How can the chairman of a requlatory body chair a EUB hearing that his own staff have already given approval too Conflict of interest if you ask me,there were alot of people asking for his resignation . Of course the PC's have provided him a plumb job heading up a overseeer of alot of committees.
Get rid of the current farmers advocate and lets try again but have the ag industry part of the process instead of a political appoint

[cowdog]

A quote from the Farmer's Advocate when asked to start advocating for farmers
"Its not in my business plan."
The only way for surface rights group to have any power to effectively lobby government is to have the numbers of members to back them. Otherwise they will not listen. So, I hope you have all joined.