The Rural Voice, 1986-08, Page 64le
NEWSLETTER — Bruce County Federation of Agriculture
44610th St, Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
The Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture held the regular
monthly meeting on June 30 in the
OMAF boardroom in Walkerton.
OFA first vice president Brigid
Pyke was present to give the board
an update on Bill C-117, the Farm
Debt Review Act. She explained
OFA's position on C-117 and the
lobby effort carried out by OFA
during the amendments and
passage through the House of
Commons. The bill had not yet
been proclaimed but Ag Canada
officials in Toronto expected pro-
clamation in late July. Any farmer
having action taken against him by
creditors before proclamation and
startup of this bill should contact
OFA in Toronto immediately.
The Farm Debt Review Act will
establish boards to oversee the pro-
gram in each province or region. A
pool of people with knowledge and
experience in agriculture and
financial matters will be selected to
serve on Review Panels. A farmer
can have his case reviewed by a
panel consisting of one board
member and two panel members.
The review panels will examine the
farmer's situation, offer advice
and meet with the farmer and his
creditors for the purpose of
assisting them to reach an arrange-
ment to resolve financial pro-
blems. If necessary the Board has
the power to stop any proceedings
by the creditor for up to 120 days
while negotiations continue.
No arrangement or settlement
can be forced on the farmer or
creditor. The program has limited
power to stay proceedings but the
agreement to negotiate is voluntary
and the creditor can wait out the
stay of proceedings and then take
normal legal action to realize on
security. Arrangements will likely
have to offer a less costly alter-
native for creditors than court ac-
tion to be accepted.
The BCFA and our provincial
directors can take some credit for
this government action. Our posi-
tion remains that an impartial
third party board should have legal
power to enforce terms of arrange-
ment if after negotiation, no
voluntary agreement can be reach-
ed.
The Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture semi annual meeting
will be held Saturday, August 9 at
Holiday Park in Southampton.
This year we are holding a whole
pork barbecue and corn roast open
to the public as well as members.
The meal will be served from 5:00
519-364-3050
-7:00 p.m. and tickets are: adult
$6.00, children $3.00 and family
$18.00. Come early and enjoy the
barbecuing and refreshments. Talk
to township directors for more in-
formation and tickets.
The fourth week of July will see
a membership drive in Bruce
County. The membership commit-
tee and fieldman Doug Gowanlock
have organized teams of directors
and OFA fieldmen from surround-
ing counties to canvass target areas
for potential members. Bruce
County membership is holding
very well in spite of financial hard-
ship in agriculture. This support is
very encouraging to both the coun-
ty and Ontario Federations of
Agriculture. ❑
Byron Monk
Executive Director
BCFA
Bruce County
Federation of Agriculture
SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, August 9, 1986
Holiday Park, Southampton
5 to 7 p.m.
A whole pork barbecue and corn roast.
Adult $6 Children $3 Family $18
For more information, contact the office at 519-364-3050
Open to the Public
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