The Rural Voice, 1978-09, Page 3Inside this month
Special features
Huron gets ready
for plowing match
1897 Farmer's Advocate
P. 5-12
P 15
Regular features
A Matter of Principle P. 13
Up and Coming P 18
The Voice of A Farmer P. 20
Rural News in Brief P. 21
Advice on Farming P 30
The Young Farmer P 37
The Rural Family P 39
Mailbox of the Month P. 49
Classified Ads P. 50
Farming Around the World P 51
Perth Farm News P 52
Bruce County Federation of AgricultureP. 54
Huron CountyFederationof Agriculture P. 56
Rural Voice cover photo by Bev. Brown
It's your voice
Got a beef? An opinion? An idea? Put it in a letter to the
editor and send it to Rural Voice.
Rural Voice is your farm magazine. read in the homes of
more than 5000 farmers in Bruce, Huron and Perth.
See something in the magazine that you like? Something
you hate? An area where we don't have enough coverage or
a subject we dwell on too much? Tell it to the editor of Rural
Voice.
Rural Voice is designed to be your magazine. But a voice is
only effective when it's put into use loud, clear and firm.
Signed letters to the editor on any farm related subject are
always welcome.
Get what you want to say across to the more than 5000 farm
families in three counties who read Rural Voice.
Remember. Rural Voice is your voice. Use it.
See Rural Voice's first letter to the editor on Page 49
Opinion
Most farmers probably applauded the news that Shelburne
area farmer Harold Lougheed's long battle with Ontario Hydro
over the power corridor through his farm has ended in Mr.
Lougheed's favour.
Well, now, is Ontario Hydro having a change in heart? , the
uninvolved might ask, after reading that Mr. Lougheed had
finally persuaded Ontario Hydro to buy his entire 195 acre farm,
at what he described as a fair market price.
But farmers in Huron and Bruce who are still battling with
Hydro fon fair payment for land on their farms which was
expropriated for towers back in 1975, know that just isn't so.
While the powerline controversy has faded in the minds of
many in Huron and Bruce ashort talk with Nick Whyte of the
Huron -Bruce powerline negotiating committee showed just how
far away from settlement the claims of 35 to 40 local farmers are.
About seven cases, one from each township where farmers are
still seeking their price and money for injurious affection, waited
more than a year for hearing before the Ontario Land
Compensation Board, scheduled this July ... Precedents would
then be set, the committee hoped, and all cases settled.
And although Hydro knew more than a year ago which cases
the committee planned to present, about two weeks before the
hearing Hydro refused to appear, on the grounds that the farms
selected were not representative.
It's back to square one for the Huron -Bruce committee. The
time and money spent over the years has been enormous, by the
farmers fighting Hydro and by the utility itself.
Especially by the utility which seems to operate on the
principal that $1,000 paid out for wrangling in order to save $100
in compensation to farmers for the loss of their land, is money
well spent.
As the Huron -Bruce committee spokesman said, one
objects to Hydro holding the line on expenses, but why is the
policy only applied to obtaining land for power corridors, not to
cost over -runs at Douglas Point?
No, it's unlikely that the Lougheed case signals an end to
Hydro's "peanuts for farm land" policy. In fact, reports from
Eastern Ontario counties where negotiations for power line
corridors are just beginning to indicate that Hydro is using the
tactics it used here in the early 70's, tactics that encouraged
mistrust and ill feeling.
Mr. Lougheed's victory doesn't mean a whole lot to the Bruce
and Huron farmers who still await compensation because most of
them aren't at all interested in selling entire farms.
Not yet anyway. As Nick Whyte said wryly "if Hydro keeps
putting more power corridors through, we may want to."
the rural
Voice
Published monthly by Squire Publishing House, R.R. 3, Blyth,
Ontario. NOM 1 HO. Telephone 523-9636. Subscription rates: Canada,
$2.00; Outside Canada, $3.00; Single copy, 25c. Co -Publishers, Keith
and Jill Roulston; Editor, Keith Roulston; Advertising Represent-
ative Mrs. Mary Walden. Authorized as second class mail by Canada
Post Office. Registration number 3560.
THE RURAL VOICE/SEPTEMBER 1978 PG.3