Representatives with the Municipality of Rhineland and Town of Altona have met with the province's agriculture minister, Blaine Pedersen, to discuss the impending closure of two ag offices in the community.

Rural Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development and MASC offices in Altona are among 21 that will be shuttered by April 1, 2021. Instead, the city of Morden has been selected as one of ten agricultural centres that will be established in the province under the new model, with services delivered predominantly online. The news took local officials by surprise, with many learning of the move by reading the news story on PembinaValleyOnline.

"The Minister was aware of what we had concerns about and so he proceeded to explain the change in the service model," said Rhineland reeve, Don Wiebe.

The list of Rhineland's concerns includes the process used in determining which offices to close, the impact on local producers and the overall community.

"Again, we appreciate the opportunity to speak to the Minister but the resolve (to move ahead with the closures) seemed pretty strong," added Wiebe.

Jordan Siemens, deputy mayor for the Town of Altona, also participated in the teleconference, and he agrees, the decision to close to the two offices in Altona appears to be a done deal.

Additionally, Siemens says he was left disappointed following the meeting, noting it was abruptly cut short before Rhineland officials were finished sharing their concerns and before Altona representatives even had a chance to speak. "So I wouldn't say it was necessarily productive."

Mayor Al Friesen previously pointed out the closure of the ag office represents a slow migration of government jobs from Altona to other communities over the past few years including Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Housing and some Manitoba Highways Department positions.

Siemens noted it's frustrating any time government services are withdrawn from rural communities, particularly when he says decisions are being made without consultation. This echoes a sentiment expressed earlier by Morris Mayor Scott Crick who says his town also wasn't consulted on the move to close the ag office in his community as well.

According to Siemens, that dialogue would have been particularly important in Altona's case, where the minister has indicated the move to an online service delivery model is in part due to staff working from home for most of the last year. Siemens disputes that, saying local officials have seen staff actively working in the ag office during this time.

Moving forward, Siemens says officials will continue to work with Borderland MLA Josh Guenter.

"What we are hoping for is to develop relationships where future decisions being made about services in Altona are being made in consultation with the community," he explained. "We understand that there are times where modernization happens, and there are definitely positives to some of what the department is doing, we just feel we have ways to mitigate some of the downsides and they were not being heard."

A statement from Minister Pedersen's office stated the minister remains committed to working with stakeholders and municipalities so they are informed about the new services delivery model.

“We are improving the client experience through a more modern approach that is relevant to current client needs. Today’s service realities have changed substantially and producers are looking for choices and convenience in accessing government services. We are bringing together a comprehensive set of services for producers in each of our new agricultural service centres. The new model will provide the convenience of accessing Agriculture and Resource Development and Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation services in one spot where in the past, to access these same services in person, a producer would have to visit two or three different offices, often in different communities. These changes do not affect the programs and services that clients value and rely on."

"We will also improve online services to help clients at their convenience, including Internet chat, which will serve clients who don't want to be constrained to office hours or want to make physical visits," added Pedersen's statement.