Grain Farmers seeks electoral overhaul

 Grain Farmers of Ontario has asked the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission for an overhaul of its delegate election system.

The proposals have been posted on the province’s regulatory registry. The deadline for comments is July 13.

The commission’s posting says the changes would:

• Improve District Grain Committee delegate allocation calculation:
o Use of a five-year average of production acreage instead of a three-year average, providing a more stable and representative calculation.
o Once minimum delegates are assigned, remaining (30) delegates are shared based on each district's true share of total production.
o Amendment would better reflect long-term production patterns and ensure a more accurate and fair representation of farmer-members. 

• Standardized production data
o Delegate numbers would be calculated using Agricorp data for yield averages for all crop types, providing a consistent source of production information. 
o Under the current regulation - Agricorp data is used for the average annual provincial yield per acre in respect of grain corn, soybeans or wheat; Statistics Canada data is used for oats and barley.

• Reduction in required minimum district meetings
o The minimum number of district delegate meetings would be reduced to three from four per year, reflecting current engagement practices and reducing administrative burden.

• Term limit included in regulation
o A 12-year term limit for GFO board members would be included within the regulation.

                           -

Family seed company sues Bayer

Latham Quality seed company in Iowa has filed a lawsuit against Bayer accusing it of illegal and anti-competitive practices to monopolize the U.S. market for on genetically-engineered corn seeds.

The lawsuit alleges Bayer is reaping “hundreds of millions, if not billions, of ill-gotten dollars.” 

Latham has invited others to join to make it a class-action lawsuit which would qualify for triple the amount of damages.

The Department of Justice said last week that Bayer removed potentially anti-competitive provisions from a loyalty program for independent seed companies that license its technology to produce seeds.

“Bayer has the power to control market prices and exclude competition,” the lawsuit said. “In fact, it does so.”

U.S. is investigating fertilizer companies.

The United States Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into fertilizer companies, commission chairman Andrew Ferguson told a meeting of farmers from 16 states at a meeting in North Texas.

“These continued price increases are not something our nation, much less our farmers, can continue to ignore,” Ferguson said, prompting a standing ovation.

An investigation would definitely involve Nutrien of Saskatoon, the world’s largest potash miner and fertilizer retailer

Despite years of complaints from farmers, this is the first formal FTC investigation of the fertilizer industry.

It has subpoena powers to demand production of documents and witnesses.

 

Nutrien is in a hot seat because the Saskatchewan and Canadian governments have allowed potash miners to operate a cartel for potash exports.

What has not been revealed is whether BHP will join the cartel when it soon opens the largest potash mine in Saskathewan.

                      

Union serves strike notice to CPR

 

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has served a 72-hour strike notice to Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway.

I

If they fail to reach a deal the company's signal workers could go on strike.

The company said it has prepared plans that will allow it to continue if the union members do strike.

Farm groups support Cargill’s Sarnia terminal

Farm groups have lined up to support Cargill’s opposition to residential developments near its grain terminal in Sarnia.

Cargill fears locating residents near the terminal will result in complaints about noise, dust and traffic.

But Sarnia council has gone ahead and amended its official plan and zoning bylaw to allow Tricar to build a 14-storey apartment.

Other developers who want to build housing nearby are waiting to see how the province will respond to Cargill’s request for a ministerial zoning order to block the residential developments.

Among the farm groups supporting Cargill’s application are the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, several of its nearby county federation of agriculture and the Christian Farners Federation of Ontario.

So far Grain Farmers and the National Farmers Union have not issued public statements.

Drew Spoelstra, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, wrote to Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing calling Cargill/’s grain termibal "a critical component of Ontario’s agri-food network and export infrastructure."

Before Flack was elected to the legislature, he headed Masterfeeds.

"As one of only a limited number of export grain terminals in southern Ontario, the facility plays a critical role in supporting Ontario farmers, food production, global trade and agricultural supply chain resilience," said Spoelstra. 

"The terminal handles approximately 35 per cent of Ontario’s export grain capacity and supports the movement of millions of tonnes of wheat, soybeans, and corn annually, while also receiving fertilizer inputs essential to agricultural production across nearly 400,000 acres of farmland in southwestern Ontario."

"As identified in similar land use compatibility concerns involving the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto, incompatible residential encroachment near critical agri-food infrastructure creates significant operational risks and long-term uncertainty," Spoelstra said. 

"Supporters of the Ontario Food Terminal MZO correctly recognized that introducing sensitive land uses adjacent to essential food distribution infrastructure can lead to complaints related to noise, traffic, odour, dust, and around-the-clock logistics activity, ultimately threatening the continued successful operation of those facilities."

Spoelstra said the same concerns are "directly applicable in Sarnia.   

NFU wants budget cuts reversed

 The federal agriculture department’s cuts to research stations and budgets threatens irreparable harm, says Phil Mount, vice-president of policy for the National Farmers Union.

In January, the federal government announced it plans to close seven agriculture research stations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, end the Organic and Regenerative Research program, and to terminate 12 per cent of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada personnel - 665 researchers, technicians and support staff.

Earlier this month, the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee unanimously recommended the government "pause and reverse the decision to close agricultural research centres and experimental farm sites."

The cost of these closures will set back public agricultural research for decades, Mount said.

A partial financial analysis has revealed the government stands to save only $23.2 million per year over 10 years, he said.

These savings do not account for the costs of relocation, divestiture, and decommissioning. Nor do they account for the losses from not doing the research, he said.

For example, studies of publlc plant breeding regularly find returns of $30 for every dollar invested, he said.

“The math is simple. And the damage is clear.

“If we want resilient farms that can adapt to the ongoing climate crisis, we need to continue funding public agricultural research centres. What we refuse to invest in today, we’ll pay for tomorrow,” the National Farmers Union said.

U.S. ethanol imports double dipping

 

Ethanol imports from the United States are double dipping in subsidy pools, putting Canadian ethanol at a disadvantage.

Andrea Kent, vice-president of Greenfields Global, said that means Canada’s ethanol policy needs an immediate fix.

That could come quickly because the federal government said last September that it would be making a targeted amendment.

Kent said there are $1 billion worth of projects in Ontario and Quebec ready to go as soon as the amendment is enacted.

The ethanol industry wants a policy similar to the diesel production incentives of $372 million announced in September.

The U.S, ethanol-industry double dipping is done by capturing a subsidy of 30 cents or more per litre from the Clean Fuel Production Credit program, then takes advantage of a Canadian credit program.

The targeted amendment would increase the credit on Canadian-produced ethanol to match the U.S. credits.

But Shaun Haney, who owns RealAgriculture, said the Canadian government will need to be careful to avoid upsetting United States President Donald Trump during the current review of the North American free trade deal.

The U.S. shipped 792 million gallons of ethanol to Canada last year.

Restaurant chains rethink animal welfare

Restaurant chains that animal rights activists pressured into signing on to animal welfare standards for pork, chicken and egg suppliers are cancelling out.

They are finding they cost too much more and increase carbon emissions making It more difficult for them to meet their environment goals.

The animal activists’ called th eir campaign the “Better Chicken Commitment{ which called for more expensive housing similar to demands the Whole Foods retailer imposed on its suppliers.

It also bans genetics that result in the fastest chicken growth rates.

But as companies began to figure out, this chicken isn’t “better” from an environmental perspective. One restaurant brand reported that their carbon footprint for poultry would double if it transitioned to “better chicken.”

Meanwhile, a big-picture analysis found that transitioning to slower-growing chickens would result in the need for billions more chickens to be produced to meet demand, which in turn would require millions of acres to grow additional feed, billions of gallons of water, and a way to manage billions of pounds of waste.

In the United Kingdom some companies, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken have reverted to conventionally-raised chickens.

But for those who invested in new housing, such as pork producers abandoning gestation crates and egg producers changing from cages to aviaries, the investment, management and operating costs remain.

Meatingplace Magazine said the activists are clucking mad, but the facts are the facts: Less efficient practices have a worse environmental footprint.

More broadly, this basic truth could provide more opportunities to push back against activist campaigns against modern agriculture — whether they come from the animal rights crowd, or others, it wrote.

The New York Times ran an opinion piece in 2024 arguing that modern, large-scale farming practices are the most environmentally practical. “

It said “the inconvenient truth is that factory farms are the best hope for producing the food we will need without obliterating what’s left of our natural treasures and vaporizing their carbon into the atmosphere,

“So we’ll have to make more food per acre instead of using more acres to make food. And that’s what industrial agriculture does well.

Meatingplace Magazine said many companies made pledges to transition to cage-free eggs by 2025, but by our count, about 90 per cent of them ended up not meeting this deadline.”

Price is one reason retailers and restaurants have reconsidered pledges they’ve made to appease animal activists. Lack of consumer sentiment is another. The average consumer doesn’t make purchasing decisions based on the sow housing or chicken genetics of a restaurant’s supplier.

And now concern for the environment is making companies re-evaluate the demands made by radical animal activists.

The biggest barrier has always been that companies, especially public companies, don’t want to deal with the inevitable harassment that comes from saying “no” to animal rights activists. But the news out of the UK shows that, armed with a proper framework and safety in numbers, companies are now willing to do just that, Meatingplace wrote.

So why did the giant restaurant and supermarket chains not do some research into agriculture and farming before caving to sanctimonious bullies?

Certainly farm suppliers should be miffed.

PED outbreak in Perth County

 

Swine Health Ontario reported an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a nursery in Perth County.

Closing Lacombe Research Station decreid

Dr. Stuart Smyth, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan, is among critics who decry the federal government’s plans to close the agriculture research station at Lacombe, Alberta.

The station is heavily involved in swine research and is the only federal government research station besides the one at Sherbrooke, Quebec, doing pork industry research.

Smyth said any natural disaster at the Sherbrooke station, such as a fire or serious disease outbreak, would leave the industry it trouble.

Canada’s pork industry is one of the best and most competitive in the world, exporting about 70 per cent of what’s produced.

Critics say the planned closure could weaken the country’s long-term competitiveness and increase risk within national swine research efforts.

Smyth, said Canada has benefited for decades from a diversified research network that has helped improve herd health, pork quality, aal welfare and production efficiency. 

The researchers at Lacome have advanced swine nutrition, feed efficiency, pork quality and herd management.

Their joint efforts with others has helped support innovation across the Canadian pork value chain, the critics said.

More money given for research

 

Ontario is granting $7 million for 34 research projects.

 

The money goes to the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance which is working with $47.5 million the province has budgeted over seven years.

New biosecurity protocols for pork industry

The Canadian Pork Council and provincial hog marketing boards have a new set of biosecurity protocols.

The Canadian Pork Excellence (CPE) program’s updated guidelines reflect more than a decade of new industry knowledge, evolving disease risks, and advancements in biosecurity technologies since the original guidelines were introduced in 2010, the council said.

According to Alison Sullivan, producer services manager with Sask Pork, biosecurity remains one of the most critical priorities for the Canadian pork sector as global disease pressures continue to grow.

The updated guidelines are designed to help producers minimize disease risk, improve employee training, and promote long-term sustainability on Canadian pork farms. Alongside the refreshed guidelines, the new benchmarking tool provides producers with an interactive way to evaluate and strengthen their on-farm biosecurity systems.

The benchmarking system uses a four-level progression model that allows producers to assess where they stand and identify opportunities for improvement. Areas evaluated include controlled access zones, people movement, feed transportation, mortality disposal, pets and wildlife exposure, sanitation practices, and other key disease risk factors.

Producers complete the assessment by assigning scores within the tool, helping determine whether their operation is ready to advance to the next biosecurity level.

Gnossen buys Mapleton Organics

 

 

Gnossen Holsteins is buying next-door Mapleton Organics, a pioneer in the Ontario organic dairy sector.

Korb Whale and his late wife, Kelly Forster, took over Mapleton Organics in 2022.

Gnossen said he’s going to clean up the facilities so it can be like his home farm – a place to welcome tourists and students.

Mapleton was founded by Martin de Groot and Ineke Booy. 

Tractor in crash near Ripley

 Two people were seriously hurt in a weekend crash near Ripley that involved a tractor and a passenger car.

The crash on Highway 21 northwest of Ripley happened soon after midnight Saturday.

CFIA cancels another licence

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has cancelled the licence for a numbered company in Quebec City.

It is the second licence cancellation this month.

But numbered company 9259-8785 Québec Inc. had its licence suspended in January.

The CFIA said it failed because it fell short in the Identification and analysis of hazards, the development and implementation of a preventive control plan and traceability and recall procedures.

Licence cancellations for failure to comply with CFIA standards are rare.

 

CFIA cancels a licence

 

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has cancelled the licence held by TC Distributor Inc. of North York.

It is extreme punishment because the CFIA usually follows up on warnings with a suspension of a licence until compliance is achieved.

In this case the CFIA said TC Distributor mislabeled or did not label meat products from a country not approved by the CFIA.

Halton Hills seeks 911 expansion

 

Halton Hills council has voted unanimously to ask that property identification numbers be issued for fields and woodlots that are far from numbered buildings.

Their call comes after 911 emergency responders had difficulty locating a seven-year old Emily Trudeau who was in a field in Hastings County.

That 2014 incident has prompted other municipal councils to make similar requests for more property identification numbers to help emergency responders to 911 calls.

Broccoli on recall

 

There is a recall for Les Fermes Lufa brand broccoli that was sold online to customers in Ontario and Quebec.

The company initiated the recall which the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is monitoring because E. coli and other food-poisoning bacteria were found in the broccoli.

Plans for new poultry processing plant unveiled

Sunrise Foods is going to build a $100-million poultry processing plant at Woodstock Ont., the mayor announced.

Sunrise Foods was founded by organic farmers based in Saskatchewan, Canada.

As the organic industry has evolved, it has grown into the largest organic agri-trading company in the world, Sunrise says on its website.

It has facilities in Ontario in Milton and Waterloo.

The announcement said nothing about the Ontario Chicken Farmers marketing board which regulates how many chickens each processing company can buy from farmers, 

That plant supply quota system was established as part of a deal to end competitive purchasing as premium prices and to stop companies from buying chickens from Quebec producers and Quebec procesdsrs from buying from Ontario farmers.

NFU flags seed regulation change

 The National Farmers Union warned when Canada passed the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act that someday farmers would be banned from planting seed from their own harvests.

That is exactly what has happened, it said about a regulation recently posted in the federal government’s Gazette.

“It is now illegal for farmers who purchase these PBR-protected varieties to use seed, cuttings, tubers or bulbs they harvest to grow future crops on their own farms,” the NFU said.

It said this benefits six multinational seed companies (Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, BASF, Limagrain and KWS) who control 64 per cent of the global commercial seed market.

It said most vegetable seed used by Canadian farmers is bred and sold by these corporations, grown abroad, and imported.

“Eliminating Farmers’ Privilege on hybrid varieties indicates how excessive industry demands are –  they feel the need to legally eliminate the practice of seed-saving which is already accomplished biologically,” said Terry Boehm, former NFU president.

At the same time, after decades of budget cut-backs and austerity measures, the drastic cuts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research capacity announced in January directly attack public plant breeding that has been the backbone of Canada’s agricultural economy for 140 years, the NFU said.

If the government does not reverse these plans, the cuts will eliminate key scientific positions and destroy the network of specialized plots of land with representative soil types and growing conditions needed to test potential varieties in the real-life conditions farmers face, it said.

Eliminating critical parts of our public plant breeding capacity hampers development of high-quality, lower-cost publicly bred seed and further concentrates power over Canada’s seed system in the hands of large private seed companies, it said. 

“It appears that the AAFC cuts and this regulatory change go hand in hand,” said Boehm. “The government is dismantling a public plant breeding system that has served Canadian farmers for generations to make Canada’s seed sector more profitable for large private companies. 

“The result will be fewer farmer-focused varieties, higher seed costs, and greater dependence on foreign-owned seed corporations whose priorities are profit, not the long-term resilience of Canadian agriculture,” Boehm said.

AAFC usually has its expensive public relations machine crank out a news release to announce such important changes. 

Not this time. Perhaps they're ashamed of this sell-out of farmers and the Canadian public.

Tyson settles beef price-fixing lawsuit

 

Tyson Foods is paying $82.5 million (about $115 million Cdn) to settle a lawsuit charging it with price-fixing in marketing beef to direct purchasers.

A federal judge in Minnesota recently approved the settlement.

The deal was reached in December among Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. and direct purchaser plaintiffs..

According to the order, the settlement followed arm’s-length negotiations conducted with the assistance of an experienced mediator. The court found the agreement fell “within the range of possible approval” and preliminarily determined it to be fair, reasonable and adequate.

The settlement class includes persons and entities that directly purchased fresh or frozen beef products derived from chuck, loin, rib or round primals from defendants or affiliates between Jan. 1, 2015, and Feb. 29, 2020. Certain specialty products, including organic, grass-fed and Wagyu beef, are excluded.

Burnett appointed to Food Terminal board

 

Lorne Burnett  of Toronto, has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors for the Ontario Food Terminal.

He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Burnac Produce. 

Food inflation still high

Food inflation during April was up by 3.5 per cent, once again higher than the overall inflation rate of 2.8 per cent.

Energy costs, boosted by the United States and Israeli war on Iran, was the main cause for April inflation. Gasoline prices were up by more than 28 per cent.

Food inflation actually decline from four per cent in March.

Statistics Canada’s survey showed higher prices for chicken, coffee and tea.

Robicheau appointed

 

Keith Robicheau of Simcoe has been appointed to a three-year term on the Rural Economic Development Advisory Panel.

He is president of the Municipal Retirees Association of Ontario and has 35 years of experience in municipal management.

Agri Stats settles turkey lawsuit

Agri Stats has reached another settlement n ongoing turkey antitrust litigation, this time resolving claims brought by commercial and institutional indirect purchasers.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Plaintiffs said they plan to seek preliminary and final court approval of the proposed settlement in the near future.

Greens on recall

 

Microgreens laced with E.coli food-poisoning bacteria are on recall.

They are sold by Farm Boy and other stores in Ontario under the Kyan Culture brand name.

The recall was triggered by the company.

The recall also includes Kylan Brand broccoli and mild mix.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said there have been no illnesses reported with links to these products.

Combine sales up, tractors down

Canadian combine sales in April were up 42.7 per cent compared to sales in April, 2025, reports the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

In the United States, April combine sales inched up by 3.4 per cent.

April sales of agricultural tractors declined by 11.3 per in both the U.S. and Canada.

“The April sales results of farm tractor and combine sales show the lingering softness in the equipment market,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice-president.

Tahini Halva on recall

 

Shirreza brand Tahini Halva with date sap is on recall in Ontario and British Columbia because of contamination with salmonella food-poisoning bacteria.

The company detected the problem.

The Canadian Food inspection Agency said there have been no reports of illness.

Multiple charges laid in cheese theft

Simcoe South Police have laid 25 charges related to cheese and chocolate product thefts and say more charges may come as their investigation continues.

They said the man had regular retail customers for specialty cheeses he stole from places from Hamilton to Barrie.

They laid the charges against a 60-year-old man from Woodbridge.

Chicken agency maintains higher production target

 

The Chicken Farmers of Canada supply management agency held to production goal of 6.5 per cent above base for the next quota production period from Aug; 23 to Oct. 17.

The Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board said “demand for chicken continues to be strong. This is supported by competing meat prices, steady per capita consumption and overall positive economic indicators.”

For the second time, Ontario’s increase of 6.3 per cent fell below the national target. For years it was consistently above the national goals.

                                    

Sobeys ends Product of Canada ads

Sobeys has stopped advertising foods as products of Canada.

The new policy came after shoppers complained that some imported products were being marketed as products of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned the company.

Consumers also complained about similar false claims by Loblaws.

Sobeys and Loblaws are the two largest grocery chains in Canada and they were eager to take advantage of Canadian “elbows up” sentiment after United States President Donald Trump launched a tariff war on Canadians.

Another subsidy for innovation announced

 The federal and Ontario governments are giving almost $1 million to support local projects that turn innovative research into market-ready solutions for farmers and food processors.

Most of the money will go to Bioenterprise Canada which administers these types of subsidies.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said “this support will help successful recipients turn innovative ideas into real-world solutions.”

Ontario Agriculture Minister Trevor Jones said “this investment will help local organizations turn research into market-ready solutions that

strengthen Ontario’s position as a global leader in food production.” 

Beef packer losses double

Average beef packer losses increased by $120 per head to total $246.42 head, reported Sterling Marketing Beef Profit T
Trackerr.

The reason is higher costs to buy Choice steers..

Feedlot profits averaged $186.70 per head, down by about $7 per head from the prior week.

Pork packers also took a hit with their losses mounting from $1 to $7.60 per head.

Remember when former United States President Joe Biden agreed with farmers that the beef industry needed more packers to reduce their profit margins?

Mushroom exports face U.S. tax

Mushroom Canada is going to fight a new tax on fresh mushroom exported to the United States.

The United States Department of Commerce’s has imposed a preliminary countervailing duty against fresh mushrooms from Canada.

The preliminary ruling means U.S. importers will have to post countervailing duty cash deposits beginning on the date the determination is published in the Federal Register, which is likely to be Monday May 18.

The preliminary rate is not final, and the case remains subject to further review by both the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

“Commerce’s preliminary conclusion is deeply flawed,” said Ryan Koeslag, executive vice-[resident and chief executive officer of Mushrooms Canada. 

“The overwhelming basis . . . appears to be mainstream agricultural tax treatment, including provincial sales tax exemptions available to farmers generally. Treating broad-based agricultural tax measures as unfair subsidies is contrary to common sense and unfairly penalizes Canadian mushroom growers for participating in programs available across the agricultural sector in any number of countries.”

Mushrooms Canada emphasized that the preliminary determination does not mean that Canadian growers have engaged in unfair trade. 

Under U.S. trade law, a subsidy must meet specific legal requirements before it can be countervailed, including that the alleged benefit be limited to a specific enterprise, industry, or group. 

Mushrooms Canada believes those requirements have not been met here.

 “It is difficult to reconcile Commerce’s preliminary approach with the fact that comparable agricultural tax treatment exists in the United States,” Mr. Koeslag added. “Canadian mushroom growers are not receiving special treatment. They are operating under ordinary rules that apply to farmers.”

 The Commerce Department still needs to issue a final anti-dumping and countervailing duty determinations and the U.S.

 International Trade Commission must make a final injury determination. 

If the Trade Commission finds that imports of fresh mushrooms from Canada are not causing material injury or threat of material injury to the U.S. industry, the interim duties will be terminated.

“Mushrooms Canada will continue to participate fully in the process and demonstrate that the allegations against our sector are unfounded,” Koeslag said. 

“Canadian growers provide high-quality, responsibly produced mushrooms that support consumers, retailers, foodservice operators, and the broader North American market.”

Mushrooms Canada said “the mushroom sector in North America has grown through collaboration, cross-border supply relationships, and shared commitment to quality and food security.

“This case should not obscure the fact that Canadian and U.S. producers, workers, customers, and consumers all benefit when our markets remain connected and reliable,” Koeslag said.

Alberta’s farmers stuck with abandoned oil wells

More than 4,000 wells and hundreds of other pieces of infrastructure were recently transferred to the Orphan Well Association following the closure of Long Run Exploration, leaving land owners and municipalities without rent and taxes.

This is the largest transfer to the OWA in Alberta’s history, doubling the association’s inventory overnight. Despite a 100 per cent increase in orphan wells, the levy paid by industry is rising by only seven per cent this year, said the Pembina Institute.

“This is clearly inadequate for the scale of the problem, and it leaves Albertans to bear the harms associated with unremediated wells near their homes and businesses,” said Janetta McKenzie, director of the oil and gas program for the Pembina Institute.

“Industry funding is what drives progress on this long-standing problem, and the Orphan Well Association is persistently underfunded,” she told a meeting in Calgary.

Even before their wells are formally orphaned, some energy companies fail to pay rent to landowners, forcing Alberta taxpayers to pick up the bill. In 2024, Alberta taxpayers paid $30 million to landowners to cover delinquent lease payments.  

“Leaving these aging and inactive wells for years and even decades on end with remediation causes real financial harm to all Albertans, and physical harm to landowners,” said Natalie Odd, executive director of the Alberta Environmental Network.

“At best, they’re stuck with obstacles to agriculture, driving up their costs. But in many cases they face toxic contamination of their air, water, and soil from leaking wells.”

Teresa Patry, a livestock producer and farmer in the Vermilion area, said "I am being forced off my land and straight out of my home because if you can't breathe the air what good is the land? It has been very difficult for me to give up my privacy as I have been forced to go public with this problem to hopefully save not only my family but my livelihood as well. When the regulator won't take a landowner's concerns seriously it steals a great deal from them." 

Some energy companies also fail to pay their municipal taxes. 

According to the Rural Municipalities Association, oil and gas companies owe more than $250 million in property taxes, money the province admits will never be recovered. 

"We must not leave the burden of oil and gas well cleanup to our children and future generations," said Claire Kraatz, Clean Air Campaign organizer with For Our Kids.

“Polluters must pay, and our regulator needs to ensure that laws are enforced. We teach our kids to clean up their messes. Why aren't oil and gas polluters cleaning up theirs?”

The provincial government’s newest plan is to transfer ownership of low- and non-producing wells to special-purpose entities created by the government with the hope of using some remaining production to finance the cleanup.

“This mess was created by industry, and industry must pay to clean it up,” said Phillip Meintzer, co-founder of the Coalition for Responsible Energy (C4RE). 

“If paying for cleanup with the last few barrels of production actually works, then industry can take on the risk and do it themselves. 

“Transferring these wells into public ownership with a totally unproven concept means Alberta taxpayers will be left with the bill – yet again – if it doesn’t work,” he said.