HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-08-29, Page 1Candidates vie for farm vote at HFA meeting
50 CENTSWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1990.
Serving Brussels, Biyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
l.ondesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
Lightning
strikes
Hullett barn
Quick action by a Hullett Town
ship farmer probably saved his
barn after it was struck by lightning
during Monday night’s fierce elec
trical storm.
Biyth Fire Department answered
the call to the farm of Jerry
Huizinga on the Maitland Block,
south of Auburn, about 11:30 p.m.
but by the time they arrived Mr.
Huizinga had the fire under con
trol. Biyth Fire Chief Paul Josiing
said there had been a lightning
strike that had come through the
electrical system of the barn and
had started a small fire in the straw
in the barn but Mr. Huizinga had
quickly been on the spot and
extinguished the fire.
The Fire Department was ham
pered in answering the call by a
power blackout in Biyth which
rendered the fire alarm system
inoperative and by a lightning
strike of their own which destroyed
the department’s paging system.
Luckily Chief Josiing had just set
up contingency plans under which
each of the fire-phone operators
would contact so many of the
firemen by phone when the call
came in and firemen were able to
still give speedy service.
Citizen open
Labour Day
Labour Day, coming up Monday,
is the last holiday weekend of the
summer for many and most stores,
financial institutions and govern
ment offices will be closed.
With one of our biggest issues of
the year on tap for next year with
the Thresher Reunion Special and
special coverage of the Sept. 6
provincial election, editorial and
production staff at The Citizen will
be working hard throughout the
holiday. There will, however, be
some slight changes in schedule.
On Monday the Brussels office
will be open from 12 noon to 2 p.m.
to accommodate holidays for some
of our staff. At other times news
and advertising can be slipped
through the mail slot in the door or
called in.
Deadlines remain at 4 p.m. for
news and advertising that’s called
in or brought to the Biyth office, 2
p.m. in the Brussels office.
Emotional meeting
N DP leader Bob Rae took a few minutes during his brief stop at the Howick Township farm of Vic and
Vivian Karpinski, Monday to chat with 82-year-old Eugene Fischer of Harriston. Meeting Mr. Rae
was an emotional experience for the nursing home resident who has been a supporter of the NDP and
its predecessors since 1916. Mr. Fischer, who walks with the aid of a cane and a walker made the trip
in the hope of catching a glimpse of Mr. Rae.
Rae pledges to fight for farmers
Provincial NDP leader Bob Rae
made a brief stop at the Howick
Township farm of Vic and Vivian
Karpinski for a quick visit with
members and candidates of the
NDP party, late Monday afternoon.
Upon his arrival Mr. Rae made a
brief statement to those assembled
saying that the NDP have sent a
consistent message to the people of
Ontario that goes back many years.
“We need to let farmers farm,’’ he
said. “They must be given a fair
price at the farm gate.’’
Mr. Rae said also that he
believes in the importance of
establishing a fair tax system, one,
he says where “everyone pays
their fair share. Where not just the
workers pay but the wealthy cor
porations as well.’’
He said that the NDP will work to
Continued on page 10
BY BONNIE GROPP
The five Huron County candi
dates for the September 6 provin
cial election faced off at the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture’s
All-Candidates debate last Friday
night at Central Huron Secondary
School in Clinton. About 100 inter
ested voters were in attendance to
hear Liberal Jim Fitzgerald; Pro
gressive Conservative Ken Camp
bell; New Democrat Paul Klopp;
Family Coalition Party candidate
Tom Clark and Libertarian Allan
Dettweiler give their party’s views
on environmental issues, agricul
ture, agricultural policies or lack of,
the economy, Meech Lake, Bill 8,
and education.
Each candidate began with a
three minute introduction about
himself and his party’s policies,
followed by a remark on what
would be their top priority should
they be elected.
Tom Clark, leader of the Family
Coalition Party, began by saying
that as a man who had farmed in
Grey-Bruce for many years he was
“acutely aware of the farm situa
tion and the disastrous result high
interest rates had had on farming.
He said he believes a farm bank is
long overdue. “Farmers today are
like a steer with its jugular cut and
we can’t continue to decimate the
agriculture industry.’’ He said he
would like to see a ceiling of six per
cent interest on agricultural loans.
The number one priority, is the
overvalue of the dollar, which he
said should realistically be at 60
cents to be competitive with the
United States.
Liberal Jim Fitzgerald stated
that the agriculture industry is the
most important industry in Ontario
second only to cars. The provincial
government has increased the bud
get for agriculture by 83 per cent
while the federal Conservatives
have cut 50 per cent. “This at a
time when increased exporting will
drop 32 per cent. Under the
Liberals there have been 100 new
programs for farmer introduced.
The Conservatives he said are
selling out and he feels sustaining
agriculture needs a national com
mitment.
Mr., Fitzgerald said that he is
proud of his party’s record and sees
the top priority is now to have
Ontario’s people grow their own
food, affect a trade policy and
monetary policy. “We will place
continued emphasis on the family
farms,’’ he said, adding that
studies have shown corporate
farms are no more efficient.
Allan Dettweiler of the Libertar
ian party says their policy means
less government bureaucrats and
taxes. He cites overmanagement
and mismanagement as the pro
blem with the government recent
ly, and believes that for the farmers
there can be no free lunch. “You
help the poor by giving them a
hand not a handout,’’ he said. That
he sees as a number one priority, to
get the farmers off welfare.
NDP Paul Klopp introduced him
self as a sixth generation farmer
who has no intention of selling his
land to Canadian Agra or anyone
else. He is a member of the
Federation of Agriculture, a point
he is proud of. Mr. Klopp felt that
there was a real need for change in
leadership, which is why he took
time away from his business to run.
Continued on page 7