Twitter: Large land sale receiving major opposition
Twitter: MccuaigNews
The controversial land lies west of Medicine Hat along the Hays Highway with the parcel's eastern border marked by Highway 879. The land is currently being leased by two grazing associations and SLM Spuds owner Louis Ypma.
Ypma was at the centre of the controversy during the attempted direct sale of the land to the potato farmer last fall. The sale fell apart under the weight of opposition to the untendered transaction.
However, the News has learned that within weeks of the collapse of the deal in November, 2010, Ypma hired national Toronto-based lobbyists Hill & Knowlton.
The provincial lobby registry shows the firm is actively lobbying MLAs and provincial Agriculture and Sustainable Resource officials concerning the sale of public lands in southern Alberta on behalf of Ypma.
Several ranchers and area farmers who operate on or near the land in question say the lobbyists are part and parcel of a process which has left them out in the cold — a process, they say, that was designed with only one particular potato farmer in mind and that critics of the land sale add points to a cozy relationship between Ypma and the provincial Tories.
Drew Barnes, Wildrose candidate for Cypress-Medicine Hat, said he has no problem with above- board lobbying by registered firms but the land sale still lacks transparency.
"(Constituents) are telling me they feel maybe there are discussions behind closed doors," said Barnes.
"For this government to do things better they need to be
way more transparent and right from the start let people know what they are doing."
Attempts to contact Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Len Mitzel were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Barnes added environmentalists and ranchers share similar objectives and interests in protecting the native grasslands throughout southeasternAlberta. But the 60-day time frame for offers set out by the government on the land sale creates an unrealistic deadline for those parties to get together to put a bid forward, Barnes said.
"Is it a foregone conclusion? Are we just back where we were six months ago?," asked Barnes.
"Why not put out the word and look at all proposals and let's have some transparent discussion."
Alberta Wilderness Association has been opposing provincial land sales in the region for years, arguing the area is a critical habitat for endangered animals and native grasslands.
Nigel Douglas, AWA conservation specialist, said aside from the protection of threatened species — not to mention the move to irrigate the land through an over-allocated water license system — the process must be open.
"When the decision-making process goes on behind closed doors then you are always going to get questions of what else is going on behind closed doors? Who else has the ear of the politicians, the civil servants?" askedDouglas.
"It didn't make any sense last year to sell off this piece of public land, there was no reason to do it and the objections were greater than any benefit might be and that's still the case."
A representative from SLM Spuds was unavailable.
http://www.medicinehatnews.com/local-news/large-land-sale-receiving-major-opposition-09082011.html
Trevor Herriot’s blog about potatogate:
http://trevorherriot.blogspot.com/2011/09/french-frying-ancient-prairie-alta-re.html
