Grainswest - Fall 2023

Fall 2023 Grains West 20 PERSON PLACE & THING “ I’m really glad the Government of Alberta has, since 1973, put its money where its talk is and funded the FAO. ” of farmers and ranchers to develop or car- ry out certain operations. One example is changes in land use planning. As munic- ipalities grow, they get closer and closer to farmland. The new rules often restrict the type of activity that the farm can do, and we are able to help farmers and ranchers navigate the ins and outs of the problem and the process to find a solution. We also create farm advisories based on trends we see, which helps them prepare for problems they could face and handle themselves if they want to. GW: What do your duties as Alberta’s Property Rights Advocate entail? PD: That office came into place in De- cember 2012 I worked with the previous incumbents directly before taking the role in 2020. For the most part, I monitor issues as they arise. Team members say, “Hey, what should we do? What can we do?” In many cases I will be able to give them a legal answer. If you don’t know the law or have experience in this area, it can be complicated to figure out. I can provide direct action advice regarding the rules and what we should recommend to the landowner. If it looks like it has broader implications I will assess if a farm advisory is necessary so others can be aware. I deal with the new files, files that require additional advice or where someone simply wants to hear from the boss. It’s a similar process to the farmers’ advocate role. GW: What is it like to work with the Government of Alberta? PD: I spend a lot of time talking with MLAs and ministers. In many cases, MLAs are living in the area, and they want to deal directly with the landowners and stay involved. They do not want to just hand the issues off. There is a genuine interest on the part of every MLA and minister of agriculture I have had the pleasure of working with. They really do want what’s best for the farmers and ranchers in their community. GW: There is obviously a lot to juggle in this role. What characteristics does someone need to succeed in this position? PD: It requires someone with a broad, di- verse background. You don’t have to be an expert in farming. Farmers don’t need my advice on seeding, spraying, harvesting or any of that. They need help identifying issues that might affect them, and then either resolving those issues or trying to improve the system. Having someone who’s interested in problem solving is important. We like to get the team out to the site of the problem. It really helps you understand the issues, and it’s a gesture of respect. You also have to like working with people, and you have to understand that many times you’re dealing with some- one who is frustrated. You must be able to get past that, not take it personally and to help them move past the complaint phase to the facts, issues and actions phases. GW: How does the FPRAO team work together, and in what roles? PD: We are a small but mighty team. There are only five of us [on the farming side]. To make sure people are special- ized without working in a silo, we try to have everyone work across different files while focusing on what they’re best at. Our assistant advocate is a fully qualified negotiator and mediator. We also have an energy, utilities and policy specialist to lead on those files. Our direct contact for water-related issues [also handles] our communications effort, like annu- al reports and farm advisories. Farm implement and insurance appeals are complicated, so we have a team member who provides support directly to farm- ers, helping them in terms of all the data they need and supports during hearings. Finally, we have an administrative officer to handle and direct nearly every request, application or question we receive. We deal with a lot, and having this role means nothing falls through the cracks. GW: Looking back on its 50-year history of helping farmers, what is the most important aspect of the FPRAO’s work? PD: We don’t tell people we can’t help them. Almost always when they get hold of us, they’ve been trying to get help already. Even if it’s not something we can directly solve, we will provide support. We tend to not pass people along or shuffle them off to another office, we work ac- tively with them while being respectful of their issues and their time. We’re the only office like this that continues to function in Canada. I’m really glad the Government of Alberta has, since 1973, put its money where its talk is and funded the FAO. GW: What gives you satisfaction in this role? PD: I’m lucky to have the job. We deal with problems that we did not create and we can rarely make worse. The benefit is that we can help farmers and ranchers at no additional cost to them. We cannot solve all the problems, but we really are able to be clear and responsive. We give advice and direction, as opposed to many people in government who are restricted from that. We really try to give nuanced, sophisticated advice that helps people get towards the resolution they want. It’s a really gratifying job, it’s an important job and it’s the best job in the province.