The Rural Voice, 1995-12, Page 471
i
there was any seed money available
elsewhere in the Ministry. Villeneuve
didn't answer directly but admitted
that OMAFRA must be more
proactive in the rural affairs part of
its mandate.
Before he even spoke, Villeneuve
was reminded of the importance of
agriculture. Tony Morris, OFA vice-
president, in introducing the minister,
told him agriculture was a $40 billion
industry responsible for 600,000 jobs
in Ontario yet "the children of this
province still know more about
dinosaurs than where their food
comes from.
"We are the engine of the
economy," Morris said. "Don't stall
that engine by stopping the fuel."
Jim Farrell was returned to a
second term as president of the Bruce
Federation. Gerald Poechman was
also returned by acclamation as first
vice-president as was Murray Clark
as second vice-president.
OFA Field Representative Gertie
Blake presented her volunteer of the
year award to Jayne Dietrich, who
headed the Roots of Bruce program
News in Agriculture
in its first year.
The Award of Merit for service to
agriculture was presented by Gisele
Ireland to Roy Pennington (see
People Page for details).0
Rural infrastructure
under attack, Morris
tells Huron Federation
Ontario is open for business
Marcel Beaubien, parliamentary
assistant to Noble Villeneuve,
Ontario Minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs, told the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture. But Tony Morris, vice-
president of OFA, says the Ontario
must have a government that
understands the importance of rural
infrastructure in helping farmers get
on with their business.
Beaubien, speaking at the HCFA's
annual meeting in Holmesvillc
November 10, basically repeated the
same speech his boss had delivered
in Teeswater a week earlier. He
Marcel Beaubien: defends Farm
Products Marketing Commission
decision against open auction.
repeated the statistics of how
government spending had grown and
how the government was changing
labour legislation, including the farm
labour relations act. The government
was dismantling the barriers to
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DECEMBER 1995 43