HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Rural Voice, 1993-01, Page 50BRUCE
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1 P9
519-364-3050
• The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce
County Farmers by the BCFA.
(From OFA Annual Report 1992, used
with permission)
As we advance further into the
decade of the 1990s and deal with the
pace and direction of change in
recessionary times, OFA will have a
crucial role in making sure that the
views of farm families are brought to
government.
The OFA believes that our industry
is at a critical turning point and that it
is time to develop a new vision for the
business of farming and rural
prosperity. The challenge will be for
our sector partners and the provincial
government to join with the OFA in
building a prosperous and strong
industry. With 55 years of getting
things done for Ontario farmers, OFA
is well-positioned to meet the
continuing challenges of the 90s.
The Provincial Agenda
Over the first two years of expo-
sure to the NDP government agenda,
the OFA has expertly represented
Ontario farmers to government on a
number of critical issues.
The OFA has successfully lobbied
the provincial government to secure
commitments for a five year $120
million Agricultural Investment Strat-
egy from the Ontario Ministry of
The challenges ahead
Agriculture and Food to provide new
options for financing and training for
farmers and rural communities. The
commodity loan guarantee program to
be administered by the Agricultural
Commodity Corporation is the first of
the five component strategy to be
established.
The OFA remains vigilant about
property tax reform and has a
representative on the Ontario Fair
Taxation Commission's Property Tax
Working Group.
"Farming remains one of the most
important enterprises In our
province's economy. 1 truly
respect the job that farmers do.
Ontario's farming Industry is the
historic foundation for our social,
political and economic
development."
The Honourable Bob Rae, MPP
Premier of Ontario
With both a Commission on
Planning and Development Reform in
Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food's development
of an agriculture land protection
program, the OFA has a particular
concern for the government's land use
approach. The government must
Update on Bill 105
I want to report to you that Bill 105, the Farm Organizations Funding Act, has
been carried over by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for further
consideration in the Spring Session of provincial parliament.
This means that the Hon. Elmer Buchanan, Minister of Agriculture and Food,
will continue to have responsibility for reviewing amendments, deletions, or
changes to the Bill in its present form. The official status is that Bill 105 has
received first reading and must be presented in the Spring Session for second and
third readings prior to Royal Assent to become law. Amendments and changes
arc normally introduced at the second reading stage.
OFA is committed to continuing to work with other general farm
organizations, the government, and opposition parties to get the right approach to
the final legislation. Your ongoing support, counsel, and advice remains an
important source of information and strategy for OFA.
Again, thank you for all your ongoing efforts to support this legislative
initiative; and the positive messages that you give to your neighbouring farmers
and the MPP in your riding.
Carl 11. Sulliman, P.Ag.
Chief Executive Officer, OFA
46 THE RURAL VOICE
understand that the economic viability
of farming and sustainable
development demand harmony.
Although OFA has taken a very
proactive approach to environmental
issues, demonstrated by the launching
of the Ontario Farm Environmental
Agenda initiative and the staging of a
Pilot Waste Agricultural Pesticide
Disposal Program, the government
continues to advance legislation for an
Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR).
The OFA succeeded in obtaining an
extension of the time allotted for
drafting an EBR. Working with a
coalition of farm groups, the OFA was
able to develop an industry response to
the draft EBR.
With the provincial government's
determination to reform labour rela-
tions in Ontario, the OFA in coalition
with a number of commodity groups
successfully solicited a concession
from the government to treat agricul-
tural labour relations in a separate act.
In addition, the OFA must remind
the government about several other
key issues: a tobacco tax policy that is
laid out in advance so that farmers can
accommodate change in their long
term planning cycles; casino gambling
and the negative financial impact on
the horse racing industry; setting aside
the amendments to the Game and Fish
Act until the diversification and
jurisdictional requirements of
agriculture are satisfied; exclusion of
farmers from the proposed amendment
to the Trees Act; protection of
productive farmland being used as a
dumping ground for municipal solid
waste; interprovincial trade barriers;
and rural community development.0
Bruce County
Federation of Agriculture
Directors' Meeting
Monday, January 25
York Room
Hartley House Hotel
8:00 p.m.
Members are welcome to attend