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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1980-10-29, Page 17L. Laws stop absentee '1980 17 r. owners: ag THE BRUSSELS POST, OCTOBER .29 • minister How to Saie Valuable Time Next Spring . . . Plan Fall Plow-Down Now Plowing down your Phosphate and Pot- ash Fertilizer this fall can really put you out in front next spring. There's usually more time in the fall, and you'll know that the Phosphate and Potash are ready to' go to work in the • root zone next spring! Many farmers are including Fall ,Plow- D'own in their' management schedule. It simply makes good sense to them. It probably makes good sense to you. For custom spreading and bulk delivery Agrornarr "Helping Things Grow" Brussels 887-6016 OCTOBER SPECIALS '76 Ford Custom 2 door, road worthy $1895 '75 Plymouth. Fury 4 door, roadworthy :1295 '75 Mercury Meteor 2 door as is $895 '74 Pontiac Firebird 2 door as is $1495 '73 Chev. Impala 4 door road worthy $1895 '73 Ford Maverick 4 door, road worthy $1 695' '71 Dodge '4 doer as is $500 '69 Chev. 4 door as is '500 WANTED AUTOMOBILE SALESPERSON also LICENSED BODYMAN or BODY-SHOP HELPER J. L.McCUTCHEON MOTORSitd. Brussels 887-6856 Wardens will start.campaign Early in November a rep- &contributing to Christmas1 resentative of the Wardens Seals. „. of Huron and Perth Counties F o A help will raise a "double barred cross" in fron t of Court Continued from page 16 Houses in Goderich and famer for corn sold to Stratford. elevators. The resolution said while the fine matter The raising will signify the content is subtracted from opening of the 1980 Christ- the corn and the producer mas Seal Campaign in Hur- -doesn't receive any payment on-Perth. for this, the elevators in turn add it to feed rations and charge producers for it then. The resolutions asked The double barred cross has been the symbol of the fight against TB and all lung, "That legislation be enacted ' disease for over 70 years. It ' to force the elevators to pay is hoped that the community farmers for the tine matter will again support the work content received in their corn being done by the Huron- at a reasonable price based Perth Lung Association by on feed price." BY ALICE„GEBB Gordon MacMurchy, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture, told Huron Federation of Agriculture, members at their annual meeting when it comes to absentee ownership of farmland, "you've got to tackle it, and tackle it by law." The minister, who was invited to tell local federation members how Saskatchewan handled non-resident ownership of farmland said now "Saskatchewan land . . in fact stays, in the hands of Saskatchewan, people." Mr. MacMurchy said' in 1971, when the New Demo cratic Party formed the govern- ment in the province, there .was growing concern; in southern Saskatchewan about the takeover of land by interests froth gout!' of the border. He said at the end of the 1960's, his province was coming, out of a real depression" - markets were poor, young people weren't going into farming, and land in the province' was relalvely cheap. "Speculators were quick to exploit the situation," he added. . In 1972, the agriculture minister said, the Saskatchewan legislature established a special committee to study the ownership of farmland in the province, with members from both sides of the assembly. Their role was to investigate the effects of the purchase arid ownership of agricultural land by non-resident foreign and corporate owners. RESTRICT OWNERSHIP In 1973,. when the committee reported their findings, the agriculture minister said ."they said we should restrict ownership. of Saskatchewan land to family farm operations and co-operatives," , ' The result was the Saskatchewan Farm Ownership Act, which restricted non- sesident buyers to owning a maximum of $15,000 value assessed land, and limited non-agricultural corporations to the purchase of one-quarter section of land. A ;'three-man Farm Ownership( Board was also set'up to administer the act. In order to protect refiring farmers, Mr.. MacMurchy told federation members an exemption provision was included so they could, pass their land on to their children or other family members. Also, since the government didn't want to discourage potential residents who wanted, to live in Saskatchewan, three-year, exemp- tions were granted to potential, residents and farmers living within 20 miles of the provincial border were allowed to carry on farming within the province. Mr. MacMurchy said the act resulted in "a fight in the legislature" and added, some opponents of the plan said "next we were going to burn the churches." But the act, "a bold step", was passed and 'the minister said once it was understood, it was welcomed by the province's farmers. However, the farm community soon realised "land was still being bought out from beneath the act , by rion-residents." Even in his own constituency, the minister said, German interests were buying large amounts of land and offering as much as $400 an acre in a period when $150 an acre was the going price of land. Also, the land was sold with a lease-back provision. "an offer that was too good to,refuse." He told the over 300 guests at the banquet that 34 quarter sections of land were eventually owned by absentee German buyers. While the Farm Ownership Board investigated, they found each parcel of, land was in the name of different corporations registered by Toronto lawyers, which met the stipulations of the Farm Ownership Act. TORONTO LAWYERS "The CPR is bad, but equally bad are Toronto Lawyers," the minister and jokingly. By the 'end of 1975, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, the United Grain Growers and the National Farmers Union and Federation of Agriculture were all in agreement "something had to be done". In the winter session of the legislature in 1977/78, legislation was approved retroactively to September of that year to limit the ,ownerhsip of farm land by non-resident ov by non-agriculture corn porations to one quarter section. But even the pew legislation failed to curtail non-resident' ownership. Mr MacMurchy said buyers and investors were willingto live with the new restrictions, "it just took more names." Also young farmers were trying to compete with non-resident buyers who could offer higher prices for farm land which meant "the ypting farmer was squeezed from the market." Soon organizations in the province- started calling for zero non-residency ownership of land. "We felt it would be almost impossible to go to zero acres for either non-residents or non-agriculutral corporations,' because then one could, be in a situation where the local service station could not buy an acre of land to locate on the highway, or even the farm machinery dealership, because he doesn't fit the definition of an agricultural corporation whose shares are owned by resident farmers,' Mr. MacMurchy told the audience. (10 ACRES The compromise was to' limit purchases of land by non-resident buyers to 10 acres, and, the new law was approved in May, 1980. EffectiVe immediately, no non-resident or non-agricultural corporation could own more than 10 acres of land in the province. Also, the new act also made it an offense for USE %St-- WANT -ADS Phone 807-6641' someone within the province to buy land on behalf-of a non-resident or on behalf of a corporation from outside the. province, which the government found had been happening. Gordon MacMurchy said the act did allow certain.exemptions., For example, if a person, living in Brussels wanted to come to Saskatchewan to farm, and it took them three or four years to get there, the Farm Ownerihip Board granted him an exemption for the time it takes him to become a SaskatcheWan resident. Also, on the corpprate slue, it a potash mine needed more than 10 acres of agricultural land in order to expand, the board could also authorize this. ` Two other provisions` in the 'act were aimed at farmers wanting' to retire, but keep their land. If a farmer had farmed for several years in the province, and wanted to refire elsewhere, he isn't required to divest his land. He can hold the land he farmed for a lifetime. Finally, a farmer who wants to give his land to his descendants may do so, no matter where. those family members live. He can also transfer land, with no penalty, to a spouse, grandchild, niece or nephew, whether they live in Toronto, Vancouver 'or Australia. Although the minister, of agriculture admitted it's too soon to know yet how effective the new act will be, "we're pretty sure the 10-acre limit has restricted sales so far."