THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011
VOL. 89 | NO. 15 | $3.75
MARKET CALAMITY LENTILS UNDER FIRE P6
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
ELECTION | ALBERTA VOTES
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FLOOD COVERAGE P. 4-5. | ELECTION COVERAGE P. 14-16, 24-30
Conservative rule good for Alberta? Good farm prices help Conservative fortunes BY BARRY WILSON OTTAWA BUREAU
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Paul Magiera checks the water level on the road running past his farm, about 13 kilometres southwest of the Petrofka Bridge at the North Saskatchewan River April 9. | WILLIAM DEKAY PHOTO RISING WATERS | COPING WITH FLOODS
Flooding Sask. rivers begin to wreak havoc Runoff to last several more weeks | Many reservoirs could overflow BY KAREN BRIERE REGINA BUREAU
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — The cattle didn’t appear too nervous as they dug into a bale while the Moose Jaw River rose around them. However, the people watching the water’s rapid rise and the large chunks of ice crashing their way
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down the rolling water certainly were. The owner was in Toronto, and the water was rising so quickly that some people who knew the 10 head were at risk began to panic. Some suggested letting them out of their pen, but the Trans-Canada Highway is next door and there was no other fenced area on the property.
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Gerald Noble and Jim Anderson took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and began cobbling together a pen on higher ground, using gates and pallets and whatever they could find. A little encouragement and the cattle moved to certain safety. access=subscriber section=news,none,none
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EDMONTON — The question is a slow ball over the centre of the plate for Alberta Conservative MPs who traditionally cruise to victory with ease. After more than five years of Conservative government, are farmers better off than they were under 13 years of Liberal government? Brian Storseth, the 33-year-old two-term MP from the sprawling rural riding of Westlock-St. Paul north of Edmonton, grins. “Don’t take my word but listen to the guys that I talk to and they say definitely,” he said. “They have benefitted from the increased markets we have gotten for their products. There have been some improvements to the marginbased programs, AgriRecovery, AgriInvest. These programs are seen as having helped the West lots.” East of Edmonton in the VegrevilleWainwright riding, six-time MP Leon Benoit said farmers in his riding are more upbeat this election than he has previously seen. “Prices are good and that helps, but I think they also see a government in Ottawa that represents them, that supports them,” he said. “I think they see that we reflect their values.” Next door in Crowfoot riding, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers president Humphrey Banack suggested the Conservatives have not fundamentally changed agriculture policy in five years of governing. “The Conser vatives said they would scrap CAIS (Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization) program, but they put it in the body shop, repainted it and changed its name,” he said. “I haven’t really seen major change for our sector.”