Let's not lose our sales barn

Dear editor:
In December, a court ruling found the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association not guilty of any wrongdoing in the dismissal of former employee Russell Richards.
In a later ruling, the association was awarded $40,000 in legal costs.
Rather than accept this, and put this issue to rest once and for all, Mr. Richards has chosen to appeal the ruling.
To date, the RRCA has spent over $100,000 in legal fees, and is anticipating the cost of the appeal to be in the $30,000 range.
In court, under oath, Mr. Richards stated that he doesn’t charge for any of the services he provides to other farmers; he just does these things to help out his fellow cattlemen. A rather ironic statement from the man who has brought the local community-owned barn to the brink of financial ruin.
The only way the barn can survive this financial burden is with the support of local farmers.
For more than 50 years, the Stratton sales barn has been there to give farmers a local option to market their livestock. What a shame it would be to have it taken away by one individual.
In the coming months, when you consider marketing livestock, remember the only way the barn makes money is by putting cattle through the ring. Whether you have ever bought or sold livestock in Stratton, as a farmer in the area, we all have benefitted from the sales barn in one way or another.
For the sake of the people who have donated thousands of hours and money over the last 50 odd years, let’s support our band and not lose it because of one man.

–Thank you,
Herb Govier
Rainy River, Ont.