Stay informed with the LNN Daily Newsletter

Two years after farm safety bill passes, no regulations in place in Alberta

Jan 23, 2018 | 2:42 PM

EDMONTON – More than two years after Alberta passed legislation mandating new safety rules for farms, Labour Minister Christina Gray says the province is still consulting and has no specific timeline to enact the regulations.

But Gray says the regulations will be in place before the 2019 general election.

It has been a controversial and hotly contested issue.

There were protests on the steps of the legislature when the bill was passed in late 2015, with rural families saying they feared the new rules would strangle farms in costly red tape and end the farming way of life.

In early 2016, the province struck multiple committees to suggest what the new safety rules should be and has been holding consultations on those proposed rules since last fall.

The deadline for public feedback on the rules was Jan. 15, but Gray has extended the deadline to Feb. 26, saying stakeholder groups have asked for more time.