| | Terry Dash
Terry Dash, who represents Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) on AESA Council, is keeping very busy these days. He is currently PFRA’s Technical Director for the Prairies West Region and the Acting Technical Director for B.C. Together, these two jobs give him responsibilities that include several major agricultural stewardship programs in Alberta, B.C., Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Dash grew up in Regina and Kamloops. He attended the University of British Columbia, obtaining a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geological Engineering and a Masters in Civil Engineering. Dash worked for B.C. Hydro for several years and then in 1984 he joined PFRA.
“PFRA’s purpose is to provide expertise and services to agricultural producers and stakeholders for the sustainable use of agricultural land and water resources,” explains Dash. Created more than 60 years ago, PFRA has a long history of working with farmers and ranchers. Over the years, the agency’s roles and activities have evolved to keep pace with the changing challenges faced by the agriculture industry.
At present, one of PFRA’s major roles is “to provide technical support to producers who are taking advantage of the land and water programs offered under the [national] Agricultural Policy Framework. That includes programs like Environmental Farm Planning, the National Farm Stewardship Program, the National Water Supply Expansion Program and the Greencover Program. All of those programs are to assist producers in the implementation of environmental actions and to develop secure water supplies for agriculture,” explains Dash.
The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program and the Farm Stewardship Program are both industry-supported initiatives. The EFP program helps producers to identify environmental risks and opportunities on their operations. The Farm Stewardship Program helps producers implement beneficial management practices to address identified environmental risks. (A beneficial management practice is an agricultural practice that benefits the long-term economic and environmental viability of the agriculture industry and that ensures the health of the natural resources that agriculture relies on.)
Both of these Canada-wide programs are tailored to meet the specific needs of each province and territory. Alberta’s EFP program started in 2002. So far almost 4000 Alberta producers have completed an Environmental Farm Plan.
The Canada-Alberta Farm Stewardship Program (CAFSP) started in February 2005, and more than 1800 BMP projects have been approved or completed to date. The program’s technical assistance and incentive dollars are integral to the success of these projects. Project costs, which total over $20 million, are shared between the producer and the federal government, signalling the importance that producers place on environmental sustainability despite tough economic times.
Environmental Law Centre
The Environmental Law Centre (ELC) plays a unique role on AESA Council for several reasons. “In part, it’s because, rather than focusing on just one or two environmental issues, we tend to be wider ranging. That helps us to bring a broader view to the table, so we can see how the different pieces fit together. And in part it’s because, when issues related to law and policy come to the AESA table, we are able to apply our experience and training as lawyers to assist in dealing with those issues,” explains Cindy Chiasson. She is the ELC’s Executive Director and represents it on AESA Council.
The ELC brings its broad, objective outlook and its expertise in environmental law and policy to all its activities. Established in 1982, this registered charitable organization provides its skills and services to governments, industry, environmental agencies and members of the public across Canada.
Chiasson says, “There are two key elements to what we do as an organization. One is working to ensure law and policy to protect the environment. The other is to assist and facilitate public participation in environmental decision-making. Those two elements feed into all the services we provide, the types of research we do, and the changes in law or policy that we seek to have put into place.”
The Centre offers various free services to help the public to take part in environmental decision-making. She says, “[For instance,] if people have a question about environmental law or policy, they can contact us by phone, email or dropping by, and we’ll work on finding an answer. If they have a more detailed question, they can talk to one of our lawyers.”
People can also borrow materials from the ELC’s extensive library free of charge. And the library catalogue is now searchable through the ELC’s website.
You can also ask ELC staff members to make presentations to your group. For example, they have talked to agricultural producers about the legal aspects of such issues as energy developments on their lands and conservation easements (voluntary agreements to limit new developments on a property.)
Agriculture is one of the Centre’s four strategic topic areas, along with energy, water and land. As part of this, the ELC conducts research on agriculture-related issues. For instance, to mark its 25th anniversary in 2007, it will be examining the issues around determining the “public interest.” This term is used in the mandates of regulators like Alberta’s Energy and Utilities Board and Natural Resources Conservation Board and in other environmental legislation.
For more information about the ELC, visit www.elc.ab.ca or call 1-800-661-4238. |
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