Alberta Surface Rights
Newsletter - March, 2007
Alberta Land Agents
Licensing Act
The original Land Agents Licensing Act was passed in 1968 to protect
Alberta Landowners from unscrupulous Petroleum Land Agents. Since then
and starting in 1980 when then Minister Clark got up in the Legislature
and announced “Housekeeping Changes”, the Act has been
twisted to apply to consultants that a farmer might wish to hire. The
fact that charges have been laid against Ray Strom for assisting Farmers,
without a Petroleum Land Agents License is haywire. Clearly
this is not in keeping with the original intent of the act and only
goes to show how big oil has corrupted the government and bureaucrats
of this province. It is a little disconcerting that our new Stelmach
government has been slow to correct this wrong.
Western Barley Growers & Western Canada
Wheat Growers Convention redouble their
efforts and again call on Alberta Government to allow farmers to
hire impartial representatives who are not beholden to petroleum
Industry. Wild Rose Agricultural Producers also
passed a similar resolution at their January Convention.
Strom Court Case
The court room was full of Farmers for the two days of the trial in
January. Judge Ayotte will be handing down a written judgment
in the Courthouse in Vegerville on March 30. Farmers
of Alberta need to take the time to be there to
bare witness whether Justice will be done. Or whether our
property rights are going to be once again sold down the river.
Alberta Beef Producers have been asked to back an appeal,
if need be, to restore our right to hire who ever we deem proper to
defend our selves against the takings of industry.
Pipeline Abandonment & Annual Compensation
As custodians of the land we should not put up with government allowing
Pipelines to be abandoned by resource companies and still remain
buried and thus presenting themselves as a liability to both the
Landowner and the tax Payer of the future.
Also the recurring adverse effects and loss of use incurred
by Landowners on these Pipelines should be compensated for on an annual
basis as these effects are ongoing.
Bad Surface Rights Board Decisions on Transmission
Lines
Go to Surface Rights Board Web Page link below and look under transmission
Lines for decisions: 2004 – 0010 and 2004 – 0013.
Here the board has awarded that the costs the Power
Company has incurred during the hearing process, shall be paid by the
Landowner. Frankly they can get away with rotten decisions like
this only because we let them, we fail to pay attention to their decisions,
we fail to stand on guard for ourselves. We fail to hold government
Accountable.
MD of Taber Tax Recovery Land
The MD of Taber is currently in the process of seizing and selling
Tax recovery lands in that MD that have been operated by many families
there as grazing leases since the 1930’s, when they were abandoned
by the original homesteaders. These lands are being sold to
the highest bid with no consideration being given to those who have
leased these lands for decades, or for the improvements they have
made over the years. Another case of government abuse for the
good of the many or the moneyed.
Property Rights Resolutions
Property Rights Resolutions calling on the Government of Alberta to
entrench our common Property Rights in the province, have been passed
by ASRF, Western Stock Growers Association, Alberta Grazing Leaseholders
Association and three P.C. Constituency Associations in rural Alberta.
Now is the time for you to Press your
local MLA for protection of our Property Rights in
this province.
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