The Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-10-07, Page 22 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Valerie Gillies Lucknow Sentinel
Jimmy Armour (left) and Ben Miltenburg volunteered on behalf of Montgomery Bus Lines to drive
and accept donations for the Stuff the Bus food drive at Knechtel's Food Market in Lucknow on
October 3, 2015.
"Bob from Blyth", as his hat introduces him, is a first year driver for Montgomery Bus Lines as he
's new to the area. He was helping Rebecca Leis with the Stuff the Bus food drive at the Wingham
Valumart on October 3, 2015.
Annual Stuff the Bus campaign was well supported
Montgomery
Bus Lines helps
North Huron Food
Share
Valerie Gillies
Lucknow Sentinel
Each year Montgomery
Bus Lines sponsors and
administers the Stuff the Bus
campaign to gather dona-
tions of food and cash to be
delivered to the North Huron
Community Food Share.
The 2015 event took place
on October 3 with busses
maimed by Montgomery bus
drivers who volunteered their
time to accept donations at
grocery stores from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. in Lucknow, Brussels,
Blyth and Wingham.
Ben Miltenburg was a
driver at Knechtel's in Luc -
know. He reported that it
had been an excellent morn-
ing, stating, "We appreciate
the community support"
Jimmy Armour was with
Miltenburg in Lucknow.
Armour mused, "After five
years of being here, the gener-
osity of the people in this area
is not surprising. They are very
generous people." Miltenburg
joked that the drivers were
gladly braving the cold to help
out, to which Armour added,
"but Ben got the t -shirt!"
Apparently they did not come
in Armour's size.
Rebecca Leis is a first year
driver with Montgomery's
and was joined by another
first-year driver identified
only as "Bob from Blyth'; as
is on the hat his wife had
purchased for him. Bob is
new to the area and this is
the first time either had par-
ticipated in helping with the
food drive. They manned the
bus at Wingham Valumart.
Both hope this food drive
will help everyone have a
happy Thanksgiving.
Jim McKee and Heather
McGuire -Bell were the drivers
on duty for the Stuff the Bus at
Wingham Foodland.
McGuire -Bell reported that all
of the seats in their bus were
full as was the floor between
the seats. She is proud of her
employers stating, "It is nice of
Montgomery Bus Lines to
help gather and carry all of the
donations directly to the
North Huron Food Share:'
All of the drivers inter-
viewed were impressed with
the generosity of those in the
surrounding communities.
The North Huron Food
Share serves the communi-
ties of Lucknow Wingham,
Blyth, Brussels, Walton,
Teeswater, Gorrie, Wroxetor
and all areas in between.
Spokesperson Joyce John-
ston commends Montgom-
ery Bus Lines for their gener-
osity in independently
taking on the Stuff the Bus
campaign leading up to
Thanksgiving each year. This
is the Food Share's largest
event of the year.
When asked what items
the Food Share can use the
most, Johnston replied, "We
can use everything." For
those who would like sug-
gestions on what to donate
she recommends school
lunch items such as pudding
cups, granola bars and juice
boxes. There is always a need
for peanut butter, cheese
spreads, pasta including
boxed macaroni and cheese,
stews and other protein and
staple items for households.
Johnston reminds people
that Christmas is coming up
and asks that they consider
making North Huron Food
Share their charity of choice
this upcoming year.
For more information on the
North Huron Food Share you
can call 519-357-2277 or visit
their Facebook page at North
Huron Community Food
Share. Donated items can be
dropped off on Wednesdays
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 405
Josephine Street, Wmgham.
Federal candidates talk agriculture, science in Holmesville
Dave Flaherty
Goderich Signal Star
Three weeks ahead of the
federal election, Huron -
Bruce's four candidates
voiced their views on a num-
ber of agricultural issues at a
debate in Holmesville.
The debate, hosted by the
Huron Federation of Agricul-
ture, was standing room only
at the Holmesville Commu-
nity Centre on September 30.
In attendance were Con-
servative Party incumbent
Ben Lobb, the New Demo-
cratic Party's (NDP) Gerard
Creces, Liberal Party candi-
date Allan Thompson and
Jutta Splettstoesser of the
Green Party.
In his opening remarks,
Lobb said the PCs have
negotiated many free trade
agreements, such as those
with Korea and the Euro-
pean Union, that will reduce
or eliminate tariffs on "all
products grown in
Huron -Bruce':
Splettstoesser said the
Green Party is the only one
that "takes a stance on all
public issues:'
A German native who
immigrated to Canada,
Splettstoesser said "agricul-
ture is what brought me to
this part of the world."
She claimed she has taken
the "Food and Water First"
pledge to show her commit-
ment to protecting Canada's
"most important resources':
The NDP will continue to
build on the success it has
had in the past few federal
elections, Creces said.
He believes Ottawa
"should follow the example
of local communities
"We have to end the soci-
ety of entitlement," said the
former journalist for The
Goderich Signal Star and
Clinton News Record.
Thompson, a former jour-
nalist for The Toronto Star
and professor at Carleton
University, said he has a
great belief in the motto that
"farmers feed cities:'
He voiced his
disappointment with what he
called a lack of discussion
about agricultural issues dur-
ing the national leader debates.
He said there needs to be
protection of "supply man-
agement" for Canadian
commodities.
The debate was divided
into written questions and
queries from the floor.
Candidates were first
asked what they feel is the
biggest issue facing the agri-
culture industry.
Lobb said his party is com-
mitted towards "increasing
markets for Canadian prod-
ucts" and reducing or elimi-
nating tariffs.
He said agreements such
as the proposed TPP will
"offer farms an opportunity
to compete with interna-
tional farmers".
Cuts to AgriStability have
made the program lose its
value to farmers, Spletts-
toesser explained.
She also called for more
education on agriculture in
secondary schools.
Creces said there needs to
be more planning for the
future as the farming indus-
try is changing.
"The death of small -to -
mid -sized farms - we are
seeing that."
He said the costs of run-
ning or starting up a farming
business are astronomical.
"We have to put our heads
together and make it an
affordable business to get
into," he added.
Thompson said farmers
need "bankable and predict-
able support" from the fed-
eral government.
To him, former Ministers
of Agriculture such as
Eugene Whalen and Don
Mazankowski had their fin-
ger of the pulse of issues that
were facing farmers at the
time, stating that the govern-
ment needs to reach out to
farmers to help develop and
shape the programs meant
to assist them.
Candidates were then
asked how their party would
support sustainability and
growth in livestock sectors,
namely beef production.
"We need to stand behind
supply management,"
Splettstoesser said, adding
Canada cannot "give up our
domestic standards for a
trade agreement."
Creces echoed this senti-
ment, adding that there is
increasing pressure from
Europe and the United
States for Canada to give in
to certain demands.
"Don't compromise our
standards," Creces said.
He also claimed smaller
abattoirs shouldn't be held
to the same standards as
large factories.
Cuts to AgriStability have
left farmers "waiting too long
for too little support';
Thompson said.
He said there needs to be
better "risk management
funding" for livestock farm-
ers as they don't have crop
insurance and supply man-
agement to fall back on.
In his view, the federal
government should be on
board for risk management
programs, such as the one
Ontario has implemented.
Lobb said a decade ago
beef farmers were "on their
backs':
He said the Conservatives
have signed key deals and
that beef prices are at some
of their highest levels.
"We've done our job to
protect Ontario farmers," he
said.
On the topic of trade
agreements, Creces criti-
cized the PCs "lack of trans-
parency" when it comes to
the TPP
He said trade agreements
should "add value to the
goods and shouldn't be a
hindrance:'
Instead of exporting raw
commodities, Creces said
Canada should be process-
ing them and creating jobs
locally.
Thompson said as a "trad-
ing nation'; agreements such
as the TPP are needed.
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