HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-03-20, Page 6MUNICIPALITY OF
CENTRAL HURON
WARD II
Hullett Minor Ball
Registration
Thurs., March 21 - 6 to 8
Sat., March 23 - 10 to 1
At Hullett Central Public
School, Londesboro
Phone Karen Dolmage
at 523-4726 for more
information
McKERCHER
CONSTRUCTION LTD.
R.R. 2 Bluevale
• LICENSED SEPTIC INSTALLATIONS
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Looking for local heroes
There are so many people out there who do
so much to improve their community.
Now you have a chance to say thanks.
Nominate that special person for the 17th
Annual Citizen Citizenship Awards.
Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of
the Blyth and area and Brussels and area communities to receive an
award for contribution to the community. If you know someone you
think should be honoured, please fill in the ballot and send it in. You
may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee
should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and
he or she didn't win, please feel free to try again.
I nominate
q Blyth q Brussels
& area & area
I feel she/he deserves this award because
as Citizen of the year for
Nomination Deadline April 30, 2002.
Name and phone number of nominator
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2002.
Loan program urged
for environmental work
Discussing the issues
Representatives of farm commodity groups discussed pressing issues with local politicians at
the Huron County Federation of Agriculture's Members of Parliament meeting in Clinton,
Saturday. Listening to presentations are (left to right) Ken Kelly, constituency assistant to Helen
Johns, Helen Johns, MPP for Huron-Bruce, Charles Regele, Federation president, Paul
Steckle, MP for Huron-Bruce and Neil Vincent, Federation vice-president. (Keith Roulston photo)
MP pleads for help with Bill C-15
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle
urges farmers to make their voices
heard now regarding Bill C-15,
proposed animal welfare legislation.
"Get your letters written. Make
your phone calls," he told livestock
commodity representatives
attending the annual Members of
Parliament Dinner - of the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture,
March 16 in Clinton.
Steckle noted that Bill C-15 was
the first bill to be split, because of
protests from the Liberal Party's
rural caucus members. He said
caucus members worked with many
groups and if they could have had
Continued from page 1
regulations shouldn't create a
situation where only large farms can
afford to meet the requirements. A
lot of small farming operations in
Waterloo County, for instance, will
be hurt by the computer model being
used, Vincent said.
Johns said her understanding was
that large farms would be involved
first followed by medium farms and
'finally small farms so it would be
two or three years before smaller
operations would be affected.
Meanwhile several people
questioned a current requirement
that there be twice as much land
about nine words changed, could
have supported the bill. The key, he
said, was giving animals rights and
taking them out of the property
section. "There's a difference
between animate and inanimate
property," Steckle said.
The issue is being driven by the
International Fund for Animal
Welfare, Steckle said.
Please, don't go soft, go hard (on
the issue)" he urged. "Nothing is too
harsh to say to the government on
this issue. I've done everything I
can. Write to the minister of justice.
I can't stress this too strongly. I'm
pleading with you for help."
The issue had been raised by Jean
Lubbers of Huron County Pork
Producers who complained about
allotted for spreading dry manure as
liquid manure.
And Neil Stapleton wondered
what was the science behind
requirement to cover dry manure
piles.
"I'm very hopeful people will
come forward with this
information," Johns said, urging
farmers to put people on the spot
when the regulations are being
formulated.
Meanwhile others worried about
the cost of implementing changes on
their farm required by the Nutrient*
Management Bill. Alex Westerhout
of the chicken producers pointed out
the situation in Europe where farm
practices are being redesigned under
pressure from non-farmers. "We're
getting dictated to by people who
really don't know what cruelty is,"
Lubbers said. "They're putting
human qualities on animals. We
don't want to be dictated to."
- In her. brief for the Huron County
Pork Producers' Association,
Lubbers pointed out that when new
requirements are imposed on
farmers such as new penning or
larger buildings because of greater
space requirements for animals ,
they have no way of passing this
cost along to consumers and so must
absorb the entire cost of the reform
themselves. Governments must help,
she urged.
that if just $10,000 was required for
each of Ontario's 15,000 livestock
farmers the cost would top
$150,000.
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
A provincial loan fund for
environmental improvement
programs, similar to that used for
tile drains, was urged by one
municipal official at the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture's
Members of Parliament Dinner,
March 16.
Bill Dowson, councillor for the
lakeshore Municipality of Bluewater
told Helen Johns, MPP for Huron-
Bruce that it now costs $12,000 to
$20,000 to install a new septic tank
and many people don't have the
money and can't get a loan from a
bank.
If people could come to the
municipality and get a loan similar
to a tile drain loan to be paid back
over 10 years, "I can guarantee a lot
of out water (contamination)
problems would disappear in five
-years." This isn't a handout,
Dowson said, with the loan being
registered against the property so it's
secure. Wayne Hamilton of the corn
producers supported Dowson's idea,
pointing out the current interest rate
for tile drain loans is eight per cent
so the province is getting a
competitive return in interest.
Out in the cold
Sandra Josling, Murray Lowe and Andy Overholt cooked up
the tasty fish at the Brussels Legion's fish fry this past
weekend. (Vicky Bremner photo)
People question requirement