The Rural Voice, 1981-02, Page 21KEITH ROULSTON
The rules stacked in the government's favour
Whatever little credibility the Ontario
government still had on land -use matters
has been completely blown away by its
actions in the Haldimand-Norfolk indust-
rial waste treatment facility matter.
The government, of course, decided to
build the facility on land it owned in the
region without having any kind of
environmental hearing at which the local
population could have any say in the
matter. The reason was easily seen.
Twice before, in Harwich township and
the city of Thorold, similar proposals for
treatment facilities had been turned down
by angry, frightened local residents with
visions of Niagara Falls' Love Canal in
their heads.
One can understand Environment Min-
ister Harry Parrott's plight. People
continue to want modern comforts which
are often dependent on the use of
chemicals in manufacturing, chemicals
which must be disposed of somehow. The
amount of chemical wastes continues to
grow, disposal facility or no disposal
facility but nobody wants the disposal
facility in their back yard. We thus face
the prospect of either having a disposal
facility, perhaps imperfect but at least
with government control, or not knowing
just where unscrupulous firms may be
dumping their wastes and just what
nasty surprises may await us in coming
years when the chemicals reappear in
unsuspected places.
But the fact remains that the local
residents had absolutely no say in the
location of the plant in their area.
Ironically, the plant will be only a few
miles away from the Niagara Peninsula
where the government for years has had a
hands-off policy to land use. There, year
after year, more and more valuable fruit
growing land has been swallowed up by
urban growth. Every time more land
disappears the cry goes up for govern-
ment action to save this valuable source
and the provincial politicians say they
cannot interfere with local affairs. Land
use, they say, is a local government
jurisdiction.
Yet now we find that local jurisdiction
only prov;de, a handy excuse for inaction
on the part of the provincial government.
When they want something done they can
be quick to ride over all local objections to
get their own way.
Why, for instance, should Huron
County be on the top of the list for the site
if the government believed in local
jurisdiction over land use? Huron county
residents have made it plain in recent
years that they consider farming their
main occupation.They have done a good
deal of work to make sure their farmland
will be protected. They have done just
what the province suggested: set up local
land -use systems to protect farmland
against urban encroachment. But all that
wouldn't have done much good if the
province had made its decision slightly
different and picked Huron instead of
South Cayuga for the site of the waste
disposal plant. Thousands of acres of the
farmland Huron County politicians and
planners had woriced hard to protect
would have been taken up for this plant.
Again recently when Huron County
farm leaders had been calling for some
kind of action to stem the buying up of
local farm land by foreign inverters the
Ontario government had said there was
nothing they could do. The local people
would have to take their own action,
Agriculture Minister Lorne Henderson
had said.
What we have seen from provincial
governments (not just in our province but
others) over the years is a sophisticated
version of the old shell game. Sitting in
the m iddle,the provincial politicians have
been able to duck nearly all responsibil-
ities by blaming it either on the federal
government on one side, or the
municipal government on the other. On
the other hand when they want more
power they either wheedle and demand it
from the feds on one side or simply step
in and take it from the municipalities on
the other. They have dictated the shape
of local politics to their own use through
imposed regional governments, county
school boards and regional health coun-
cils and then hid behind their puppets
whenever they wanted to duck the flak
from the public.
What good would it have done Huron
to have land -use planning if the govern-
ment had decided to put its plant here (or
put a power plant here for that matter)?
What good did it do the people of
Haldiman-Norfolk to have one of the
province's regional governments which
were supposed to have brought more
power back into the hands of the local
people?
For a few years there with the
emergence of minority government in
Queens Park the present government had
lain low with some of its more obnoxious
policies. Now the true picture is coming
through again. The rules are stacked for
the government to do whatever it wants,
even breaking its own rules. It seems that
with a provincial election due soon what
this province needs is a shake-up.
Democracy hasn't been really at work
here for years. People are something to
be manipulated. not listened to by this
government too. People need to get their
voices back.
Winthrop
GENERAL STORE
OPEN: Monday - Friday till 9:00
Saturday till 7:00
Grocery & Hardware
Work Boots
- Rubber Boots
CEDAR POSTS
FENCE SUPPLIES
45 Gal. Steel Barrels
-Gas-
DOUG & GAIL SCHROEDER
527-1247
THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY 1981 PG. 19