Annual General Meeting resolutions

All Zones

“Be it resolved that ABP continue to work with partner organizations to effectively work with the Government of Alberta lobbying sustainable solutions to issues that arise from multiple use demands (resource extraction, recreation, forestry, etc.) on the land and water resources.”

Carried.

ABP Board of Directors and staff are working with partner organizations to find solutions to this issue.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP work with the Government of Alberta to develop and implement solutions that allow responsible recreational use, while preventing impacts to farmers and ranchers and promoting the environmental sustainability of Alberta’s lands, both private and public.”

Carried.

Mark Lyseng, ABP Government Relations and Policy Lead is actively working on this issue.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) to ensure equal representation exists between landowner stakeholder groups and hunting/fishing/conservation groups. Also, AEP should make agendas, minutes, and recommendations/conclusions of Alberta Game Policy Advisory Committee (AGPAC) and AGPAC sub-committees public and allow stakeholder representatives to freely disseminate information among respective stakeholder membership.”

Defeated: While the delegates understood the concerns of the mover, the majority felt that, as guests to AGPAC meetings, it was not ABP’s place to lobby for other organizations.

Central Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby for the mandatory sharing of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag information, such as slaughter plant carcass data.”

Defeated: Producers were promised that the information collected with RFID tags would be kept private and delegates did not support ABP lobbying for the release of this information.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP consult with the purebred associations and the Canadian Beef Breeds Council to create a more feasible rate for premiums and a more open burden of proof criteria, and/or investigate the possibility for purebred breeders to insure bulls purchased from them by their clients, with their own insurance fund for injury and mortality within the rules of the Alberta Securities Commission and the Insurance Act.”

Defeated: Delegates believe this is an issue of free market between sellers and buyers.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby Environment and Parks to extend the Landowner Antlerless Elk Special Licence to be valid for all open seasons for which the licence is valid.”

Carried: Delegates agreed that extending the use of this special licence would be beneficial to landowners and help control the elk population.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP request Alberta Environment and Parks to place more emphasis on antlerless wildlife management of big game species in wildlife management units where populations are above goal.”

Carried: Delegates agreed that it is important to encourage Alberta Environment and Parks to manage females to control the growth of a herd.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP request that the Government of Alberta amend legislation to prevent future withholding of Firearms Discharge Permits on legal hunting days.”

Carried.

Discussions will take place to determine next steps.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP request the Alberta government (Biologists and Fish & Wildlife officers) work more closely with private landowners when dealing with predator conflicts.”

Carried.

Mark Lyseng, ABP Government Relations and Policy Lead is working on this issue. Delegates understand the frustration producers are feeling with the current situation.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP continue to work with partner organizations to lobby Justice and Solicitor General to increase the presence and fill vacant positions of Fish & Wildlife Officers in areas that currently lack.”

Carried: There is a lack of support across the province from Fish & Wildlife when it comes to dealing with hunters, and a lack of funding to hire more officers and during hunting season.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP actively engage all individuals from Alberta involved with the Young Cattlemen’s Council (YCC) and Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL).”

Carried

Discussions are taking place on stronger engagement with both national youth programs.

Floor

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby the provincial and federal governments and maintain pressure on the Alberta oil and gas industry to close orphan wells and reclaim abandoned oil and gas sites so as to remove the threat of livestock poisoning and death, and the landowner expense of building and maintaining perimeter fencing of abandoned sites.”

Carried: Delegates understand the importance of this issue. It remains an expensive proposition to producers who have to fence off the well site.

Board of Directors Resolutions

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby Alberta Environment and Parks and Municipal Affairs to prohibit rural Municipal Governments from allowing development of Off Highway Vehicles trails for the purpose of recreation on road allowances, as this is not the purpose or intent.”

Carried: The Board will work with other ag organizations to address this issue.

Southwest Zone/ Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP work closely with partner organizations to protect the rights of leaseholders and ensure those rights are not diminished to that of a permit holder.”

Carried.

Over the last year ABP has worked with government to ensure any changes to the grazing lease dispositions does not diminish the rights of leaseholders.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP will take an active role in supporting its members and the Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association to prevent the Government of Alberta from unilaterally replacing grazing leases with grazing permits.”

Carried.

Over the last year ABP has worked with government to ensure any changes to the grazing lease dispositions does not diminish the rights of leaseholders.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP stand firm against the Government of Alberta’s potential changes to the existing grazing dispositions framework that would erode our present rights. Such support may include but will not be limited to the following: (a) meet with the Premier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and Minister of Environment and Parks; (b) meet with the local MLAs; and, (c) meet with the Western Stock Growers’ Association (WSGA), the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, and Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association (AGLA) to ensure these organizations and members are fully aware of the situation and solicit their support to prevent changes to the existing grazing dispositions framework.”

Redundant.

Over the last year ABP has worked with WSGA, AGLA and the government to ensure any changes to the grazing lease dispositions does not diminish the rights of leaseholders.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP continue to work with partner organizations to lobby Environment and Parks to complete the disposition renewal document to address the backlog and the slow pace of grazing lease renewals.”

Carried.

The government has stated that they are working on the backlog of grazing lease renewals.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby the Government of Alberta to reinstate A Coal Development Policy for Alberta (1976 Coal Policy) that was rescinded on June 1, 2020, until such time appropriate public consultation has taken place to determine land use planning for resource development that would guide future coal exploration and development within the province of Alberta.”

Carried: Directors agreed that there should have been consultation with the public before the policy was rescinded.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP will take an active role in supporting its members to prevent open pit/mountaintop removal coal mining from taking place in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes foothills watersheds.”

Defeated: Directors strongly believe that ABP cannot dictate to other industries what they can do or how they should do it.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP take an active role to assist stakeholders in their efforts to preserve the agricultural and environmental integrity of the lands and watersheds affected by the proposed mining operations.”

Defeated: Directors did not feel they could support this resolution without consultation on the issue.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP establish access to a current list of eligible producers within the province to ensure proper communication when holding elections.”

Carried.

ABP staff continually work to keep our lists up to date, and are in discussion with LIS to use their mailing list for elections. ABP needs to be notified when producers are no longer in the cattle industry.

Northwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP lobby the provincial government to include processing plant workers at the beginning of phase two in the COVID-19 vaccination roll out.”

Carried.

ABP Executive contacted the government about prioritizing workers in the supply chain for vaccination and were told the government was looking into it.

Southeast Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP investigate the probability that COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing may limit the availability and affordability of livestock medication in the future.”

Carried.

Vaccines produced for animals are not processed in the same facilities that produce human vaccines. There was a shortage of animal vaccines earlier this year, but it was not due to the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, rather a shortage at the facilities producing the animal vaccines. According to the Canadian Animal Health Institute, they do not anticipate a shortage of the most important veterinary medications.

Southwest Zone

“Be it resolved that ABP engage with other like-minded ag organizations to lobby the provincial government to join with the federal government and accept the industry requested changes to Agri-Stability, specifically the removal of the Reference Margin Limit and raising the compensation rate from 70% to 80%.”

Carried.

This is an issue that ABP has been working on for the past year.

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This piece was originally printed in Volume 1 Issue 2 of the Magazine (May 2021).