A call for legislation to protect children on farms
CBC Radio | Posted: October 16, 2015 12:05 PM | Last Updated: October 16, 2015
"Our kids died living life on the farm. It is a family farm. We do not regret raising and involving our kids, Katie, aged 13, Dara aged 11 and Jana aged 11, on our farm. It was our life." - RCMP sergeant on behalf of the Bott family
Those are some of the hardest words a parent can imagine ever saying. But this week the Bott family, from near Withorw, Alberta, lost their girls in a harvesting accident, on the family farm.
The children had been playing on a truck, while it was being filled with canola. All three girls were smothered by the seed. It's not clear yet exactly how it happened, but it is another reminder of how dangerous life on a farm can be ... especially for children.
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association says that between 1990 and 2012, 272 children were killed in agricultural fatalities. Most of those, some 72 per cent, were the children of the farm's owner or operator.
Through the years there have been a number of initiatives to prevent these tragedies. Marilyn Adams helped set up one of the first campaigns. She started "Farm Safety For Just Kids" back in 1987.... a year after her own 11-year-old son died in a farming accident. Marilyn Adams was at her home in Earlham, Iowa.
For over a decade Eric Musekamp has been fighting to bring in legislation to protect farm workers in Alberta. It's the only province with no safety standards for farm workers. And no child labour standards. Later today he will be meeting with provincial government officials in Edmonton to press his case. Eric Musekamp is the President of the Farmworkers Union of Alberta.
Oneil Carlier, Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry sent us this statement:
This is a terrible tragedy, and the family and friends of these girls are in our hearts and our thoughts. We are still learning the details of this heartbreaking accident. If we learn that there are things that can be done to prevent a tragedy like this from happening in the future, we will make whatever changes are needed to protect children.
This segment was produced by The Current's Sujata Berry, Marc Apollonio and Calgary Network Producer Michael O'Halloran.