HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-10-05, Page 54
By Jack Riddell MPP
The preservation of On-
tario's agricultural land has
long been a matter of concern
to the Ontario Liberal Party.
In the light of the Ministry
of Agriculture's recent sup-
port for the urban develop-
ment of 4,000 acres of top
quality foodland in the City of
Brampton, the Provincial
Government's commitment
to the preservation of
agricultural land is a farce
and a sham, says Liberal
Leader David Peterson.
On September 19, Bramp-
ton City Council considered a
staff report on changes to the
proposed Brampton Official
Plan. Council voted to
designate agricultural land as
"rural" rather than
"agricultural" which would
have more accurately
reflected the predominant
land use and intended future
use.
Rural, as a classification, is
seen as nothing more than a
holding category until the
rural land is ready for
development. Brampton
Council also voted in favour of
the urbanization of the 4,000
acre parcel of land which
Ronto/Sandringham propos-
ed to develop.
No phasing criteria are to
be established and the defini-
tion of the land to be
developed has been left so
general that any or all of the
land can be developed at any
time.
The City's Official Plan
09etch'3 ogoiting3
Must preserve farmland
must now be approved by the
Minister of Municipal Affairs
and Housing, and the Associa-
tion of People Evaluating
Agricultural Land - who are
opposing the urbanization -
have asked that the Plan be
referred to the Ontario
Municipal Board for
hearings.
Virtually the only steps
which the Provincial Govern-
ment has taken to preserve
agricultural land are ineffec-
tive foodland guidelines
which are not binding upon
municipalities. It thus re-
mains economically more at-
tractive for municipalities. It
thus remains economically
more attractive for
municipalities to approve in-
dustrial development over
agricultural land
preservation.
A recent major Federal
Government study reported
the alarming disappearance
of millions of acres of prime
farmland in Ontario, especial-
ly in the urban shadow.
This controversial Bramp-
ton situation is a classic ex-
ample of the continued
destruction of valuable
farmland. Brampton was well
endowed with agricultural
land, containing some 81.5
percent Class 1 land.
Only one-half of this small
amount is in Southern On-
tario. Between 1971 and 1982,
Brampton lost some 16,000
acres of prime agricultural
land and the trend continues.
Brampton only has some
27,000 acres of farmland
remaining.
Last year, Liberals ques-
tioned the Minister of
Agriculture and Food about
the lack of comment by his
Ministry on the application of
Foodland Guidelines to the
Brampton Official Plan which
included the urbanization of
Please
Be
Generous...
When the Exeter
Lions and Lioness
Stage Their Annuu:
DOOR-TO-DOOR CANVASS
FOR THE
Canadian Institute
For The Blind
Thursday, Oct. 13
The CNIB offers adjustment to blindness Junes,
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programmes, library and a variety of support ser-
vices for visually impaired blind people.
CNIB is involved in the well-being of over 34,000
blind and visually impaired min, women and
children in Canada. In Exeter seven visually hon.
dicapped people ors being assisted.
The CNIB would like to remind you that: With your
help, a future can be bright, even without sight.
P.S. At the same time, canvassers will
pick up any eye glasses you may have
over 7,000 acres of
agricultural land and which
had been circulated to his
Ministry for comments in Oc-
tober 1980.
After three years of stony
silence, the Ministry finally
decided that the best way to
preserve 4,000 acres of
agricultural land, whose need
for development has not been
demonstrated, is to include it
in the urban boundary and
allow it to be phased in. The
definition and time frame for
the phasing was intentionally
left vague.
Surely a more logical
means of preserving
farmland is to keep it out of
the urban limit. Especially in
view of the fact that the only
justification for the inclusion
of the land for urbanization
which had been excluded In
the Draft Official Plan was as
the result of a submission to
Brampton Council by R.K.
Webb, the former law partner
of Premier Davis, on behalf of
the Ronto/Sandringham
Development Group. As a
result of the inclusion of the
lands, the original Official
Plan population projection
was revised upward from
Send two get well cards
Granton seniors
Ry MRS. [. SUMMERS
Granton
The Happy Gang met in the
United Church basement on
Wednesday afternoon. Mrs.
Clayton Langford presided
and welcomed everyone back
after the holidays.
During the business period
it was decided to invite Ivan
(Pat) Perry of London, a
retired real estate agent to
come and speak to the
members. This gentleman of-
fers his services free to senior
citizens groups.
Mrs. Langford conducted a
contest on general knowledge.
The remainder of the after-
noon was spent in a friendly
game of cards.
Two get well cards were
signed by all present for two
members who were absent
because of sickness. They
were Inez McRobert and
Olive Gowan.
Three members with bir-
thdays were remembered
with greetings, Edith
Westman, Amelia Jameson
and Bruce Pierce.
Church news
At the Granton United
Church the Rev. Bruce Pierce
conducted the worship on
Sunday. Continuing with the
third of his series on the
"Whole Armor of God" the
Minister based his message
on the Breastplate of
Righteousness. This piece of
armor is hot, heavy and un-
comfortable, but we have to
wear it to protect us from our
enemies said the minister. It
does not say in the Bible that
we will be spared from
tribulations and tragedies,
but if we wear the Breastplate
of Righteousness and Faith,
we will have the protection of
God.
Flowers were placed in the
AT CENOTAPH — Bob Clark handles the bugle chores
during a Legion Zone convention service at the Exeter
cenotaph, Sunday afternoon. T -A photo.
Mark anniversary
at Kirkton church
By MRS. HAROLD DAVIS
Kirkton
Mr. Burns Blackler and
Kirk Blackler attended the In-
ternational Ploughing Match
at Richmond last week.
Miss Evelyn Walkom of
Kitchener spent a few days
last week with Ethel
Copeland.
St. Paul's Anglican Church
celebrated their Harvest
Daily Interest
Chequmg Account'
VI lV 1A
AND GREY
TRUST
Since 1844
Exeter: 425 Main St. 235-0530
Thanksgiving Service on Sun-
day morning at 11 a.m. with
the Rector Rev. Peter Der-
rick in charge. Lessons were
read by the Rector and Mrs.
Garth Blackler. The choir
rendered an anthem.
Among those attending the
service and out of town dinner
guests in the village were:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dobson,
Mrs. Wm. J. Blackler, Mr and
Mrs. Leslie Fairbairn of Lon-
don, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Aitken
and Lindsay, Miss Jayne
Blackler and Mr. Dave
Mullen of St. Marys, Mrs.
Lloyd Hern of Exeter, Mrs.
Allan Elston of Centralia,
Mrs. Clare Sisson of
Strathroy, Mr. and Mrs. Ross
Robinson, and Jack Switzer of
RR 1 St. Marys, Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Blackler of
Sebringville.
The family of Mrs. Verda
Morrison held an 80th birth-
day celebration for their
mother on Sunday afternoon
at Kirkton United Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ur-
quhart visited Sunday with
Mr. and Mrs. Bert Myers of
Belmont.
'I
260,000 to 344,000.
As Liberal Leader David
Peterson has pointed out, the
Minister of Agriculture "is
abrogating his responsibllity
when 4,000 acres of the best
foodland is casually sacrific-
ed to urban sprawl... He con-
dones the continued loss of the
means with which to feed
ourselves."
If the Davis Government is
serious about the preserva-
tion of farmland in Ontario, it
can start by preventing the
further loss "f prime
agricultural land in the
Premier's home riding.
resume
church from the funeral of the
Late Mrs. Carmen (Pearl)
Dann in loving memory by
her family.
The service was withdrawn
at St. Thomas Anglican
Church, in order that the
'members could join in the
celebration of the anniver-
sary of St. Paul's Anglican
Church, Kirkton.
I apologize for my error last
week when I reported that it
was the anniversary of St.
Paul's instead of St. Patrick's
Church, Saintsbury.
Explorer news
On Monday September 26
the Granton Explorers met at
the Church. We sang the Pur-
pose, Motto and a hymn. We
sent a letter to Mrs. Gowan
who is in the hospital. The col-
lection was $3.50. We made
small cards for the bazaar,
and closed the meeting at 8:30
with Taps.
- Secretary - Becky Bryan.
Personals
Sincere sympathy is ex-
tended to the family of the
late Frank Beaucage, who
passed away suddenly at his
home on Friday.
A speedy recovery is wish-
ed for Mrs. Floyd Dykes who
is a patient in St. Marys
Memorial Hospital.
Says beef men
require Mel p
Ontario could lose much of
its beef industry unless
farmers receive an emergen-
cy assistance program from
the province immediately,
Liberal agriculture critic
Jack Riddell (Huron -
Middlesex) predicted
Monday.
"With livestock prices low
and crop prices and other in-
put costs high, many of our
farmers may be left to
harvest nothing more than
bankruptcies this fall," Rid-
dell said in an open letter to
Agriculture Minister Dennis
Timbrell.
Things have never been
worse for the majority of On-
tario's beef producers, he
said.
Cattle prices have declined
from $83 a hundreweight last
spring to a little more than $70
currently, he said, and are
averaging $2 a hun-
dredweight less than in 1982.
The ministry's economic
forecast is for low prices to
continue unitl at least
mid -1984.
"Without some emergency
financial assistance from
your government, part of the
beef industry will quickly be
lost to Ontario and shift to
other provinces."
Riddell said the Quebec
beef stabilization program of-
fers $191.60 a cow. Quebec
farmers can afford, with the
help of their government, to
buy cattle here and remove
them from Ontario
production.
In Saskatchewan, he said,
beef producers received $2.6
million in stabilization
payments in April, May and
June.
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WINS FAIR DRAW — Mary McGregor of Exeter was
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Times -Advocate, October 5, 1983
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