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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-04-27, Page 7THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 1988. PAGE 7. Riddell 'probably unique'in giving opinions Continued from Page 6 various government offices, Ms. Thomson worked for David Peter­ son running his Toronto office during an election campaign, and at one time or another has worked for nearly everyone in the Liberal caucus before the Liberals became the government in 1985. She wasn’t looking for a full time job but Mr. Riddell convinced her to come to work for him after he was named minister. She has admiration for her boss, saying he leaves her to do her job, and so far they’ve never disagreed on any action she’s taken on his behalf. “He is probably unique among ministers,' ’ she adds, in thatheisquitewillingtomakea personal statement of his beliefs on major issues. On Sunday shopp­ ing, for instance, he’s said that he is personally against shopping on Sundays, buttheold legislation was unenforceable and it’s hard to justify some towns in the riding having Sunday shopping because they are declared tourist areas, while other towns are closed. Mr. Riddell has rushed out the door to get to his CCEP meeting, leaving confusion behind. At first no one is sure that he’s gone. When they realize he has, his secretary, Helen Barradas, buries her head in her hands because she has missed getting him messages before he hurried off. John Wiley, who has just finished briefing Mr. Riddell, takes time to explain the interior workings of the ministry. Using a OMAF has 2400 employees from Toronto to Emo flow-chart, he shows the various lines of command reaching from Mr. Riddell’s and Mr. Switzer’s offices, right down to the local offices of the 54 Ag. Reps, offices across the province. Agriculture, along with Natural Resources and a few others, is among the most decentralized government mini­ stries, spread out from Windsor to Ottawa, from Toronto to Emo. There are 1724 regular full-time employees and 697 part-time, seasonal and casual workers in the Ministry of Agriculture. In Toron­ to, the staff is spread throughout three buildings - the Bay St. headquarters, and two buildings on Yonge St. One branch, the Advisory and Technical Services Branch, is located at Guelph, along with some labratory facilities. The big move will be in about four years time when virtually the entire OMAF headquarters will move to Guelph. The co-ordination of that move has meant plenty of planning is necessary, and a special depart­ ment, the Guelph Development Project, has been setup, reporting directly to Mr. Switzer’s office. Getting the whole OMAF staff into a more rural setting just has to help the operation of the ministry, Mr. Wiley says. For one thing, it will mean the whole staff works in one building, improving commun­ ications . In a smaller city the staff is also more likely to communicate away from the office, taking partin more social activities. The farmer clients of the mini­ stry don’t really relish coming into the heart of downtown Toronto, so they should feel more at home in Guelph, he says. And there is the more subtle resultof having the staff closer to the agriculture community they are serving, see­ ing real farming just a few minutes from their homes instead of being isolated from it in a huge city. Communications and consulta­ tion, both within the ministry and with other ministries, is essential, Mr. Wiley says. Although OMAF is a relatively small ministry, its work dealswithareas that often involve other ministries. Foodland preservation and soil and water management programs often cross boundaries to ministries like En­ vironment. Consultation is essen­ tial when developing new legisla­ tion, because if it gets to the CCEP meeting and other ministries don’t know what’s going on, the whole program can grind to a halt. Mr. Riddell returns from the CCEP meeting and a number of aides scurry into his office. There has been some confusion over some items in the budget that they want to get straight. Meanwhile, CBC Radio’s Radio Noon program for the Ottawa area has called, wanting to speak to Mr. Riddell about some aspects of the budgetas they apply to agricul­ ture. Mr. Riddell does the inter­ view over the telephone, while those waiting for a scheduled 11 a.m. briefing on his speech to the farm writers mill around outside the office. The communications staff tries to give the media direct and quick access to Mr. Riddell, Bruce Stewart says. As a former legisla­ ture reporter for the Hamilton Spectator, Mr. Stewart knows how much waiting for a minister to return a phone call can jar on the nerves of reporters, particularly as a deadline approaches. If the minister is tied up, it may takeafew hours for him to get back to a reporter but it’s only rarely it takes longer than that, Mr. Stewart says. The interview over, the briefing begins. The office is quickly filled with people from various depart­ ments of the ministry whose input is needed for the luncheon. Lou D’Onofrio, Bruce Stewart and Jim Fitzgerald are joined by Jennifer Gallivan, liason officer from the Economics and Policy Branch, who prepares the briefing notes; Susan McCallum from the Financial Assistance Branch and Lee Alli­ son, the Director of the Communi­ cations Branch. Abriefing, Bruce Stewart has earlier explained, isto help Mr. Riddell stay on top of the incredible amount of information about what is going on in the ministry. Ms. Gallivan’s briefing book is a thick binder of information, divided into various subjects with the latest information on each and suggested responses to various issues. There is a sense of urgency as the briefing begins because it’s 11:30 and they are already a half hour behind schedule. The luncheon is for a tough audience, experienced agricult­ ural reporters from across the province. Mr. Riddell is told about the number of submissions to the beef task force report; and inform­ ed there will be a payment on hogs for the first quarter that will be announced the next week, but he can announce it during question­ ing if he wishes. There’s a section on the number of requests under the freedom of information and privacy act on agricultural sub­ jects. Mr. Stewart predicts what one of the farm writers will likely ask on the subject. There’s a discussion on a change in wording of a clause in the Farmstart program: farmers whose parents are already in the business can still be eligible, it is explained. There’s confusion over some of the terms. Mr. Riddell suggests somebody better find out for sure what it means and Mr. Stewart hurries off to find out. Mr. Riddell is informed that all the money for the Ontario Farm Management Safety and Repairs Program had been allocated by mid-March and he asks if anyone has checked the brochure and At 8 a.m., before most of the staff arrives there are a few moments of calm to go over information and look at the schedule for the day ahead. other material to make sure it is clearly stated that once the money is used up, the program has ended. Lee Allison produces a copy of the brochure and points out the wording to him. The briefing breaks up and the group rushes off. Because the luncheon audience is so influen­ tial, several of the staff will be on hand. Downstairs Jim Lehman has the carparkedatthetopof the ramp leading to the underground garage Visions of long limousines vanish tough audience in the building; any vision of chauffeured limousines vanishes. The car is an Oldsmobile 98, large enoughforfour people. Lee Allison has called for a cab, but when she and Mr. Fitzgerald reach the street, someone has beaten them toit. They stand at the corner of Bay and College, in the hectic lunch-hour traffic, trying to hail a cab, getone, butfindthatit doesn’t aceptthekindofchits they have (neither has enough cash for the Bruna Servello, receptions [foreground], Ernesta De Acetis [right] and the rest of the office staff form an island of calm surrounded by the rushed comings and goings of the other staff. trip). Finally they find a cab that takes credit cards and pile in to headfor the Park Plaza on Bloor Street, where the luncheon is taking place. Lee Allison has recently taken over as director of the Communica­ tions Branch of the Ministry. She has come a long way since, as a journalism student at the Univer­ sity of Western Ontario, she worked for a co-op program for a short while with the Clinton News-Record, ironically at a time when Mr. Fitzgerald was the editor. Now she heads a depart­ ment that’s in charge of everything from speechwriting, to the publica­ tion of OMAF brochures, to a radio and television service operated out of the Guelph office where she started work years ago. On the way north, the two old friends compare notes on the high cost of living in Toronto, pointing out high-priced condominiums as they pass. Mr. Riddell is there, mingling with the writers. Bruce Stewart talks to Bill Dimmick, editor of Farm and Country, whohasjust found out that he is to be chairman of the informal event; Mr. Stewart says the minister must be out by 1:15 in order to make it to the Legislature in time for Question Period. Since it’s getting late, it’s decided Mr. Riddell will speak while the others eat. He reads the five-page speech with only the odd slip, considering he’s had little time to read it in advance, let alone practise it. The meeting is thrown open to questions. Most revolve around the announcement of the Food Systems 2002 program to reduce pesticide use by 50 per cent in the New program announced before next 15 years. Why 15 years, someoneasks, and the minister says he’d love to see the target met earlier. What about pesticide residues on imported produce, he’s asked, and Mr. Riddell says that’s a federal problem, and brings up again his worries about provisions in theCanada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement which call for harmonizing of health and inspec­ tion standards, and his hope that Continued on Page 8