EDMONTON, Alta. – As the backlash continues against Alberta’s Bill 6 – proposed legislation that would bring the province’s agriculture sector up to the same standards as the rest of Canada in terms of health and safety legislation – the Premier has posted a lengthy note on Facebook addressed to the bill’s opponents. Alberta’s NDP Premier, Rachel Notley, stated in the Dec. 4 open letter that she had heard from many people who had expressed concern about how the bill would affect the province’s family farms and overall way of life. “The people who have lost a limb, the individuals who have lost their mobility, the families who have lost a loved one – their suffering demands that we do more as a society to prevent future losses,” Notley wrote. “These deaths and injuries can be prevented, and this is why I believe we need to act now… I will never be able to accept that injuries and deaths caused by workplace accidents are simply a fact of life.” Notley also clarified that Bill 6, if passed into law, would not interfere with children’s and neighbours’ rights to help out with farm chores or require registry of children with the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board. Notley’s government announced the bill on Nov. 17 (COHSN, Nov. 24); until it passes, Alberta remains the only province in Canada without occupational health and safety regulations for farm workers.