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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-03-29, Page 19THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2000. PAGE 19. Rural task force makes hasty stop in Wingham By Margaret Stapleton Advance-Times A provincial task force on rural economic renewal made a hastily- scheduled stop in Wingham last Thursday to gather input from local farm and business leaders. No less than five MPPs visited town last week, including Dr. Doug Galt, chairman of the task force, MPP for Northumberland and assis­ tant to the minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs. Other members include Toby Barrett, MPP for Haldimand- Norfolk-Brant and parliamentary assistant to the minister of the envi­ ronment; Garfield Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North and Julia Munro, MPP for York North. Bill Murdoch, MPP for Bruce-Grey, was not in atten­ dance, but Bert Johnston, MPP for the neighboring riding of Perth, filled out the panel. Johnston, responding to a state­ ment about the late notice of the meeting — the newspaper learned of the Thursday morning meeting after 3 p.m. on Wednesday and other pre­ senters were given scarcely more notice — said the task force was formed earlier this month and did not set about its work until March 21. The task force will provide input and advice on the renewal of rural Ontario to Finance Minister Emie Eves in preparation of this spring’s provincial budget, Johnston explained. Dr. Galt also made no apologies for the short notice, saying the small group was “ideal” and not­ ing a number of “common threads.” PRESENTERS The task force heard several pre­ sentations before opening the floor to general discussion and questions from panel members. Charles Regele and Neil Vincent were first off the mark, representing the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. Regele told the panel that the fed­ eration believes the province is put­ ting the “cart before the horse” in the recently-announced reduction of OMAFRA extension services. These field representatives provided valu­ able third-party review, as well as direct contact with the farming com­ munity, especially at a time when complicated issues, such as geneti­ cally-modified organisms, are com­ ing to forefront. In rural Ontario, Regele continued, OMAFRA needs to redirect funds back into the infrastructure. “The future of the sector lies in the devel­ opment of agriculture and agri­ industries,” he said. This also means new money for municipal roads and bridges so the area can compete on a par with urban areas. For example, new regulations for abbatoirs have forced many small businesses to close, sending live­ stock out of the area for processing. New dollars and resources also are needed for rural health care, Regele said and a rural education strategy must be developed to ensure rural children have access to quality edu­ cation. Enhanced child care also is needed in rural Ontario, especially at busy times for farm families, such as seeding or harvesting. Vincent added that enabling legis­ lation must be introduced to legit­ imize the enforcement of nutrient management plans. THE WESCAST WAY George Skinn of Wescast Industries in Wingham gave some of the reasons his company has chosen to remain in rural Ontario and some of the drawbacks it has faced in doing so. The largest supplier of exhaust manifolds in the world, Wescast is the largest industry in Wingham, employing 1,000 people at two cast­ ing plants and one machining plant. Wescast has offices and ventures worldwide and was recently ranked as the eighth best company in Canada to work for by The Globe & Mail. In explaining the company’s deci­ sion to build its new casting facility just outside town, Skinn said, “We rely heavily on good young people off the farm because of the work ethic they’ve got. Nobody in the world could compete against the work force here.” But he did say the town and its sur­ rounding townships need to work together to maintain that workforce. “It’s vital to Wescast to attract the best people,” Skinn continued. Those people want and need good health facilities, with sufficient doc­ tors, as well as good schools and social entertainment facilities for their families. Wescast is a firm supporter of ini­ tiatives undertaken by the local hos­ pital to recruit and retain physicians; partnering with area schools to bring post-secondary education to the area and is committed to the proposed Huron-Bruce Community Complex. Barriers to attracting good people to rural Ontario continue to be avail­ ability of housing, proximity to the cities and good jobs for spouses, noted Skinn. High taxes in Wingham continue to provide a barrier, he added. A lack of promotion of the area is a barrier, he added, saying there are no community events to pull people together. “We need to promote the area as a good place to live ... we have to have people eager to come here.” YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES Mary Stover of the Huron Employment Liaison Program said there is a shortage of government dollars to support employment pro­ grams for youth in rural Ontario. Tony Morris of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture said part­ nerships should be explored to improve access to technology for rural Ontario. He noted that some areas still are on four-party lines and cannot access the internet. The Bruce County farm economy is heavily dependent on beef farm­ ing, said Morris, noting that some crops cannot be grown there because of reduced heat units and soil condi­ tions. He also pointed to a loss of processing capabilities with the clo­ sure of the Maple Leaf plant at Walkerton last year and new regula­ tions for small abbatoirs. Bob Bregman said the new struc­ ture of Ontario Hydro also is of great concern in rural Ontario where resi­ dents are afraid they may be “left holding the bag for the debt created by Hydro”. PLANNERS’ PERSPECTIVE Scott Tousaw of the Huron County Planning Department said a recent survey undertaken by the department indicates-174 manufacturing compa­ nies in the county. This represents a workforce of over 4,000 people, Tousaw contin­ ued and over 55 per cent of those companies expect sales to increase over the next couple of years, result­ ing in the creation of an estimated 825 new jobs. There is a demand for skilled tradesmen in the county, Tousaw noted. Rural areas need to support school-industrial links to provide apprenticeship opportunities, he con­ tinued. Communications technology also needs to be updated and money pro­ vided for hard infrastructure sup­ ports to connect rural areas to grow­ ing economic opportunities. Tousaw’s Bruce County counter­ part, Chris LaForce, said his county also promotes skills training at the local level, as well as improved transportation and access to technol­ ogy- Bob Down of the Huron County Com Producers said there needs to be a distinction between agriculture and rural development, saying some farmers don’t want the “hassles” of development because it interferes with their farming practices. However, Regele used the Wescast development as an example of how the farm community and industry can work in concert. The rural com­ munity needs industry to keep young people at home and said he would be proud if one of his sons chose to work at Wescast. WAVE A WAND Dunlop asked Skinn what does work when it comes to finding the right mix between agriculture and industry. He said he believes the “Big Team” approach to attracting devel­ opment is best. He said if he could “wave a wand”, it would take away the barriers among the town, town­ ships and counties to work together for the common good. Tumberry Reeve Brian McBumey, a long-time supporter of one-tier government, said if the Ontario gov­ ernment is really interested in rural development it would initiate single­ tier government across the province, the way it has in some regions, to get rid of petty rivalries. The restructured Huron County will still consist of nine municipali­ ties, McBumey said, adding the cur­ rent .situation is county council’s own fault because it wouldn’t con­ sider the option of single-tier gov­ ernment. “People are wanting to hang onto their fiefdoms,” suggested Dr. Galt and McBurney agreed. Dunlop asked Tousaw how much capacity Huron County has for future development and what is the county doing to attract such develop­ ment. Continued on page 20 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE "Advertise Across Ontario or Across the Country" COMING EVENTS 21 ST LONDON ARTS & CRAFTS SPRING SHOW & SALE Saturday April 1,11:00am - 6:00pm; Sunday April 2 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. Admis­ sion 3.75. Canada Building Western Fairgrounds. Exciting new crafts­ people. Olga Traher 519-679-1810. AUCTIONS FARMS ESTATES AUCTIONS All for sale now at real auctions across Ontario. Listings updated daily. Searchable database, www.auctions- find.com. Auctioneers call: (519)925-1150. BUSINESS OPPS. 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