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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-04-08, Page 19GODERICH SIGNALMAN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL S. Province doesn't support young farmers, says Coleman BY ALICE GIBE Every other province In Canada- has better agricultural programs for young. farmers than Ontario that was the message delivered by Bob Coleman of the Huron County Federa- tion of Agriculture's young farmers' comrnittee. Presenting his brief at the annual members of parlia- ment dinner in Clinton Satur- • day, he said, "The only substantial assistance this province offers farmers comes from the tile drainage program. This is of little solace to the young farmer who can't afford to buy a farm in thet place," Calling Ontario Young Farmers Credit Program, which allows farmers to bor- row bank funds at prime plus one, "antiquated", Mr. Col- eman told Murray Elston (Liberal , MPP, Huron-, Bruce); Murray Cardiff (Cons. MP, Huron -Bruce) and NDP agricultural critic Donald McDonald of the York South riding that young Nova Scotian farmers can borrow up to $200,000 at reduced rates and Quebec "We personally invite you to come to Clinton to shop and compare - on your next furniture purchase" Compare selection, quality, price and service. You can buy the best for less at Ball & Mutch. Come browse through our vast selection of fine home furnishings. We feel you'll be pleasantly surprised - we offer big -city selection at small-town prices you can afford. J'. Don:fl.CIrnc. Denomm. COME IN AND NE N INGS HOME FURNISH fabrics arrivin. new styles and ‘1,111 HOME FURNISHINGS N. iFLO.OR_COVERINGS N CARPETING BiIITMIJIch Ltd. Home Furnishings 71 Albert Street, Clinton 482-9505 "OPEN: Six Days a week 9 o.m.-6 p.m. Open Friday nights 'till 9 p.m.. farmers can borrow up to $250,000 at interest rates from two -and -one-half to eight percent. The young farmer told the three politicians that besides the chartered banks, the on- ly other place Ontario young farmers can get money is the Farm Credit Corporation, adding "the waiting lists are getting longer at FCC offices and the available funds fall short of supplying everyone's needs. This shortfall must be filled." Mr. Coleman recommend- ed that retiring farmers be allowed to invest their farm proceeds in Farm Credit "to keep it an ongoing viable source of financing." Murray Cardiff said his party would like to see in- creased funding tq the Farm Credit Corporation, adding he's concerned with the time an applicant must wait to , know where his loan stands. Mr. Coleman agreed say ing, "People who o (to the FCC) tell their friends it's a waste of time even to go." Murray Elston said pro- vincial assistance for farrners was an issue raised by all candidates in Huron - Bruce in the recent provinL cial election. He said, "It behooves our people here in Ontario to make sure we're competitive, not 'only in manufacturing, but also in the farm industry." He sug- gested now is a good time for farm organizations to be presenting a very strong lob- - by both to the party in power and to members ..of the op- position. Donald McDonald criticiz- ed the federal government for `oeii[e' iirigthe way to cop trol ini"i'atioy-is rte increase iii. terest rates, but levelled most of hiscriticism at the provincial government for failing to assist the farmer. He said, ..Quebec, government set aside $67 million to offset high interest rates,whereas the Ontario government made only $25 million available to farmers. He said only $5 million of that was claimed by farmers. • Mr. McDonald added, "If you think.Quebec has an ad- vantage over Ontario now, Town&Country - REAL ESTATE it's going to be infinitely greater after this election. (in Quebec)." He said the parties are outbidding each other in offers to that pro- vince's agricultural com- munity. He told the farmers it isn't that Ontario doesn't have the money, since "if you can hand out multi- million dollar grants to com- panies like "Ford and Chrysler", then the funds are there, but aren't being made available to the farm' industry. • Tony McQuail, speaking for the Huron County Energy Committee, said the federa- tion is concerned "while On- tario Hydro appears to be mounting a promotional campaign for new corridors, it has not yet released its Southwestern Ontario Study which was to be released at the end of October 1980. We believe this study should be released immediately so that. the farm ' commwiity,- can have adequate time to examine Hydro's plans." The committee . also ex- pressed concern about a change in direction "which appears to be taking place at the Bruce Agri -Park pro- gram." Mr. McQuail said emphasis seems to be shif- ting to an "industrial park" that will be diverting high quality steam before it. drives the electrical tur• - bines, , which means it's "no longer a project• using "waste" ,heat." Both Mr. McQuail and HFA president Gerry Fortune, in her brief, said that an industrial park would, -.mean decreased transprt�tion problems for Huron Coty which would affect ti►ic-'rttt finality. The energy committee's brief also called for Canada. to "move rapidly toward world prices for oil provided that the windfall profits from_. such an escalation will be placed in a special fund to develop Canada's renewable energy resources under Canadian control." Donald McDonald, who, was chairman of the govern- ment's Select Committee on Hydro Affairs for five years, said Ontario Hydro is stall- MAURICE GARDINER REAL ESTATE LTD. 34 STANLEY STREET GODERICH 524-2966 524-2966 CALL US TO WELCOME YOU HOME, MAURICE GARDINER 524-6031 PETE BETTGER 524-2865 'MARILYN MacCUSPEY 524-6956. . Quality west end family home. Large lot - new gas heating. 524-9985 524-7762 524-7793 Ideal for 2 generations. Home plus 2 • bedroom luxury apartment. 4 bedroom with finished rec. room. Owner is transferring - must be sold, 2 storey 4 bedroom with main floor family room Large back yard. 2 storey brick - 3 bedropm 16' x 32 inground pool. West end brick offers sauna, 2 Cedar sided home with 2 very nicely fireplaces & rec. room. finished levels. Top quality 2 storey with new main floor family room: COUNTRY BUY OF THE WEEK LOCATED ONLY 1 MILE OFF HIGHWAY NO. 8, JUST MINUTES FROM GODERICH. ' VERY ATTRACTIVE 3 LEVEL SPLIT HOME ON A FULL 6 ACRES OF LAND. HOME FEATURES 13' x 16' FAMILY ROOM WITH 'LARGE FIREPLACE. LOW, LOW TAXES. CALL 524-2966 TODAY FOR YOUR PRIVATE INSPECTION. 11MP bra,7i MILIMAtI.RFALFS.TATA ROAM) lVI.l�I...L .1113 r TING PING SERVICE. WHEN BUYING OR SELLINOVEAL ESTAi lOCC e Annual Members of Parliament Dinner : Huron County Federation o Agriculture members (left to right) John Van Beers, first vice-president; president Ge Fortune and Merle Gunby (far right), chairman of the foreign ownership committee, cha with MPP Murray Elston of Huron -Bruce at the federation's annual members of.parlifam•nt dinner held in Clinton on Saturday. (photo by Gibb ) • ing study results since they plan to present three or four alternative power corridor routes. Also, he said if the new lines had been announc- ed on the eve of provincial election, it would have been bad since "everyone from here to Collingwood would be upset." "Who runs Hydro?" Addressing the difference • in rural and urban Hydro • rates, Mr. McDonald pointed out there are now four pro- vinces in Canada where the differential between rural and urban power costs have been eliminated. He said many peoplewonder,."if the government runs Hydro or Hyo runs the government" and'that "there's no doubt on the differential issue." The MP said if OHIP costs the sande anywhere in the pro- vince, he doesn't see why equalization .can't .also be achieved for Hydro rates, Mr. Elston advised the federation to broaden their public relations campaign in order to achieve equalization• of Hydro rates, since without a strong campaign "sharing costs with their rural. neighbours may not be what Lew users want to do." He told the federation he would be available to channel their concerns about the Bruce Agri -Park to the govern- ment, ad'ding, w`I look for- ward to keeping a sharp eye on that project:" Murray Cardiff said the farm community could be proud of the fact it hasn't in- creased its energy consump- tion in the past 18 months - "we get an A for our efforts" he said in maintaining levels of energy use. County Warden Fred IIarberer, addressing con- cerns about the Bruce development changing directions, cautioned, "I would hope we're not jump- ing to conclusions here, that we have the facts..:" Tony McQuail said the committee obtained its infor- mation -at K.incardine.-public information sessions •and from MP Garry Gurbin's Christmas letter in which. "the agri-park • seemed to have metamorphosed into -an industrial park develop- ment." Mr. McQuail said cheap, subsidized steam from the Bruce nuclear plant will make it attractive for in- dustries to move to the park, but' would this. mean- ef- fluents and pollutants will cause problems for the sur- rounding farm community? Donald McDonald said while in theory the agri-park plan was an admirable pro- ject, opening Bruce County greenhouses might mean "it will drive belly -up greenhouses in Essex and Niagara." • He added if the stories he's been hearing are true, it's Weston that will be moving into the Bruce pro- ject, which would lead to even more vertical integra- tion in the food industry. John Van Beers, HFA vice-president, in his brief on a food strategy for the pro- vince, called for more tile drainage funding, more .pro- vincial government commit- ment to both the farming and food processing industry in the province to make them self-sufficient and support for food processors in modernizing their plants. Mr. Van Beers also called for more understanding between the consumer, labour and agriculture ministeries. He said', "Also the opposition critics in those departments -should be made aware that having a con- yGw',; mar e ing ars s anarg e for imported food while the agriculture critic demands ' more security. and protection for farmers, only leads' to confusion." His humorous solution - "Perhaps a man- datory week on the farm would be very educational, but we realize that the idea might not be practical." Murray Elston said during the recent election cam- paign, "there didn't seem to be much • direction for farm- ing, 1 t alone the food pro- cessinindustry." He said there matbe future plann- ing so people will know where they' headed as an industry and so the govern- , rent'can plan programs in this area. Donald McDonald, in call- ing.for-Tess reliance oh im ported food, said in the 1960s and 1970s, 1,379 'food pro- cessors closed their doors in the province. He said until these, closures are stopped, there .will ...be .an increasing loss ofjobs, often in essen- tially rural communities. Murray Cardiff said the bottom' line is promoting the homegrown products - "we have a selling job to do 'not only at home but abroad." OFA vice-president Ron White of Middlesex County said there should also be a review of the retail foodJnn dustry in Ontario since five chains provide 70 percent of the food trade for con- sumers. He said the retail food trade "have got around to wagging the whole dog." Mr. White said OFA research found food can be provided to the general public through private chainsat a lower _cost than through the large chains' which are swallowing up the smaller stores. Merle Gunby, absentee - foreign ownership commit- tee chairman, . delivered another plea for more pro- vincial government action on absentee foreign owner- ship of Ontario farmland. He said, "after. examining absentee ownership legisla- tion in various provinces, the Saskatchewan --Farre Owner- ship eict appears to be the i 0 most effective. Our commit- tee felt that this act should be suitable as a basis for similar legislation in On- tario." Jack Riddell, Huron Mid- dlesex -MPP was on holidays and unable to attend the members of parliament din- ner. HFA president Gerry Fortune . said Donald McDonald, the NDP agriculture o tic, wa$..in-.. vited to attend the dinner as a guest, which "did give us the privilege ofhaving all three parties represented" at the session. In the past few years, only the lata' MPPs and MPs have attend ed the annual event. Urbanites can work . on farms Urban teenagers don't have to rule out their dreams of working on a farm for the summer. The Ontario Ministry of. Agriculture and . Food offers a program that Will place 180 urban young people on farms this sum- mer, The Junior Agricultur 1isf program, part of the provin- cial government's Ex- perience '81 program, is - designed to give 16 and 17- year-olds with no previous farm experience an oppor- tunity to work on commer- cialfarms. Students participating in the program work on a com- mercial farm for nine weeks, beginning June 22, for a wage of $12 per day. The On- tario Ministry of Agriculture and Food contributes $6 per day. 'The host farmer pays the other $6 per day and pro- vides room and board. Application forms and ad- ditional information • are available • frons. "school guidance departments in the Experience '81 Guide Book published by the Ontario -Youth -Secretariat. Deaiiiline_ for applications is April 25. 3*4310 1. classic sign&design ' NC D,'N action and istt& 2t C uthai fi� 00L' REGISTRATION OF NEW PUPILS FOR THE . GRADES KINDERGARTEN-GRADEEIGIIT on Wednesday, Apr1115 1+l$1 In the Ilbrary of the school. ° K1atiter re= pup' pHs wood' bo 5 years of air oo ow before December 31. 1901. Please bring proof of ago. The Clinton and District Christian school is a Christian elementary school controlled by parents: Th. schoef ls. entirely financed through contributions from the pairents and other supporters. The school receives no . grants of any kind from the government. - Wo believe the Bible tp.b. the..lnfalllbI. Word of God and we believe that all of Iib, education included, must be based upon that • infallible Word and must therefore b. Christ -center . For or. inforrtionyouumay txril Ole 8%!keetet 4824t51 GIANT "FLEA MARKET' Saturday, May 2nd... (In Case Of Rain Sat., May eth) 10:00 AM -4:00 PM G.D.C.I. WEST PARKING LOT Vendors should rplst.r by May 1st, 3:20 PM ADVANCE SPACES 010." call 524-7353 LATE REGISTRATION'!S=O0 SATURDA" MORNING Sponsored by: G:D.C.I. STUDENT000NCIL EXECUTIVE - FRI. -, SAT. 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