Yes, I will. Thank you.
First of all, I'd like to thank the committee for allowing me to appear this morning. My name is Ray Orb, and I am the president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, which is known as SARM. We were incorporated in 1905 and have been the voice of agriculture and rural Saskatchewan for over 100 years. We work on behalf of our members to identify solutions and challenges in rural Saskatchewan.
As an association, we are mandated to work in agriculture, which is an important sector in our province. Saskatchewan is a key producer of Canada's wheat, oats, flaxseed and barley, and we are proud to be home to many farms, cattle ranches and dairy operations.
Our agriculture industry relies on the ability to move product efficiently and cost-effectively. An adequate and efficient transportation system is imperative for producers to move their product across the province and across the country.
Saskatchewan, Canada and North America rely on the rural municipal primary weight infrastructure in Saskatchewan to connect to the provincial network to move goods and services in a reliable, timely and safe manner. Our province boasts the largest provincial road network in Canada. Provincial highways contribute 26,000 kilometres, while rural municipal roadways contribute 162,000 kilometres.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways provides funding to SARM to manage a primary weight network grant-funding program for rural municipalities to maintain rural roads at a primary weight. These primary weight corridors enable the seamless transportation of goods and services throughout the province and the country, while protecting the aging provincial system. The program has proven to be very successful, as there are currently 6,500 kilometres of “clearing the path” primary weight corridors in the province.
We also rely on the rail system to ship grain and agricultural products, and SARM has been really vocal about the rail level of service since 2009.
More recently, we provided comments on Bill C-49. We supported the bill, as it provides legislation for increased data reporting. More data means that producers in the supply chain can make better decisions that are based on good information. We also believe that the federal railways should be required to produce plans that detail how they'll deal with demands resulting from the upcoming crop year.
We're pleased to see reciprocal penalties and the provision for informal dispute resolution services included in Bill C-49. It's important that disputes be resolved quickly so that producers aren't faced with additional penalties or delays.
It is also important that the Transportation Modernization Act and related regulations ensure that the Canadian Transportation Agency and Transport Canada have adequate mechanisms to keep railways accountable. SARM believes that the federal government needs the ability to act if it deems a railway's grain plan to be insufficient. Without adequate enforcement options, Bill C-49 would not bring about meaningful change.
Although rail transportation has primarily been an issue for grain producers in western Canada, the increase of oil by rail causes additional concerns. Thousands of barrels of oil on the track not only cause capacity issues for grain but also pose a threat to the environment.
Pipelines are an environmentally favourable alternative to road and rail transportation and should be used where possible to reduce the risks associated with moving dangerous goods by rail. Pipeline development will also take oil cars off the rail tracks and free up cars for the movement of grain.
My last comment is related to the important role that ports play in our rural economies. Since the port of Churchill stopped operations in 2016, SARM has been closely monitoring the situation and advocating for a solution. The port provided an important export point for producers, and its restoration would help move the grain backlog in the Prairies.
Last year, SARM had the opportunity to meet with officials from the port of Vancouver. We have seen first-hand some of the logistical issues and how the port authority hopes to bring about further efficiencies.
The rural landscape has changed over the course of the last century. Demands on infrastructure have increased and will continue to increase. The report “How to Feed the World in 2050” indicates that by that time the world's population will reach 9.1 billion. Food production must increase by 70%. Annual cereal production will need to reach three billion tonnes, and annual meat production will need to increase by over 200 million tonnes. It is imperative that we have a transportation system that enables producers in rural Saskatchewan to do their part in feeding the world.
On behalf of Saskatchewan's rural municipalities, I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to lend our voice to this important conversation.