The 69-year-old operated a mixed farm near Minto
A leader in Manitoba’s ag community has died.
Bill Campbell, a former president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) passed away on Jan. 19 at the Brandon Regional Health Centre.
The 69-year-old operated a mixed farm near Minto.
From 2011 to 2013 he was president of the Canadian Limousin Association.
He was appointed president of KAP in mid-2018 when then President Dan Mazier resigned to enter federal politics.
Campbell served as the organization’s president until 2023.
His successor, Jill Verwey, remembers him as a voice for ag Manitoba farmers had confidence in.
“Bill Campbell was a cornerstone of the Manitoba agricultural community. His dedication and commitment to advocating for Manitoba farmers was second to none and was always the first to raise his hand when something needed to get done,” she told Farms.com in an emailed statement. “Bill led KAP during a global pandemic and was able to deliver on advocating for farmers during a time of tremendous uncertainty. Bill exemplified what it means to truly care about one’s work, and he will be dearly missed by not only all of us at KAP, but by the entire agricultural community across Canada.”
Farms.com spoke with Campbell on multiple occasions during his time leading KAP.
In November 2019, for example, Farms.com connected with Campbell after he invited Prime Minister Trudeau to his farm.
The invitation came after that year’s federal election, which saw people in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba vote almost entirely Conservative.
“I had been following the pre- and post-election comments and conversations that had been elevated through the election results with the map that shows (Conservative) blue across Western Canada,” he told Farms.com. “I hear a lot of resentment, but I thought the first step would be to offer an invitation to the prime minister and minister of agriculture to come see and understand what people are all about.”
In February 2020, Campbell spoke with Farms.com about Premier Brian Pallister’s commitment to cutting education property taxes on farmland.
A property tax bill in Manitoba is around a 50/50 split between education and municipal services.
Therefore, if a farmer is paying $100,000 annually on property taxes, about $50,000 of that amount is for the education tax.
“The landowner needs to pay the taxes,” Campbell said. “If the farmer is paying $50,000 of education tax, they may be eligible for a $5,000 tax rebate (to lower the amount the farmer pays),” Campbell said at the time. “But that comes out of the province’s agriculture budget. So, we see the budget dealing with this when that money could be spent on research or business risk management programs or other areas.”
And in 2021, the father of two daughters and grandfather of three, participated in a Q&A about fatherhood ahead of Father’s Day.
One piece of advice he shared for new dad’s was to take the time to appreciate kids when they’re young.
“They’ll be five before you blink and in university when your eyes open again,” he said.
A celebration of life for Campbell will take place on Jan. 31 at the Minto United Church beginning at 1pm.
The service will be livestreamed to the Minto Hall and online.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the ALS Society of Manitoba.