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Opinion

A rural response to Gerald Stanley’s acquittal from a Saskatchewan farmer..

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6 minute read

As a person who lives on a farm in rural sask. I can offer the following insights into rural realities. I only speak for myself and my family. I don’t claim to know what I would or wouldn’t do if I was in the Stanley’s situation, nor if I was in that vehicle with Colton. I hope I never have to find out. I don’t know what life is like on farms in other places, I can’t speak to that.
I can only offer what knowledge I have of rural life…
1. If you live on a farm you are responsible for everything yourself. Snow removal, garbage disposal, water, sewer, security and safety. If your house starts on fire it’s very unlikely that the FD will arrive in time to save it. If you have a heart attack it’s very unlikely that the EMTs will arrive in time to save you. And if your family is attacked it is very unlikely that the RCMP will arrive in time to save you. You are basically on your own. I don’t feel that to say that the Stanleys could have locked themselves in the house and called the police is very reasonable. They weren’t in the house, they were all over the yard. Maybe their door didn’t even lock. Had they been in the house already they may have just hid there like their neighbor did. We can’t know either way. And where I live the earliest RCMP response would be greater than 30 mins. A lot can happen in 30 mins.
2.Anyone who enters a farmer’s property with the intent to steal from or threaten the occupants should be aware of the likely presence of weapons. All of the farmers I know have guns. More than one. Some have many. They aren’t solely or primarily for protection from would be thieves or attackers. some people collect guns, some people enjoy target shooting or hunting. On a farm it is pretty much necessary to have a gun. Where we live there are coyotes, raccoons, cougars, wolves, wild boars etc. An aggressive or rabid animal can attack your family dogs or a beloved animal may be injured or sick and need your mercy. It’s just a rural reality. But a gun can kill people just as easily as animals so everyone should just be aware that on farms there are usually guns.
3. The reasons farmers are easy targets for crime are the very same reasons they are often forced to deal with it on their own. Essentially no effective police response and isolation.
I don’t live in an area with a lot of rural crime. We’ve been robbed before and neighbors have had vehicles stolen and equipment vandalized but I would not say it’s a regular occurrence. Regardless, I have fears. I fear that this far from town someone will get injured or have a heart attack so I have our land location written by the phone and I took CPR. I fear that a snowstorm will take out our power and block our roads so we have a genset and snow moving equipment. I fear that our sewer will back up so we have an alarm and an extra pump. And I fear that if someone came into my yard with the intent or ‘the perceived intent’ to hurt my family the police would be of no help. So we have dogs, and locks on all our doors. And guns. And when guns get involved people can get hurt or killed. My point is we have to take extra precautions for things that urban people are comfortable letting ‘the professionals’ handle. Most farmers, most men actually, will do what they feel is necessary to protect their families and deal with the consequences later. No one wants to be in that position but when you live on a farm you are. You can not depend on anyone else to protect you or save you.
When people are intoxicated their judgement is impaired and they do not act or react in a predictable way. And it is safe to say when people are scared their judgement is impaired and they do not act or react in a predictable way. It’s very unfortunate that this tragedy happened at all and I feel terribly sad for all involved.

Regan from Saskatchewan

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International

Kazakhstan joins Abraham Accords, Trump says more nations lining up for peace

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MXM logo MxM News

Kazakhstan is officially joining the Abraham Accords, becoming the first nation to do so during President Trump’s second term — and signaling a renewed push for peace and stability across the Middle East and Central Asia. Trump made the announcement Thursday on Truth Social, writing, “I just held a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many.” He continued, “This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World. Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords. We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH. So much more to come in uniting Countries for Stability and Growth — Real progress, real results. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the announcement, calling Trump “the world’s ultimate negotiator.” Rubio said in a post that “the American people have the ultimate advocate and champion for peace in @realDonaldTrump,” adding that Kazakhstan’s entry “builds on President Trump’s unmatched record of delivering results.” The move represents a significant diplomatic step for Kazakhstan, a Muslim-majority nation that has long sought to balance relations between Russia, China, and the West while maintaining economic ties with Israel and the United States.

According to senior adviser Steve Witkoff, the agreement could be just the start of another wave of normalization. Witkoff told Breitbart News there is “big energy” behind four to six additional countries joining “in the next couple of months,” pointing to Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Armenia, and Azerbaijan as likely candidates. Former Arkansas Governor and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee similarly suggested during a Breitbart Founders Club Roundtable that Saudi Arabia remains the most consequential prospective addition. Huckabee highlighted the United Arab Emirates’ economic transformation since joining the Accords as an example of the tangible benefits for participating nations.

Rubio has also met with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who expressed interest in lifting sanctions to attract foreign investment. While al-Sharaa acknowledged that joining the Abraham Accords may not yet be realistic for Syria given tensions with Israel, he signaled openness to long-term normalization under the right conditions.

Trump, who returned to office in January, vowed throughout his campaign and transition to expand the Abraham Accords beyond their original signatories — Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan — and hinted earlier this year at progress with Saudi Arabia. “They’ll join in their own time,” he told business leaders at the 2025 Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Washington on November 18, while al-Sharaa is expected to arrive next week for meetings at the White House.

The original Abraham Accords, signed in September 2020, reshaped diplomatic relations in the Middle East under Trump’s first term. With Kazakhstan now on board and more nations signaling interest, Trump’s second-term foreign policy is again centering on a message of peace through strength — and a vision of an American-led era of regional cooperation grounded in security, prosperity, and faith.

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Business

Carney’s Deficit Numbers Deserve Scrutiny After Trudeau’s Forecasting Failures

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From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy

By Conrad Eder

Frontier Centre for Public Policy study reveals a decade of inflated Liberal forecasts—a track record that casts a long shadow over Carney’s first budget

The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has released a major new study revealing that the Trudeau government’s federal budget forecasts from 2016 to 2025 were consistently inaccurate and biased — a record that casts serious doubt on the projections in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget.

Carney’s 2025–26 federal budget forecasts a $78.3-billion deficit — twice the size projected last year and four times what was forecast in Budget 2022. But if recent history is any guide, Canadians have good reason to question whether even this ballooning deficit reflects fiscal reality.

The 4,000-word study, Measuring Federal Budgetary Balance Forecasting Accuracy and Bias, by Frontier Centre policy analyst Conrad Eder, finds that forecast accuracy collapsed after the Trudeau government took office:

  • Current-year forecasts were off by an average of $22.9 billion, or one per cent of GDP.
  • Four-year forecasts missed the mark by an average of $94.4 billion, or four per cent of GDP.
  • Long-term projections consistently overstated Canada’s fiscal health, showing a clear optimism bias.

Eder’s analysis shows that every three- and four-year forecast under Trudeau predicted a stronger financial position than what actually occurred, masking the true scale of deficits and debt accumulation. The study concludes that this reflects a systemic optimism bias, likely rooted in political incentives: short-term optics with no regard to long-term consequences.

“With Prime Minister Carney now setting Canada’s fiscal direction, it’s critical to assess his projections in light of this track record,” said Eder. “The pattern of bias and inaccuracy under previous Liberal governments gives reason to doubt the credibility of claims that deficits will shrink over time. Canadians deserve fiscal forecasts that are credible and transparent — not political messaging disguised as economic planning.”

The study warns that persistent optimism bias erodes fiscal accountability, weakens public trust and limits citizens’ ability to hold government to account — a threat to both economic sustainability and democratic transparency.

Click here to download the full study.

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