Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan’s move to streamline allowable truck weights for certain roads, effective April 1, is expected to benefit the province’s ag and resource sectors. For one, “the increase in weight for tridem drive B-train combinations on secondary-weight highways will help get product coming out of rural areas to market more efficiently,” Dave Marit, president of the […] Read more
Sask. truck weight updates seen as farmers’ gain
Ontario ups ante on horseracing support plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes The formal kickoff of Ontario’s new five-year “horseracing partnership plan” came Tuesday with a larger pot of funding than originally budgeted. The province, as of Tuesday, has earmarked “up to $500 million to support its world-class horse racing industry,” up from $400 million over five years when the new five-year plan was first laid out […] Read more
More grain cars roll as eastern passage nears opening
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian National Railway (CN) reports it’s nearing the federal government’s mandated goal of moving 5,500 grain cars per week, just as the Great Lakes grain shipping corridor is set to open for the season. CN on Monday reported having spotted 5,102 hopper cars for loading at country grain elevators in Western Canada during crop Week […] Read more
Manitoba to back bovine TB tracking at slaughter
Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba’s government plans to put up $150,000 over five years for a new project to track and monitor for bovine tuberculosis, focused on producers in the Riding Mountain region with an eye on reducing requirements for TB testing of livestock in that region. “Manitoba’s status as a TB-free province comes at a significant cost to […] Read more
Alta. to lift some spring load limits for grain
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta government plans to allow grain trucks to run at 100 per cent of their axle weights on certain provincial highways otherwise restricted during the spring thaw period. The provincial government on Friday announced it will issue permits “at no cost” for grain trucks to travel at fully-loaded weights on roads otherwise subject to […] Read more
B.C. to ease land protection rules in shorter-season regions
Reading Time: 3 minutes The body tasked with guarding British Columbia’s farmland from non-farm development is about to get more flexibility in how it allows farmers in shorter-season growing regions to use their land. The B.C. provincial government on Thursday announced a package of “improvements” to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) meant to “better recognize the province’s regional differences.” […] Read more
Sask. to bend spring load limit rules for grain
Reading Time: 2 minutes Grain growers in Saskatchewan will be able to apply for permits allowing them to truck grain at “heavier-than-published” weights on provincial roads during the spring thaw period. “While we will continue to protect our investment in highways during the spring thaw, we will allow for some exceptions to spring road bans to facilitate farmers’ urgent […] Read more
N.B. farmer-owned Dairytown to merge into Agropur
Reading Time: 2 minutes A New Brunswick butter and powdered milk processor owned by the province’s dairy producers is set to become Agropur’s latest dairy processing play in Atlantic Canada. Agropur, the major Quebec dairy co-operative whose products include the Natrel, Quebon, Allegro, Olympic and Island Farms brands, announced an agreement in principle Thursday for a merger with Sussex, […] Read more
Vancouver truckers reach agreement, return to work
Reading Time: 3 minutes A back-to-work rule making its way through the British Columbia legislature will be scrapped after container truckers serving Port Metro Vancouver reached an agreement Wednesday to end their work stoppage. Unionized truckers, represented by Unifor, and non-union members of the United Truckers Association are to resume “full operations” at PMV on Thursday, the province said […] Read more
CN rips feds’ planned rail interswitching expansion
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mandatory extension of rail car interswitching and tighter grain freight regulations may “placate a vocal constituency” but will do little to move more grain and may harm Canadian businesses, Canadian National Railway (CN) warns. The federal government on Wednesday introduced a package of legislative amendments promising increased regulatory oversight for rail grain freight and new […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
