The Wild Rose Agricultural Producers (WRAP) organization will be pushing the provincial government to put farmers and paid child workers on farms under the umbrella of the Workers' Compensation Board, as well as implement safety standards for corporate farms, say officials.
WRAP president Lynn Jacobson explained that the organization, which represents farmers and producers across the province, passed two key resolutions at its recent annual general meeting.
"It is troubling that a large percentage of the people hired on farms have no protection at all,î Jacobson told the Gazette. "We're listed as one of the more dangerous professions in Alberta.î
The WCB protection for farms would insure workers in case of injury, but would also protect the owner from lawsuit, he said.
"We think really it's a win-win situation,î he said.
It would be ideal if WRAP were able to work between Occupational Health and Safety and the WCB to come up with regulations that wouldn't hinder producers or their work, he said.
Last year, WRAP passed a resolution calling for inclusion of farmers in the WCB, he said.
"One of the loopholes in the WCB policy is that if a farm is incorporated - making the farmers themselves directors of the corporation - and they are not covered under WCB, they don't have protection against lawsuits in the case of an accident,î he said.
If the province made it mandatory for farms to cover their workers, while implementing safety standards, it would be beneficial for everybody, he said.
"By making it mandatory, there's two advantages: everybody's operating under the same rules, and everybody has coverage at a more reasonable cost because your premiums will be lower if everyone is involved,î he said.
Child labour is another contentious issue facing Alberta farms in 2013, he said.
"There are people hiring minors and adolescents to work on farms, but under child labour legislation that we do have in Alberta, primary agriculture production is exempt,î he said. "So there are no rules or regulations for hiring a 12-year-old or a 14-year-old, or anybody under 16.
"We're saying that's not right. There is a certain segment (of producers) that hire child labour. I've seen it in my own area, where there's a 12- or 13-year-old kid operating a four-wheel-drive tractor with a 60-foot air drill, driving down the road.î
He said these workers are being hired full time, which is the problem.
"As a farm organization, we think that all children should be treated the same, and the primary objective of kids under 16 should be education. They should be in school and they should be getting an education. They'll need that in the future,î he said.
The resolution regarding child labour passed at the recent AGM is not aimed at hindering the way family farms work, he said.
"(Those kids) are going to school and their parents are sending them, and they're not expecting the same thing as when others hire some of these kids ñ they're working 14 hours a day,î he said.
"This is not in any, way, shape or form targeted at family farms. This is a different problem within child labour, and this is when you're hiring on other people's children to work for you.î
Dr. David Swann, the Alberta Liberal critic for human services and agriculture, told the Gazette: "It (current child farm labour situation) is really a blight on Alberta's reputation as a food producer and responsible steward of agriculture.
"This is not addressed to the family farm. This is addressed to larger operations that pay people to come on site and work - whether it's paying children to come along and help with potato culling or whether it's paying adults who come on from off site. Those people deserve safe working conditions and basic compensation.î
Although other provinces have implemented rules and regulations around both of these issues, Alberta still lags behind, despite the role that agriculture holds in the provincial economy, he said.
"All other provinces have addressed these issues and it's unconscionable that Alberta would be still in the 19th century, with respect to child labour,î he said.
"I think most Albertans would be ashamed to know that they're eating food that has been produced on the back of unfair labour practices and unsafe working conditions, with no protection for kids.î
Death rate data from the Alberta Centre for Injury Control highlight his concerns, he said.
"Between 20 and 30 people die every year on farming operations, about five or six are kids,î he said.
"I'm not saying that everything would be prevented if we had a law (but) it's clear that other provinces that have brought in laws do have lower injury and death rates associated with their operations.î
Death and injury rates have dropped 25-30 per cent since the similar laws were passed in B.C., he noted.
Premier Alison Redford has not done enough to address farm operation concerns, he said.
"She's done nothing that we can see so far, except refer it to a committee and continue to talk about the problem and do nothing,î he said.
Swann said farms can be rife with hazards, from electrical wiring to unsafely stored chemicals, all of which can be especially dangerous for children who haven't been taught proper safety practices.
"It's ironic, because the government has said for years that farmers don't want it, and the farmers are saying the government won't do its job. The government is playing politics with legitimate human rights issues and legitimate health and safety standards, and it's really appalling that this continues,î he said.
Swann, who is a medical doctor, added: "So this is pretty close to my heart. When I see an opportunity to prevent injury and illness and preventable death, I take it very seriously.î
Jacobson noted that another resolution passed at the recent AGM was to change the name of the organization to the Alberta Federation of Agriculture, with the goal of including as many producers as possible, for the greatest amount of pull when it comes to federal and provincial issues.
He added that that change will become official in the coming months.
