
Comment: CFIA needs to recognize research on long hauls
I am not sure how the folks at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) looked at the recent research on rest stops for long-haul trips and concluded it supported the changes to transportation regulations, but they’ve done it. “The study summary on the BCRC’s website supports the current maximum allowed interval without feed, water and […] Read more

No trespass: The public good
This is the final story in a five-part series. Read the first, second, third and fourth stories here. There is not enough time in the day to talk about all the things Tyler Mann loves about hunting. It’s not just about taking home game. It’s about being outside, seeing the sunrise, deciphering waterfowl behaviour and even convincing the […] Read more

Comment: A lighted place
The way that democracy, consensus and justice works is very hard-come-by. And all through the history of our country, we have lunged and lurched, sprinted and sauntered through a forest of ignorance, hatred and bigotry and yet hacked out for ourselves a path towards a clearing, a lighted place, which — make no mistake — […] Read more

No trespass: Rebuilding treaty relationships
This is the fourth story in a five-part series. Read the first, second and third stories here. [Updated Oct. 18, 2022] There is a forest meadow on my family’s lease land that changes constantly through the growing season. It’s one of my favourite places. After the spring rains, lush green grass soon overtakes last year’s […] Read more

No trespass: Cutting wire
This is the third story in a multi-part series. Read the first and second stories here. One of the most infuriating groups of trespassers are the people who travel with wire cutters. It’s something Judy Wilkinson and I chat about before our on-the-record interview. Part of me is always astounded by the nerve of it, […] Read more

No trespass: High stakes
This is the second in a multi-part series. Read the first story here. It started out much like any other winter day, as Phil hauled in wood to heat his home. But then he heard the rumble of snowmobiles. He could tell they were on his land, even though it was posted with “No-Trespassing” signs. […] Read more

Comment: Respect
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: Don’t feed the trolls. Or, more specifically to our industry: Don’t bother arguing with animal rights activists online. I thought of this while checking out the Facebook comments on one of our features (Auction marts grapple with a shrinking herd and changing industry). Somehow the animal […] Read more

No trespass: Snarls of barbed wire
If you’ve ever been to court day in small-town Saskatchewan, you quickly learn it bears little resemblance to Law and Order. I found this out for myself several years ago when I was called to testify. Court day was held at the Legion Hall in St. Walburg, a town of around 700 people in northwestern […] Read more

Comment: Where do you want to go?
There is no shortage of problems and issues to try to untangle, but focusing exclusively on obstacles isn’t helpful. We also need to set our sights on the direction we want to go. “Don’t look at the ground, or that’s where you’ll end up,” goes the old equestrian adage. We can chart a course by […] Read more

Comment: Wicked problems and Gordian knots
Charlie Gracey references the Gordian knot in his article on the producer’s share of the retail dollar in our August issue of Canadian Cattlemen, and I’ve been thinking about it since I first read it. The Gordian knot has its origins in an ancient Greek legend. An oracle predicted that the next man to drive […] Read more