Rob M !!!

[Coldhill]

Did you hire any body guards for the BASS in Edmonton this year? I heard you were sweaten bullets last year when a big guy wanted to express his dislike in your opinion. I will be there, and I hire out cheep too. LOL

See you there!!

G-len

[Alberta Bigbore]

wondering where you have been hiding;)

[Phantom]

lol ill do it for a beer:) im used to throwing big guys around in a cage so this could be easy

[Rob Miskosky]

I'm hoping the mod squad will be backing me up. If not, I'll be the guy in the fake glasses and moustache.

[300 wsm]

sounds funny did things get a little verbal r what

[Kanonfodder]

:lol: I always thought that moustache looked odd......:tongue2:

[Mr. Magoo]

What was the difference of opinion about?

[Rob Miskosky]

He was a game farmer and I'm an opponent to game farming. Guess he didn't like some of the things I've written. To set the record straight, I've never blamed a game farmer for anything, rather, the Klein government for allowing game farming in the first place.

[Don Meredith]

Rob,
Not to put too fine a point on it, but it was the Getty government that allowed game farming (after promising hunters he would not) in 1984. It was under Klein that canned hunting was almost allowed.

Don

[Rob Miskosky]

You are correct, although it was February 26, 1987, by secret Order in Council, that Getty pushed it through.

But of course, in the meantime, the Elgersma family had secured a game farm permit and imported 149 elk. The Elgersma's are cousins to Peter Elzinga, who later became Ralph Klein's Chief of Staff.

It was also proven that Norman Moore was importing elk before Getty's privatization of wildlife took effect. Who is Norman Moore? The brother of Marvin Moore, who later became Klein's campaign chair.

During the 1992 Tory leadership campaign Ralph Klein promised a full review of the industry and then didn't follow through. He even made the promise in writing. Klein had the opportunity to put an end to game farming after he became premier but didn't.

Klein's cronies benefitted immensly from the game farming fiasco. In fact, they were some of the first to get out, after making a fortune while leaving those farmers they encouraged to get in left holding the poison bag.

Oh, and it was Elgersma's farm that first became infected with TB in 1990.

And to this day, Alberta Agriculture still promotes game ranching as an alternative.

Go figure.

[Vindalbakken]

Rob, if you are keeping a list, the brother of the local MLA imported and kept Elk as well, awaiting the passage of the Game Ranching Bill. This is the same MLA who gave up his seat for Getty to run in the by-election.

[Rob Miskosky]

There was a huge conspiracy that took place back then.

Public input was asked for and the Wildlife Advisory Council were told that 75% of 2,000 submissions favoured game ranching. But the Zone 2 Chairman of the AFGA questioned the submissions because he claimed they had sent in 2000 opposing game farming.

The Provincial Ombudsman investigated the public input process and found out that the whole process had been manipulated by government.

It was a complete scam because too many government-connected individuals were already importing elk before it was even legal. It was all brushed under the table. And Klein carried on with the scam.

[Vindalbakken]

And then there was the fiasco with the giveaway of the Alberta wildlife. How many animals were killed in the attempts by game ranchers to acquire their "free" breeding stock?

[Don Meredith]

Rob, you are correct it happened in 1987, but it was the 1984 revision of the Wildlife Act that allowed Getty to do it. That act opened the door for the privatization of wildlife.

And yes, the game ranchers were well connected at the highest levels, costing taxpayers plenty to clean up their mess.

[bruceba]

This link pretty much sums up the time line of events.

http://www.ualberta.ca/PARKLAND/post/OldPost/Vol5_No1/1Rowledgegame.html

[Mr. Magoo]

You can't compare it in every facet, but there are certainly some parallels with the whole Open Spaces thing now going on.
This is the kind of fiasco that we are now trying so hard to avoid before it ever gets started.
Five or ten or more years from now I can envision us all lamenting how the whole mess transpired and a few profitted from it and the rest of us got shafted.