The story of a Pincher Creek, AB rancher getting fined $354 for helping a neighbor haul cattle to the auction, is another example of wondering whether the world has any common sense left.
Assuming Barb Glen in her Western Producer report just didn’t make the whole thing up, (but as often is said, truth is stranger than fiction) the story goes that rancher Bill Homans was stopped in November by
The neighbor had his truck and stock trailer with cattle on the road right ahead of Homans. Driver’s licence, registration and manifest for the driver and cattle all checked out. All the paperwork was good.
Homans said he wasn’t getting paid to haul these cattle. The silly man helps his neighbors from time to time and they in turn help him. I have heard of that happening a few times in rural Canada, it has something to do with being a good neighbor. It seems to me, too, that Jesus was big on that
Regardless of the circumstance, Alberta traffic regulations specify that farmers can legally transport animals owned by someone else to or from a grazing lease, so long as they are not paid. But it makes no mention of hauling another person’s cattle somewhere else. And here we have Homans out joy
An Alberta Transportation spokesperson says a number of regulations may apply. “Even if no compensation is involved, it’s still deemed to be a commercial operation hauling somebody else’s goods,” he says. “The compensation here doesn’t have to be monetary. It can be, ‘I help you now, you’ll help me later’.”
If that is really the logic behind these regulations it has to be the stupidest piece of legislation I’ve ever heard of, and the world of stupid rules is very competitive.
There is no indication in this story that Homans is one of those notorious black market, under the table, midnight cattle haulers who makes all kinds of unclaimed cash earnings by hauling cattle for people, which takes the food out of the mouths of the children of commercial haulers. But if that is the case, thank God this evil has finally been stopped.
But, my take is it sounds like Homans is being fined for the crime of a neighbor helping a neighbor. I had to read the story a couple times just to be sure I hadn’t missed something. Apparently this isn’t a new
regulation. It has been illegal to help your neighbor in Alberta forever. It’s a head shaker.
Not only is it a stupid law, but to compound the issue I assume we have some sound-minded people enforcing it. I know they don’t make the rules, but somewhere in this world you’d think that common sense would have crept into this situation.
I broke the law the other day in Calgary and got a $50 fine.
I parked my truck on the street downtown but it wasn’t completely inside the yellow parking lines. Even though there wasn’t another vehicle within 50 yards of me before, during and after the time I was parked, I still got a ticket. Might have been one of those situations too where the by-law officer could have
applied some common sense.
The one consolation I have is that when Bill Homans and I are serving life sentences in Drumheller maximum security unit for our crimes against society, I think he will make a pretty good cellmate. But if I help him make his bed one morning, I sure don’t want him helping me back. I could be charged with illegal commercial bed making. And I understand that means the electric chair.
