daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 32,218
- Points
- 1,160
So, is this supposed to be like a metaphor? 
Declaring rodeo Alberta’s official sport would provide a beacon of hope for Albertans, UCP backbencher Muhammad Yaseen said Monday.
At a legislative committee meeting, Yaseen said his private member’s bill proposing the official recognition would help bring people together to experience rural culture.
“Rodeo is an important thread in the rich cultural fabric of our province,” said Yaseen, adding many communities have been economically devastated by the loss of the riding and roping events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposed bill comes after a motion recognizing the cultural importance of rodeo passed unanimously in the legislature last year.
It’s not the first time the idea has been broached in Alberta. In 2008, then Liberal Opposition leader Kevin Taft introduced a similar but non-binding motion. It wasn’t a priority for Ed Stelmach’s PC government. It also drew criticism from animal welfare advocates and perplexed hockey devotees.
Tim Carson, CEO of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies (AAAS), said Monday the association supports the bill because it helps build social licence for events that are huge economic drivers in rural communities.
“If we can get our province to say, ‘This is part of our heritage, we want to keep this alive, that’s important to our communities’ — that’s a good thing,” said Carson.
However, he added the agricultural associations that organize many rodeo events across the province are driven by some 52,000 volunteers and are struggling to deal with a backlog of operating costs that go well beyond the lost revenue of rodeos.
While NDP Opposition committee members praised the value of rodeo events, NDP MLA Lorne Dach questioned what practical impact the declaration would have with no specific funding support, particularly on agricultural societies.
“It would be a huge insult to rural Alberta if we pass this bill and say, ‘Yahoo, rodeo is Alberta’s provincial sport,’ and then leave them out to dry and dwindle and perhaps fail in many cases,” said Dach.
Approximately $11.5 million in lottery and gaming revenues are budgeted to go to agricultural societies and exhibitions across Alberta in 2021-22. Yaseen said he hoped the agriculture and forestry ministry would review its funding to address any potential shortcomings.
Dach responded that “hope is not a plan” or a financing arrangement.
edmontonjournal.com
Legislative committee mulls bill that would declare rodeo Alberta's official sport
Declaring rodeo Alberta’s official sport would provide a beacon of hope for Albertans, UCP backbencher Muhammad Yaseen said Monday.
At a legislative committee meeting, Yaseen said his private member’s bill proposing the official recognition would help bring people together to experience rural culture.
“Rodeo is an important thread in the rich cultural fabric of our province,” said Yaseen, adding many communities have been economically devastated by the loss of the riding and roping events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposed bill comes after a motion recognizing the cultural importance of rodeo passed unanimously in the legislature last year.
It’s not the first time the idea has been broached in Alberta. In 2008, then Liberal Opposition leader Kevin Taft introduced a similar but non-binding motion. It wasn’t a priority for Ed Stelmach’s PC government. It also drew criticism from animal welfare advocates and perplexed hockey devotees.
Tim Carson, CEO of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies (AAAS), said Monday the association supports the bill because it helps build social licence for events that are huge economic drivers in rural communities.
“If we can get our province to say, ‘This is part of our heritage, we want to keep this alive, that’s important to our communities’ — that’s a good thing,” said Carson.
However, he added the agricultural associations that organize many rodeo events across the province are driven by some 52,000 volunteers and are struggling to deal with a backlog of operating costs that go well beyond the lost revenue of rodeos.
While NDP Opposition committee members praised the value of rodeo events, NDP MLA Lorne Dach questioned what practical impact the declaration would have with no specific funding support, particularly on agricultural societies.
“It would be a huge insult to rural Alberta if we pass this bill and say, ‘Yahoo, rodeo is Alberta’s provincial sport,’ and then leave them out to dry and dwindle and perhaps fail in many cases,” said Dach.
Approximately $11.5 million in lottery and gaming revenues are budgeted to go to agricultural societies and exhibitions across Alberta in 2021-22. Yaseen said he hoped the agriculture and forestry ministry would review its funding to address any potential shortcomings.
Dach responded that “hope is not a plan” or a financing arrangement.
Legislative committee mulls bill that would declare rodeo Alberta's official sport
Declaring rodeo Alberta’s official sport would provide a beacon of hope for Albertans, UCP backbencher Muhammad Yaseen said Monday.
edmontonjournal.com
