Globe and Mail reveals emails surround ALR changes

The Globe says Bill-24 followed a bitter complaint by Mr. Bennett in a July 2012 e-mail exchange with a cabinet colleague, claiming among other things, the agency wasn’t moving fast enough on changes he wanted in his Kooteney East riding.

In one pre-election e-mail, to then Agriculture Minister Don McRae, Mr. Bennett reportedly noted, he had been promised a review of ALR boundaries in his riding…and that his demands had the backing of Liberal rural caucus members.

Those demands are said to have included — “There has to be room for other job creating tax-paying activities on farmland.”

The story indicates Mr. Bennett copied Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm and others in the Grit caucus on his correspondence with Mr. McRae.

It also claims Mr. Pimm, who would later be appointed Agriculture Minister, echoed Mr. Bennett’s concerns and complained about being blocked from lobbying ALC Chair, Richard Bullock.

There’s much more to the story, and it can be found on line, but the Globe and Mail says, when asked yesterday, Mr. Bennett deferred interview requests, to the current Agriculture Minister, Norm Letnick.

In its concluding paragraphs to today’s story, the paper says NDP agriculture critic, Nicholas Simons, has accused the Energy Minister of using the core review process to pursue a vendetta against the ALC.

Click here to read the full story from the Globe and Mail