Regulations for Alberta’s Bill 6 may be ready in a year

May 26, 2016

A group has been assembled to shape the legislation

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Farmers in Alberta may need to wait at least a year before they have an idea of the details that make up the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, also known as Bill 6.

A group made up of 78 (72 members plus 6 chairs) farmers, ranchers, researchers and experts from other industries will work with six working groups to help the provincial government come up with regulations that are understandable and unique to agriculture.

The first meetings are scheduled for mid-June Alberta’s Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier said he would like regulations to be ready for next spring. He’s insisted there’s no hard deadline and getting the regulations right is imperative.

The public will have an opportunity to provide their feedback once the regulations have been drafted.

The law was passed in December 2015 and as of Jan. 1 required producers to have Workers’ Compensation Board coverage for paid employees.

Under the new law, Occupational Health and Safety officers are allowed onto agricultural properties if a serious injury or death occurs.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.