Farmers protest plan for mandatory WCB coverage at Alberta legislature

About 75 farmers and ranchersdescendedon the Alberta legislature Friday to protestBill 6, which would make Workers Compensation Board coverage mandatory on farms.

Protesters held cardboard signs with messages like "StopBill 6" and "Save farm kids." Many farm families fear the legislation will make it illegal for their children to do chores around the house or help with farm work.

Two Alberta government cabinet ministers waded into the angry crowd to talk.Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee listened while Wetaskiwin-area farmer Michael Bye expressed his frustration

"I worked in the oil industry for 17 years," said Bye who told Larivee he understands the need for safety standards and policies, but that "a lot of those things simply don't work on a small scale on a family farm."

Jobs, Skills,Training and Labour Minister Lori Sigurdson got an an earful from a hog farmer who said he started a pig barn when he was very young.

"It's not something you can govern," he said.

Sigurdson explained the intention of Bill 6 was to allow occupational health and officers to investigate serious injuries or fatalities on farms with the aim of preventing them in the future.

Jolene Wilkie and her family own and operate a 2,500-acre grain farm in Bashaw, northeast of Red Deer. She says her greatest frustration is not knowing how her farm will be affected.

"We're unhappy with how they're pushing it through and we'd appreciate consultation before this bill gets rammed through," she said.

More than 14,000 people have signed a petition against the billand additional rallies are set to take place in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge in the coming days.

If the legislationis passed, Alberta farm and ranch workers would be governed byoccupational health and safety laws, regulations which are already in place in every other province in Canada.

It would bring in safety standards to all farm workers, including family members.That concerns farmer Kate Dewindt, whohas two young boys

Dewindt showed up at the rally with hersons Harmon, 9 and Cameron, 7. She said she'sconcerned with how the new rules will affecther boys, who she fears might have to end theirsmall pumpkin business on the family farm.

"They plant pumpkins every yearand sell them," she said. "They tried to grow a thousand pumpkins this year, which can be about two thousand dollars for each of the kids.

"Why can't they still do that?Why is that suddenly making this a business?"

The bill is set to pass by the end of the year, but the government is facing increased pressure to either extend consultationsor abandon the changes completely.

Clint Lewing, a rancher in Leduc Countywho also works as a national construction safety officer, says the province is ignoring ruralconcerns.

"They need to pump the breaks and consult with us," said Lewing during a Friday morning interview with CBC Edmonton AM host Mark Connolly.

"Just because you have it in the book and say you need to follow it this way, does not make the workplace a safer place. You need to have industry involvement."

Although Lewingsaidincreased safety regulations are needed, he considers the proposed changes are a nonsensical reaction to recent tragedies involving family farms, including three sisters who died after they smothered in canola seed in central Alberta.

Lewingsaidthe bill will limit the time minors can spend on the farm. He suggested theprovince would actually be putting children in harm's way.

"They assume by keeping kids off the farm, that's going to be safer," he said. "But they don't realize that when you introduce these kids at very young age to the equipment, to the animals, having them raised into that lifestyle, that's a huge reason why there are so few incidents."

Sigurdson saidThursday thatthe province may extend the consultation period.