Changing Face of Agriculture

Viterra’s new sign takes the place of Agricore United on March 5 a few kms. east of Provost. Up an estimated 100 feet in the manlift are former resident Brett Kuglin of Swift Current and Nathan Davis of Plenty, Sask. ©Provost News Photos.

Army Wants 29 Sections of Land in M.D.
Landowners north of Amisk are being asked by the Department of National Defence to sell a total of 29 sections to expand army training operations.

Lt.-Colonel Paul Duff, base commander of Canadian Forces Base Wainwright told a crowd of farmers, ranchers and others at the Rosyth Community Hall on Wednesday night, March 5 that because of a training “bottleneck” and logistic problems they want to add the land to their southwest corner of operations.

The training centre currently takes in 600 square kilometres.

Duff showed slides and explained that 25 m.m. cannons are being used to train Canadian troops for combat in Afghanistan and they are now firing longer ranges and would like the extra room.

He said this “initial” area of concern would also help when they conduct large national maneuvers every two years, calling the existing training area a “jewel” in Canada’s military. Duff says regardless of the length of the Afghan mission they still want the land as part of an overall training area over the long term.

The extra 18,560 acres that the Dept. of National Defence wants would be used for general maneuvers and light guns. No bombs or unexploded shells would be left in that area, the crowd heard.

Landowners were told by both Duff and a real estate advisor (a land man) for Public Works Canada, Bruce Copeland that none of the land would be expropriated and if enough land is not able to be purchased the army would back off on its planned expansion.

“If you don’t want to sell . . . you don’t want to sell” said Copeland.

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