By paNOW

SCA’s new chair calls for tighter rules on land access

Jan 29, 2018 | 3:00 PM

The newly elected Chair of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association says the onus should no longer be on the land owner to patrol their own lands.

Rick Toney, who lives in the Cypress Hills Region, plans to pressure the provincial government to tighten the rules around land access. As it stands now if land isn’t properly posted, anyone can go on it.

“That’s just like me walking into your house,” he said. “I don’t knock and ask if you I can come in I just go and walk in. That’s not proper.”

Toney said he would like to see people get written consent before going on someone else’s land, which could be in the form of text or email and there would be a fine system for people who disobey the rules.

“We don’t want to fill our courts with all that garbage, give them a a $200 fine and people would say ‘Woah I’m gonna ask the guy’s permission because I don’t want a $200 fine,’” Toney said.

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Toney said with all the media push to know where beef is coming from, there is added pressure on the producer to be the best possible steward of their land. Toney said there are also big biosecurity concerns with the threats of leafy spurge and now clubroot.

“If somebody goes on somebody’s land that has leafy spurge and they come and drive on my land, aha now I got it,” he said.

Toney said he is all for hunting and controlling wildlife but believes the province could do a better job controlling land access. Other items on Toney’s agenda during his two-year term will be the control of cougars and wolves, and improved insurance programs for producers.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell