Hilda farmers unhappy with provincial government’s response to fire victims
Farmers in the Hilda area devastated by wildfires back in October are expressing displeasure with the provincial government’s response to their plight.
Just before Christmas the provincial government made funds available through the Alberta Financial Services Corporation allowing those producers affected by wildfires in Cypress County and Acadia to apply for up to $25,000 in loans. The money could be paid back in up to seven years, but only the first two years would be interest free.
Ken Kundert, whose family lost more than 120 cattle and suffered devastating fire damage to land base and property, says the small amount offered was a slap in the face.
“It is pretty insignificant,” states Kundert. “The $25,000 is not even a gift or a package of money given to producers. It is a loan which needs to be paid back. The only real thing the provincial government is going to be providing is the interest saved on that loan for the first two years, which will amount to just under $1,700.”
Kundert says an interest-free loan four times greater might have actually done some good.
“Considering if you want to replace some fence,” he explains, “current custom rates are like $7,500 per mile. Bred heifers are in the neighbourhood of $2,500 each. Some of the things which are not covered by insurance are the grain that was lost in grain bins, cattle that were lost, fences that were lost, and degradation of both your cultivated and pasture land.”
Cypress County Reeve Richard Oster echoes Kundert’s feelings on the small amount of the loans being offered.
“I just feel you can’t do anything with $25,000,” says Oster. “It would have been nice to see the government step up to table a little more. I hope the provincial government is going to do more, but I can’t get any sense of what else is going to happen right now. I just hope they don’t forget those people out in Hilda.”
In Saskatchewan the total amount of support is equally uncertain, says Hilda area farmer Cindy Straub, whose family lost 110 cattle and sustained damage to valuable crop and pastureland in the wildfires on the other side of the border. The Sask. government has already agreed to pay $100,000 to match donations to the Sask. Stockgrowers Association for fire victims. It has also promised some additional aid through the province’s Provincial Disaster Assistance Program to compensate for lost fall grazing.
“I am not really anticipating a whole lot in that respect,” she states cynically. “It is out there for people to apply for, and they will apply for it. But as to how much they are actually going to get? I don’t know. Some of our losses are just not going to be retrieved — we know that.”