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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-03-23, Page 18Page 18 Times -Advocate, March 23, 1994 FARM 1IPDATF MTO claims signs are unsafe Lobby group ready to take anti -Bill 91 billboards to court in fight for freedom of expression By Cameron Wood Wingham Advance -Times WINGHAN1 - Freedom of expression. it's the basis of an argument that initially started with a peaceful protest against Bill 91 that has now turned into a legal wrangling between Premier Bob Rae and the Ontarians for Re- sponsible Government. The philosophical dispute between the two groups regarding the un- ionization of the family farm took the legal turn earlier this month when the provincial government - through the Ministry of Transportation - or- dered Jeff Balfour, a Mitchell area farmer. to remove a banner from his property or face a $1,000 fine. The sign in question carried the exact same message as the one currently posted on Wilfred Haines' property along Highway 4 south of Wingham: "Bob Rae is going to unionize the family farm. Help us stop him". "Soon after the banners went up. the farmers learned that these signs were illegal and they were threatened with fines up to $I,000 unless they were removed," said ORG director Thom Corbett. "It seemed to us that this was a desperate attempt by the NDP to stifle opposition to their bill which would unionize Ontario's farms later this year." Apparently the MTO mentioned the Haines sign and another posted near Listowel. but hasn't expressed any concern with signs along county - controlled roads. Corbett said since the publicity surrounding the Balfour sign, the others haven't heard anything from the MTO. "E:very, citizen should have the right to express a political view, especial- ly on his own properly," said Corbett. At a press conference held near Wingham Thursday, Corbett announced the ORG is prepared to take the freedom of expression issue to the court level; providing documentation from the Toronto-based law firm Bolten and Elliott. The constitutional law specialists state in their argument that "By prohibiting posters bearing non-commercial messages, including po- litical essages, the IMTOI policy represents a direct infringement of [the ORG's) ability to express itself." Further to that, their solicitor states a legal opinion that "We are also of the view that the government will not be able to justify the policy as a rea- sonable limit on freedom of expression pursuant to section 1 of the Char- ter [of Rights and Freedoms]. It is difficult to see any rational connection between a legitimate government objective - such as the regulation of highway safety or aesthetic protnotion - and complete prohibition of non- commercial banners...If anything, because the Policy is aimed specifically at non-commercial speech, it represents a clearer violation of the Charter guarantee of freedom of expression." At the heart of this dispute are the regulations cited by the MTO's Strat- ford office when they approached Balfour to remove his sign. Brenda Brooks, MTO corridor management officer for District 2, said in her letter that the sign was not up to code. According to the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act, signs or billboards must be of a com- mercial nature, no closer than 75 feet to the highway, and at least 1,000 feet apart. She said in her letter the sign on Balfour's property was not of a com- rnercial nature, and therefore posed a safety hazard. On Thursday, Corbett laughed that off, calling the regulations ri- diculous. If the ORG signs advertised a commercial business flke a res- taurant, he said, they would be legal. "What's the difference if you're advertising tractors or expressing your point of view?" What puzzles Corbett is that signs protesting the installation of a mega dump in the Township of Vaughan, north of Toronto were posted en masse, yet no complaints carne from the ministry. The myriad of pro-life, pro -choice, and drinking and driving billboards on highways also seem to have escaped ministry concern. Corbett said the ORG has notified the premier of their plans to pursue the issue as a constitutional matter. He said they haven't put any deadline One Foot in the Furrow By Bob Trotter Many years ago -- about a hundred; well no, maybe 35 years ago -- I asked an agricul- tural entrepreneur about getting into farming. "Want an idea'? Try producing Cornish hens for the Canadian market," he suggested. "I don't have time but I think it would work. The2iemand could he - come great enough to make good bucks." I, of course, was too lazy and not inclined to take a chance of such magnitude to become a Cornish hen producer. He also suggested squab which are un- fledged pigeons as another crop. Now, I hear that someone wants to start production of Cor- nish hens in a big way but the efforts are being blocked by the Ontario Chicken Producers Mar- keting Board. The Cornish hens are considered part of the man- date of the chicken marketing board and the board is reluctant to allow this specialty product to be grown in Ontario. I have also been informed that the same kind of scenario is be- ing painted in respect to capons which, to the uninitiated, arc neutral roosters. This farmer wants to grow capons for a spe- cialized market. He has, in fact, got his markets all Tined up but the rigid rules and unbending at- titudes of officialdon are pre- venting him from getting a "pro- duction quota" for such birds. In other words, the marketing hoard is preventing hits from specializing and filling a niche market. Regular readers of this death- less prose are aware that I sup- port marketing boards; even supply management marketing birds. They are also aware that I believe a great many farmers, if they can find and fill a niche in a certain market, will be able to stay in business and perhaps even expand that niche market. I have suggested certain herbs, for instance, could be grown here in Canada, and supply a niche market. But as long as bureaucrats block entrepreneurs from trying these experiments, a few for- ward -thinking farmers are going to be frustrated in their bid to try something new and different. I would not go as far as allow- ing regulations to be dropped for such things as pasteurized milk, mind you. A case is now before the courts where a farmer has been charged for selling un- pasteurized milk to as many as 1,200 customers. Health offi- cials have warned that there are many types of dangerous bacte- ria that can multiply if milk is not pasteurized. They maintain the health risks are higher for in- stance, young people and sen- iors if raw milk is used. Under Section 18 of the Health Promotion and Protec- tion Act, it is illegal to sell raw milk. Back in February, farmers in Grey -Bruce held a two-day con- ference in Owen Sound to ex- plore such ideas. They heralded Dave Zeigler as a classic exam- ple of the kind of entrepreneur needed in agriculture. Twelve years ago, Zeigler was a securi- THE GREAT CANADI"AN BEA I)* a The Staff of The Great Canadian Bean Company, Inc., wish to invite all current and prospective edible bean growers to our Grower Information Day at the Allaa Craig Community Centre on Tuesday, April 5th from 9:15 - 3:30. The full agenda of this meeting Is dedicated to the sharing of knowledge for quality edible bean production and marketing. To help the catering staff plan for lunch please confirm your attendance by calling us at 519-2324449. ty guard. Today, his Southamp- ton flour mill supplies most of the East Indian population of North America with specialty flour from Durham wheat. He had to mortgage his home to make a go of it but he perse- vered. He proved it can be done. The ideas are there. All it takes is somebody with guts and determination. on a reply from Rae, but added if they do not hear back within a month they will proceed with the constitutional challenge. "I consider it to be a fundamental freedom - what you can say on your own property," said Corbett. For a court battle, Corbett figures the ORG is looking at a minimum of $120,000 in legal fees. However, a straw vote of the 5,000 -plus member- ship has given them the mandate to go ahead. "It will be an expensive battle," said Corbett. "But what do you do when a law infringes? I think you have to challenge." Corbett is confident they will win. The laywers have two precedent - setting cases to fall back on. But the ORG in the meantime has stepped up its protest with the posting of billboards on rental space. The signs have a picture of the premier and a donkey; which the ORG prefer to label as a jackass. The lettering reads "Which one wants to unionize the family farm?" One of the billboards has already been posted on Highway 86 at the end of Diagonal Road in Wingham. Corbett pointed out the ORG is not directly referring to Rae as a jack- ass. The responsibility for interpretation is left to the public, he said, com- paring the billboard to an editorial cartoon. At a recent ORG meeting Corbett said someone suggested the donkey may be offended by the comparison. "There will be some people who will take this seriously, but surely we can have fun. It would be a terrible thing to lose that expression," said ORG supporter Ross Procter. He went on to state that by moving towards unionization on the family farm, the Rae government is introducing a confrontational approach to employment. The result may be less inclination on behalf of the employer to hire people and thereby harm the $6 billion agricultural contribution to the Ontario economy. Water management booklet for farmers TORONTO - Preserving water quality and quantity on the farm is the subject of the latest release in the Best Management Practic- es series. Water Management, a 94 -page booklet, takes an in-depth tour of a typical farm - the home, the barnyard, the field, and natural areas. It follows the pathways of water as it moves onto, through, underneath, and out of the farm. With the help of colour photos and illustrations, the tour is de- signed to help farmers identify potential problem areas, and choose best management practic- es to ensure the safety of this shared resource. A best management practice is one that sustains or improves yields, preserves environmental quality, and is consistent with business goals. This practical approach to sus- tainable farming is the corner- stone of the Best Management Practices project. Funded by Ag- riculture and Agri -Food Canada, under the Canada -Ontario Agri- culture Green Plan, the project draws expertise from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and other government agencies, and is managed by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Drawn from research and on- farm experience, each booklet is the result of teamwork involving farmers, farm organizations, gov- ernment agencies, agribusiness, and academics. Farmers considering change have reacted very positively to the booklets' highly visual and accessible approach. Water Management is the sixth booklet in the Best Management Practices series. Other titles in- clude: A First Look, Livestock and Poultry Waste Management, Horticultural Crops, Farm Forest- ry and Habitat Management, and Field Crop Production. Publications on nutrient man- agement soil management, and wildlife management are slated for the summer of 1994. Best Management Practices booklets are available through lo- cal Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food field offices. Some district offices the .Oi ar}}o Ministry of Natalia-1itbsouk sl and select Conservation Authori- ties also stock them. THE PURSUIT SQUADRON "We spray Pursuit PPI and post to spread our work load:" Neil Brussels, Ontario Above all, Neil Hemingway counts on PURSUIT for control of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. "The majority of our acres have problem weeds such as triazine-resistants, Iamb's quarters, pigweed and foxtail. One pass through the field with PURSUIT, and those problems are gone." Neil farms with his wife, Donna, on 2200 acres in Huron County. To spread the work load, they use PURSUIT both preplant incorporated and post emergent. "We choose to use PURSUIT in PPI to spread the work, and post -emergent so that we get the benefit of a contact spray." They recently switched to, PURSUIT from a program of split applic� incorporated and a foliov� spray. "We wanted a more d tion of preplant �up pre -emergent pe table program, one which would get us great weed control with one pass through the field. That one -pass confidence is why l will continue to use and recommend PURSUIT" Top soybean growers like Neil Hemingway rely on PURSUIT for the peace of mind that comes from knowing that PURSUIT will control their grass and broadleaf weeds - including velvetleaf, nightshade and triazine-resistants - under any kind of growing conditions. Performance. Consistency. Flexibility. That's what control's all about. You're always in control of soybean weeds -with PURSUIT: Dm" CONTROL ABOVE ALL CAII 1-800-263.1228 TO FIND Orli WHAT'S NEW ABOUT PURSUIT 1 )R 1994 I'ur<ul1 Is a regi crud Ir, Irmark of Cee he ml.l As Inr C7 OVA NAMIO 4