Bill 6 protest near Nanton joins 1,000-strong demonstration at Alberta Legislature

In addition to the major Bill 6 protest at the Alberta Legislature that attracted about 1,000 people today, farmers also staged a demonstration along Highway 2 north of Nanton.

About 40 farm vehiclesand 60 people carrying signs protesting the bill, positioned themselves along the sides of the highway, according to Kyle Kohut, a grain farmer who helped organize the demonstration.

He's worried the legislation, which would make farms and ranches subject to occupational health and safety regulations as of Jan. 1, is being forced through too quickly.

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Kohut said moreconsultation and consideration is needed about the impact the proposed changes wouldhave on the viability of Alberta farms, many of which are "pushed to the limit financially."

"If we are hindered in our efficiencies, how can we pass our expenses on? We can't. We get told what our prices are," he said.

"We have to hunt around for the best price that somebody happens to be offering and just hope that will be over the threshold to get us by into the next year and we can continue farming."

The farm vehicles kept to the shoulders of the highway and didn't disrupt traffic, Kohut said.

Nevertheless, Alberta Transportation issued an advisory to people travelling on the highway Monday afternoon.

While Bill 6, as written, would remove theexemption for farms and ranchesunder existing labour laws as of Jan. 1, the government plansto hold off on implementingdetailed occupational health and safety rules for agricultural operations until2017, and carryout a consultation process in the meantime.

Agriculture Minister Oneil Carliersaid hisgovernment will have ample time to consult with operatorsand address their concernsbefore the regulations are finalized.

"I wouldn't necessarily agree that it's been rushed," he told CBC Edmonton AM on Monday. "But the response to this is something I'm actually quite happy with, the farmers have been engaged."

Kohut, however,said the legislatenow, consultlater approach makes him nervous.

"They want to word it and change it later?," he said."Well, once something's in place it's pretty easy to say, 'Let's ignore it.'"

He hopesthe premier will shelve Bill 6 for now, at least.

"I would like Rachel Notley to say, 'OK, I made a great mistake. Let's move on to some other, important issue.'"

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Associationis alsocalling on the NDP government tohalt Bill 6 and sendit to committee for further study and consultation before going before the full legislature.

"Alberta farmers have not been consulted properly on Bill 6 in fact, they haven't really been consulted at all," the association's Albertavice-president,Stephen Vandervalk, said in a release.

"These major blanket changes need to be thoroughly studied, in serious consultation with the 14,000 wheat growers and 60,000 farmers and ranchers in Alberta."

The demonstration at the legislature saw hundreds of farmers chanting "Kill Bill 6" before the assembly sat for its afternoon session.