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Alberta Lamb Producers Service Charge Model Plebiscite – Official Results
As required in section 10 of the Alberta Lamb Producers Plebiscite Directive (2022) made under section 5.1 of the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, this letter is to provide you with the official results of the Alberta Lamb Producers (ALP) plebiscite on the question of service charge model of ALP held between October 18, 2022 and November 16, 2022 (at noon). The formal time period for eligible producers to contest the plebiscite ended on December 9, 2022 and no contests were reported to the Returning Officer. Due to the nature of the plebiscite question, the results of the Alberta Lamb Producers plebiscite are also provided for your information. Below are the official results of the plebiscite:

• Number of votes cast electronically = 118
• Number of votes submitted by mail-in ballot = 137
• Total number of votes submitted = 255
• Number of votes for a non-refundable service charge model = 105 (41.7%)
• Number of votes for status quo (refundable service charge model) = 147 (58.3%)
• Mail-in ballots rejected = 3
• Participation Rate = 15.38%

The directive also required a report from the Deputy Returning Officer of any potential anomalies or errors that may have arisen during the electronic voting process and given that there were none, the tabulation is final.
 
These results are also available on Agriculture and Irrigation’s website at: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/alberta-lamb-producers-plebiscite-reporting-results and have been provided to the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation for his information.

A new report has been released on the Ernst & Young Inc. website, who is the appointed Monitor for NALCO: www.ey.com/ca/NALCO

Once on their website, select Monitor’s Reports and then you will see the report that is called: 02.Second Report of Ernst & Young Inc. in its Capacity as Monitor f the NALCO Group – 29 Nov 2022-1168KB

Please note that there has been no communication between Ernst & Young Inc., NALCO and ALP. We did come across this update and wanted to share it with our Producers. From our understanding of the document, the sale is still tentative and appears to be dependent on the environmental study phase 2.

Elections for the ALP executive and committee positions were held on November 20, 2022 during the first Board meeting following the 2022 AGM.   Elections results were:

Chair: Emilie Wilson
Vice-Chair: Jordan Allen
Finance Chair: Judy Buck
Finance Vice-Chair: Jolene Airth

Emilie Wilson, Jordan Allen and Richard Boscher will be representing ALP on the National Sheep Network (NSN). 

We are providing our producers with the preliminary results of the Alberta Lamb Producers (ALP) service charge model plebiscite.  Final results of the plebiscite will be official once the last day to contest the plebiscite has passed - 15 business days after the announcement of preliminary results. ALP announced the results during their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday November 19, 2022.  The last day to contest the plebiscite is December 9, 2022, in accordance with the ALP Plebiscite Directive. 

The ALP plebiscite was held between October 18, 2022 and November 16, 2022 (at noon) on the question of service charge model of the ALP.   

There was no set voting criteria established for this plebiscite, therefore, the criteria is set at 50% + 1 of votes cast.

Results:

The results of the plebiscites show most producers that voted, were in favour of the status quo, a refundable service charge model for ALP.  The numerical results are highlighted below.

• Number of votes cast electronically = 118
• Number of votes submitted by mail-in ballot = 137
• Total number of votes submitted = 255
• Number of votes for a non-refundable service charge model = 105 (41.7%)
• Number of votes for status quo (refundable service charge model) = 147 (58.3%)
• Mail-in ballots rejected = 3
• Participation Rate = 15.38%
• The directive required a report from the Deputy Returning Officer of any potential anomalies or errors that may have arisen during the electronic voting process and given that there were none, the tabulation is final.

Next steps:

• Formal letters will be sent to key officials (Minister and the ALP Chair) following the date to contest the plebiscite (December 9^th).
• The preliminary results of the plebiscite will be posted to Marketing Council’s website (by November 28^th ).
• Official results will be shared once the date to contest the plebiscite has passed (December 9^th).
• Given the results of the vote are for the status quo, refundable service charge model, there will be no change to the current service charge structure or regulations.    

Alberta Lamb Producers is proud to announce their new partnership with The Campaign for Wool Canada and The Canadian Wool Council. This partnership provides the opportunity to align our goals in order to bolster the Alberta sheep industry.

ALP’s support, which will be matched several times over, will assist The Campaign’s research and branding programs including:

• Developing a value-chain/export plan for producing 100% Canadian wool upholstery and other textiles.
• A Shearing Plan that investigates Alberta/Canada’s shearing needs and proposes how the industry can increase access to high-quality, affordable shearing for the entire sheep industry. It also looks into recruiting new shearers and ensuring the highest standards of performance.
• Representation for Alberta as part of the Canadian Delegation to the International Wool Textile Organization, as well as identifying business opportunities and partners to develop Alberta wool while sharing our stories with the world.
• Supporting Alberta producers who sell their own wool and wool products with our national branding and marketing efforts and point-of-sale materials to sell the benefits of wool to consumers and position Alberta/Canadian wool as a premium fibre.
• Celebrating our wool and the Albertans/Canadians who transform it.
• The two organizations will be looking at future research and commercial projects that will benefit producers in Alberta.
  

The ALP office will be closed from Thursday, December 22, 2022 until Monday, January 2, 2023, resuming regular business hours on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. If you require immediate assistance during this time, please visit our website: https://ablamb.ca/index.php/about-alp/contact  for Director contact information.

From everyone at ALP, we would like to wish our producers and other industry stakeholders a wonderful holiday season!

The Animal Health Emergency Management (AHEM) project has recently released its new resource, Emergency Response Procedures for NON-DISEASE RELATED EMERGENCIES.

The 10-page document was developed to provide producers and animal caregivers with guidance on preparing for and responding to:

• structure fires and wildfires
• flooding
• power grid and utilities failures
• severe drought, and
• livestock vehicle transport accidents.

You can view, download, and print the new resource by visiting www.animalhealth.ca/resources. 

VOTING IS OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 16, 12PM (NOON). Cast your vote and have your say on this important question for the industry.

Producers who paid a service charge to the Alberta Lamb Producers between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2022, should watch for their voting package to arrive by Canada Post the week of October 24-28.

Voting packages include instructions and materials for voting electronically or by mail-in ballot.

• Electronic voting includes voting on an internet enabled device such as a computer, tablet, smartphone OR by phoning a toll-free number.
• Mail-in-ballots must be sent by regular Canada Post and received by the Deputy Returning Officer no later than 12pm (noon) November 16.

Eligible Lamb Producers are encouraged to vote electronically, as it’s simple, quick and efficient.

If you have not received your voting package by October 28, call the Voter Help Desk toll-free at 844-807-5762 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will help ensure you can cast your vote.

The Alberta Lamb Producers Plebiscite is being administered by the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council (Returning Officer) and MNP LLP (Deputy Returning Officer).