With the long and hard-fought battle over Bill 6 – the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act – at a milestone with new rules and regulations now in place, Alberta farm communities are moving forward under new the legislation.
One of the most divisive employment bills seen in Alberta in many years, the act brings non-family farm workers under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code.
The changes come into effect this month and include technical health and safety rules for farms and ranches.
Whether the legislation will lead to safer farms, as supporters contend, or cause hardships for farmers and ranchers, as critics argue, remains to be seen.
What is known is that the legislation is all but certain to be an election issue in 2019.
For her part, Minister of Labour Christina Gray calls the new rules good for the entire agricultural community.
“Our government has the backs of working people and we value the contributions of Alberta’s farm and ranch communities,” said Gray. “We have worked collaboratively with farmers, ranchers and workers to make changes that ensure workers in Alberta benefit from the same protections as workers in other provinces.
Not surprisingly, Oneil Carlier, minister of agriculture and forestry, echoes Gray’s comments, saying, “I am confident the new rules will ensure farm and ranch workers are better protected, just like their peers in other provinces.”
United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney has called Bill 6 an unreasonable burden on farmers and something he plans to repeal if his party wins government in 2019.
“What we hear from Alberta farmers loud and clear, not professional lobbyists but regular hard-working people in agriculture, is that this bill is a massive cost driver for them and it is unnecessary red tape,” said Kenney.
Other opponents of Bill 6, including some farm groups, have also vowed to continue fighting the legislation.
OHS officers are currently visiting farms and ranches to respond to complaints or investigate serious incidents or fatalities.
Whether those visits will continue after the 2019 provincial election campaign may very well end up being decided by voters.
- Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor.
