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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2010-01-21, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010. PAGE 17. By Don McCabe Vice-President Ontario Federation of Agriculture Canadian farmers have been leaders in adopting technologies and production methods when a true improvement can be seen on the bottom line. Activities such as renewable energy production, no till farming, higher feed efficiencies, are all the result of many years of research, both academic and farm based, now employed on farms. What is usually not noted is the beneficial impacts these practices are giving to society. So whether we at the farm gate believe in the issue of climate change or not, society has decided it is an issue. That’s why OFA/CFA attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference to promote and defend our environmentally sustainable practices that are needed to feed nine billion people by 2050. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides are all greenhouse gases produced on farms. Agriculture is responsible for 10 per cent of the greenhouse gases in Canada, but can provide 20 per cent of the solutions to deal with this buildup. The Copenhagen meeting helped cement the fact that only farmers and foresters can really put carbon dioxide back in our soils. Policy to address climate change by provincial governments is now on Canadian farms. Today in British Columbia, greenhouse growers have to pay an extra $10,000 on average in fuel costs due to a carbon tax. Similarly, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba farmers will be absorbing this cost to move grain to Vancouver. However, Alberta farmers receive cheques for completing no till or direct seeding on their farms through a cap and trade system. Alberta farmers voluntarily choose to participate. So as 192 governments present in Copenhagen were deciding how to move forward, they heard directly that agriculture is a solution provider given the right rules. I had the honour to represent 600 million farmers as I spoke to a plenary session to convey this message from the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. Opposing views to agriculture’s current best management practices were present in full force. Groups were calling for all beef production to be halted, and fertilizer use to be stopped, for example. Farmers were there to defend our practices, and give science-based answers to government questions. The Canadian government announced its involvement in an international research alliance on OFA Commentary Thoughts on agriculture and climate change County council will considercommittee of the wholerecommendations that could see contract hirings. At the day one COW meeting, Jan. 13, councillors approved a recommendation from director of planning and development Scott Tousaw to approve the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Take Action for Sustainable Huron funding in the amount of $103,125. This would be to hire a consultant co-ordinator for a two-year period. An application for funding was approved in September to advance the Take Action sustainable actions, decisions and projects in Huron with a schedule, said Tousaw. It would be essentially the “who,what, why, when and where ofplanning” he said. “The consultantwould work with a steeringcommittee to advance projects andideas.” The county contribution will be offset by in-kind donations to work out to $27,000 a year, said Tousaw, money that has been included in the budget for 2010. The hiring would be hired as a consultant, not as an employee of the county, said Tousaw. Though the budget hasn’t been approved, the FCM wants a bylaw in place for the contract by Jan. 25. Therefore, councillors also passed a motion to hold a special council meetingJan. 20 to approve the committee recommendation. The second recommendation, to be considered at the February council meeting, is to apply for funding forthe hiring of a consultant to workwith the transportation task force. County had approved a fundingapplication to the Ministry ofTransportation’s Ontario transportation demand managment (TDM) municipal grant program to develop a plan under the guidance of a task force. Tousaw said that MTO staff have said it was expected that grant money in the amount of $37,250 would be approved, with a matching contribution to come from the planning department. A TDM “will look at anything to do with transportation,” said Tousaw, with a focus on reducing single vehicle trips through such measures as education, carpooling and alternatives like walking and cycling. The consultant would be hired forone year. “This would be farmed out,probably to a consulting companybut would strictly be a service to thecounty,” said Tousaw. Following comments from Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Ben Van Diepenbeek regarding the potential for a trail along Hwy 21, Tousaw said roadside trails would be studied. A third recommendation was to approve a local immigration partnership agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Two councillors, Ken Oke and Bernie MacLellan, will sit on the 21-person Huron Immigration Partnership Council. The role, said Tousaw, is to develop a comprehensenive study of immigration and integration that fits the community’s needs. “This has been a long timecoming. We applied in 2008 and were told we would be approveda year ago, and have been workingon a contract since,” said Tousaw. The $225,943 is 100 per cent funding, with the only contribution from Huron being the councillors’ expenses. There would be two positions filled, a project manager and a part- time researcher for a one-year contract. Councillor John Bezaire of Central Huron, made the motion approving the recommendation adding that it is an issue “near and dear to his heart.” Councillor Jim Fergusson of Bluewater said that immigrants bring skills and the county will benefit by attracting them here. Committee approves planning recommendations Business Directory Offering a full range of services: auditing, accounting, business planning, income tax planning, personal financial planning, computer and management services. BDO Dunwoody, LLP Chartered Accountants and Advisors Alan P. Reed, CA P.O. 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