Common Ground carries column by dismissed writer

Common Ground, a Vancouver-based health and wellness magazine carries an article by a woman who it says was fired as a freelance monthly columnist for the Western Producer. for attending a rally in support of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Further, an accompanying editor's note connects some dots between the agribusiness firms most likely to benefit from the demise or neutering of the Wheat Board and the B.C. company which now controls many of Canada's trade and farm magazines.

In her Common Ground article, in the January issue, Wendy Holm, describes the steps by which the Wheat Board has been brought to heel by the Minister of Agriculture, Chuck Strahl.

"For absolutely no good reason and a lot of very bad ones, BC’s own Chuck Strahl, minister of agriculture and, ironically, minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, has taken dead aim at the CWB, placing the future of prairie farmers and the communities they serve at risk," the article says

The Editor's note accompanying the article said Holm was dismissed following her participation in the July 27 pro-Wheat-Board farmer rally in Saskatoon. "Holm was there at her own expense as a concerned agrologist. She attended the minister’s 6 PM media conference as a freelance columnist for the Western Producer, and asked if he was prepared to move without a grower plebiscite.

"The column she wrote and filed concerning the events of July 27 never appeared in the Producer. It was printed in Common Ground magazine September 2006. Ironically, her [earlier] February 9 Western Producer column Dual Desk Is Code for Disaster won her a 2006 national journalism award from the Canadian Farm Writers and Broadcasters in September.

"It is important to note that the Western Producer is wholly owned by Glacier Ventures, a VSE company initially formed to export bottled water. Glacier Ventures now owns the bulk of Western Canada’s farm and community newspapers. Agricore United’s CEO sits on the Glacier board. Agricore United stands to profit greatly from the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board. Archer Daniels Midland is Agricore United’s major shareholder."

Glacier Ventures International not only owns a great many farm and community papers, it bought a large package of trade titles that had for been part of the Business Information Group at the disintegrating Hollinger.

Common Ground is a controlled circulation monthly, distributing about 68,000 copies throughout British Columbia. It is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.