Check It Out: Which journalists are talking to locals?

By Joan Janzen

A friend was telling me about her kindergarten-aged granddaughter, who was listening to her mom and girlfriends chatting with one another. After a while, she was obviously feeling ignored, so she raised her hand and asked, “Hey, could someone ask ME a question?”

She’s not the only one who feels left out of the conversation. There are farmers who feel like they’re being ignored, but thanks to independent Canadian filmmakers like Simon Hergott, farmers are being heard.

“I met Simon in August 2021 in Paxton Valley, BC, while we were still on fire,” a BC farmer commented online. “He was the only journalist that stopped in to talk to locals while the professional journalists reported from Victoria by regurgitating government press releases.”

Hergott’s most recent documentaries are entitled “Stolen Water 1” and “Stolen Water 2”, where he interviewed local farmers who reported on what took place on August 17th, 2023 in Westwood, B.C. At that time, farmers were ordered to abruptly cease irrigation during a crucial part of their crop cycle, while experiencing tightening federal regulations across the country.

A farmer‘s online observation about the film was, “This video is a perfect example of why mainstream news is irrelevant. This is important, and for whatever reason, we all know that they will not report on this.”

The order to stop irrigating was enforced without consulting farmers or presenting data to support the decision. However, many farmers who pumped water from 200-foot aquifers didn’t comply with the orders, as their water usage had no effect on river levels. Despite this, the National Resource Officers in the valley issued fines to the non-compliant. Simon Hergott was interviewed by a popular Canadian YouTuber who goes by the name ‘Clyde Do Something.’ Clyde asked Hergott, “As a documentary film maker, you’re reporting on news nobody is talking about. How do you find out your stories?”

Hergott responded, “In 2021, I covered the fires in Paxton Valley, and during that time, I helped expose a lot of information. Through that process, I met a lot of amazing people in that area, so I made some really good friends and contacts. There’s really big farmers there that have a lot to lose. It was crucial I try and document what’s happening.”

As so often happens, government officials make rules without gaining evidence or collecting data. “A lot of these farmers are asking for some data and for communication to happen among officials and themselves. So the farmers aren’t getting any direct information, and the officials enforcing the rules don’t have expertise in aquifers. So they’re enforcing rules that are clearly causing a lot of stress and mistrust from the farmers,” Hergott explained.

A farmer on the documentary said, “Mother Nature does what she does. When we get some rain, and some cooler nights, the river will jump four inches this time of year. The salmon are going to come up the river as soon as it jumps up and spawn, and it’s been happening since the beginning of time, but all of a sudden, they show up, and there’s no science behind their decisions.”

Meanwhile, our Prime Minister is casting blame for high food prices on to grocery stores. And his solution? “We will take further action and are not ruling anything out, including tax measures,” he said. It sounds crazy, but even more alarming was watching his Liberal team applaud his statement. It reminded me of a clip I watched of North Korea where all the government officials clap and applaud everything their great leader says.

Saskatchewan’s independent YouTuber Quick Dick McDick was fast on the draw, reporting on the cause of rising food prices. He noted the carbon tax is added to utilities, raw materials for manufacturing, shipping, fertilizer, fuel, transportation, natural gas, electricity and trucking. Plus, we pay tax on GST, so we pay tax on a tax. Not to mention the clean electricity standards by 2035, making fossil fuel generated electricity illegal.

“Then they send out little checks in the mail, which are supposed to make up for all of this,” Quick said. “And then they want to blame the grocers for all the problems, and they stand and applaud themselves for doing it!”

Which is why independent media and film makers are so valuable. They talk to everyday Canadians who have been asking government leaders, “Will someone ask ME a question?”

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