GuZoo Gets Shut Down. who's next?

[ASRG]

GuZoo, a small private rural zoo near Three hills Alberta, had it's license cancelled this week by the Alberta government and the owners (The Gustafson family) have 7 days to get rid of the animals!
The zoo has operated for 25 years and there were no problems until 2006 when the Alberta government brought in new onerous regulations for private zoos.
Animal rights "do-gooders" engaged in a successful campaign, through the internet, to get the zoo shut down. The provincial government, to its shame, pandered to the activists and pulled the Gustafsons license!
What I question is this: Alberta cattle producers were required to take out a "premise ID" if they wanted to continue in the cattle business? This was a defacto "license"....and the government has the power to cancel that "license" whenever it sees fit!
We are seeing more and more "regulations".....traceability, age verification, etc.?
What happens if the government brings in regulations that are so onerous that it becomes almost impossible to comply? Maybe things like: animals must not be subject to the stress of branding/dehorning/castration/weaning/
cold stress/heat stress/ noise stress....well you get the picture?
What is to stop the government from pulling our "license" and giving us 7 days to get rid of our cattle? A well mounted campaign from the "do-gooders" could put all of us at risk....just like what has happened to the Gustasons? What are your thoughts on this?

[per]

You point to the whole issue of how vulnerable we are with the spotlight now focused on statutory consents in the ALSA conversation. Zoo licence, water permit, feedlot licence, grazing lease... we hang our necks out depending on these statutory consents with very little protection or recourse.

[farmers_son]

Is premise ID really that much of a big deal? It is not a licence and it cant be cancelled. More of a pain in the backside is what I see. But at some point health of animals is important. If we ever get a health issue, and it can happen, then to the extent that knowing where the animals are could speed up up controlling the outbreak isn't that a good thing?

See:
http://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/regu/alta-reg-200-2008/latest/alta-reg-200-2008.html

[per]

Premise ID is no different than an address that we already have. It isn't the Id they cancelled (rightly or wrongly).

[ASRG]

Well it can't be cancelled yet? It states in the regulations it can be amended by the government whenever they want to.
Maybe I'm just not all that confident in our present governments and just how truthful they are. The land bills (19,36,50,24) did take away some of our property rights and some of our basic democratic rights....the one that really jumps out is "rule of law". Instead of being tied to "rule of law" we now have "rule by the cabinet"! Every one of the land bills denies you the right to challenge the government in the courts. Without "rule of law" you have no property rights.
A classic example was Bill 24, the Carbon Capture Statutes amendment act. Prior to this legislation you did indeed own the pore space under your land. The government expropriated that property without any compensation and legislated you couldn't challenge that expropriation in the courts!
Last week a Wikileaks cable proved they were lying about the power transmission lines. They had been telling us over and over these lines were not for export....and wikileaks showed that wasn't true!
Why was Bill 50, the electrical statutes amendment act, enacted? Part of expropriation law states no individual's land can be taken against his will....unless it is in the "public interest". Expropriating your land to build export lines so a few large corporations can make $billions....really doesn't fit the "public interest" idea? Which is exactly why Bill 50 was legislated in...to get the landowners property rights out of the picture!
So do I trust the government when they say "This premise ID thing is good for you"..... no I don't....I don't believe anything they say...they are proven liars.

[littledoggie]

I hope that these bills are front and center in everyone's minds when they go to the polls next. I believe that there is a much bigger picture then meets the eye. If "they" can get away with it in Alberta (an energy superpower), everyone else should WATCH OUT. The cowboys have no balls.
The idea of working with the government gestapo so that their regulations are not too onerous is a ridiculous one. Big business has the governments' ear - onerous regulations enable big business and puts the little guy under.

[Happytrails]

littledoggie has it right. Our industry reps and organizations who were co-opted into the regional land use plan process lost their voice, identity, and perspective. We can't compete with civil servants in attending meetings and shouldn't try. Our input should be in policy direction not process. HT