It never ceases to amaze one how BC has such conflicting perspectives on issues of the day – and that's above its hypocritical approach on pipelines. Agriculture is another industry that seems to run hot and cold in the minds of BC folks and their governments. Much of it matters little to Alberta, but there are some opportunities and some risks to our ag industry.
The biggest fear if BC is successful in blocking increased pipeline capacity from Alberta is that anti-development zealots may be emboldened to start looking at other ways to decrease the role of the lower mainland as a conduit for chemically tainted agricultural products from the prairies. This may not be as alarmist as you might assume. Anti-development overly zealous green lobby groups are forever looking for new issues to fuel their donation campaigns. Linking issues has been part of their approach for years. But there is a quandary within BC as few folks from that province are keen to lose jobs or taxes from provincial economic activity. But striking out at Alberta is fair game.
An example is the BC coal mining business – big global corporate lobby groups like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth attack the burning of coal in Alberta and elsewhere, but are most reluctant to attack the massive coal mining industry in BC. The disingenuous claim is that coal is not burned in BC, it's all exported. Curiously the same break is not given to oil exports, but then it comes from evil Alberta. BC does expend a lot of energy promoting its own agriculture industry – mostly on boosting organic local small farm production – it's BC after all. But as admirable as that is, local governments and agencies mostly in the lower mainland/Fraser Valley are making it increasingly difficult for agriculture to operate. They work against agricultural production by enforcing restrictive zoning regulations and nuisance laws against odours from farming operations. Curiously, although the BC government promotes agriculture, it seems to approve of municipal restrictions on the industry and even approves the flooding of agricultural land in the Peace River district behind the Site C dam.
What has all this got to do with Alberta – it's all a matter of attitude. It may not be an issue now, but it's just a matter of time before some green lobby group will be protesting the transportation of GM crops like canola on railway corridors through BC to west coast ports. God forbid some of the canola might leak out of railcars to contaminate the rail routes through cities and endanger the health of citizens and pets. Worse yet, most of the food crops grown in the prairies use chemicals in the production process. If you think this is farfetched, check some of the websites of these groups and you would be astonished as to the number of dubious causes they support. Public opinion in BC is particularly susceptible to politically-correct green causes especially if it doesn't affect BC citizens much.
But there is hope; increased restrictions in BC focus on dairy and hog production, which are favourite targets of municipal odour and dust regulations. But now the BC dairy board announced that they will be increasing quotas as milk consumption has increased significantly – that would require an expansion of milk production in the Fraser Valley where the industry is mainly centred. One sees an increased battle looming between dairy farmers and city folks over more manure odour production in the Valley. From an Alberta perspective, that battle should be supported and hopefully go against more milk production in the Valley. That scenario could see more milk production in Alberta as this province is in the best position to supply any increased demand from restrictions on BC production. Milk production is consistently the most stable and profitable ag industry in the country and this province has an economic and land advantage to producing a lot more of that commodity.
Another approach that our provincial government might take is to advocate more for the interprovincial exchange of dairy quota. That would give Alberta milk producers, who are in a position to expand with a lot fewer restrictions, the opportunity to buy BC dairy quotas and move that production to Alberta. It would also open up opportunities for new producers. That's a win-win situation, Alberta would get the increased non-energy related economic activity and BC citizens would see less production of an annoying farm commodity that upsets their cherished green, sustainable, and odour-free lifestyle.