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The Brussels Post, 1979-02-14, Page 8EXCHANGING VIEWPOINTS—Robert McKinley (left) MP for Huron and (right) Jack Riddell, MPP for Huron-Middlesex and Murray Gaunt, MPP for Huron-Bruce exchange views on farm issues with Merle Gunby, president of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, at the F of A's annual members of parliament meeting in Clinton on Saturday. (Expositor phntro a, 46 •L Itvitqa „A A No tortg fictiWirig scarves on the ride, as I fhirifi you can see. What would haptieri it they got caught in the tracks or a branch of a tree SPECIAL Smalls Good Macs '4" Other varieties available (at competitive prices) Ida Red, Spy, Delicious Try our fresh cider. Available at all times. Bring your own containers CRUNICAN BROSs, 1 lh miles south of Elginfield RONNENBERG Insurance Agency Auto - Fire - Casualty - Life MONKTON 347-2241 Glen Ronnenberg 347-2241 TOP RATES Guaranteed Investment Certificates Income Averaging Annuities INCOME TAX PREPARED BOOKKEEPING SERVICE Maitland Valley Financial Consultants Ltd. BRUSSELS 887-6663 Murray Siddall 887-6166 Night Farm land can't be urban dump, F of A tells MP's BY ALICE GIBB The issue of absentee foreigh-owned farm land is still a matter of concern to the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, according to a brief presented to MPP 's Jack Riddell and Murray Gaunt and MP Bob McKinley at the federation's annual members' of parliament dinner, Gerry Fortune, of Wingham, first vice- president of the organization, told the three politicians that the organization's concern is about land owned by people who don't live in province. "Enough non-resident foreign ownership in any one area can affect the whole social structt re of a community," Mrs. Fortune said, and mentioned decreased population for use of community schools and hospitals and lack of buying support for :oca businesses as some of the results of absentee ownership. She told the members of parliament that "local residents simply cannot compete with foreign capital under the present economic circumstances. The devalued dollar and lower interest rates offered in other '.ountries put Ontario buyers at a distinct Disadvantage." She said the danger is that the Canadian agricultural industry could eventually be- come foreign-controlled and farmers would end up growing crops totally unsuited to Canadian needs, but entirely suitable to foreign interest for their own export pur- poses. . " In her brief, Gerry Fortune said one township in Huron County already has just slightly less than 2,000 acres of farmland owned by people living outside the country. To protect farmers from having to compete with foreign investors, Mrs. Fortune said, "We need legislation in place now, while we still have a chance to control a situation which could escalate faster than the government could move on short notice." Jack Riddell, MPP for Huron-Middlesex, Liberal agriculture critic in the Ontario legislature said he had already raised the question of foreign ownership in the legislature. He said the provincial minister of agriculture said his department hadn't been monitoring the situation since a 1973 study found only one per cent of Ontario and 'was owned by foreigners. Mr. Riddell said the Land Transfer Tax, passed in 1974, hasn't been an effective tool in preventing foreign ownership since foreign buyers simply form a Canadian company to get around the legislation. He said William Newman, the minister of agriculture, has agreed to study the question of absentee foreign-ownership in two Ontario counties. Mr. Riddell said his party has asked that Huron and Lambton counties be the two counties where the foreign o%Nership, question is studied. He added his own party would have trouble following up the issue since "researchers are spread pretty thinly in the opposition parties," Murray Gaunt said he had heard land in many parts of Germany was now seling for $6,000 an acre , so German buyers are purchasing land in Canada as an investment. Jack Riddell told the federation members he had recently been visited by a London realtor who wanted to know which farms in Mr. Riddell's area might be available. The realtor was representing German money, Mr Riddell said. The member of parliament said some farmers don't see the foreign ownership question as a bad thing. They say that the only way younger farmers can get started today is to rent land from foreign owners. Gerry Fortune responded to Mr. Riddell's comment about his party's research department by saying, "if you've ever seen our (the OFA's) research depart- ment, you'll know what stretched is . . " Bev Brown, of Bluevalee a federation director, asked if the provincial government is looking at what provinces like Saskatchewan are doing to limit foreign ownership. Mr. Riddell said again that the provincial minister of agriculture didn't seem to think the issue was a serious problem. Ms. Brown responded, "Would it make a difference if we could prove it was?" Gerry Fortune said she understood the province of Quebec was also discussing the foreign ownership issue. She added, "You either do something now when you have the chance or you admit you're willing to allow our natural resources to be sold." Frank Falconer, of Tuckersmith Township one of the guests at the dinner, said he objected to the foreign ownership issue, "since half the farmers here in Huron County are foreigners." Mrs. Fortune explained the federation wasn't concerned about people living in the county, but rather about foreign investors buying the land and becoming absenteee landlords. Frank Wall, a member of the OFA executive, said the result of foreign invest- ments is "increased land prices for all of us who are here." He said farmers have to increase their price to compete with the large blocks of foreign money and this eventually will mean increased prices to the consumer. He said the federation doesn't mind farm people coming in from other countries and farming the land since "all of us were imports at one time." If the federation research does find a surge of foreign ownership in Ontario however, Mr. Wall said, then "we can go to the provincial and federal government and ask them, what are you going to do to put a lid on it?" He said the absentee foreign-ownership issue has also surfaced in both Grey and Bruce counties recently. Still on the issue of land use, John VanBeers, of R.R.1, Blyth the regional director of Huron East Central for the federation, told the three members that farmers are reluctant to grant anyone access to their property until changes have been made to the Petty Trepass Act. Under the present act, landowners are liable for injury to people such as snow- mobilers, who are using their land. Jack Riddell told federation members a private members bill to change the act was lost on the second reading. Murray Gaunt said the private trespass bill is coming before the resources develop- ment committee, which he chairs, in the near future. BY ALICE GIBB Environmental issues, including waste and the need for energy conservation, were again among the main topics discussed at the annual members of parliament dinner, sponsored by the Huron Federation of Agriculture and affiliated commodity groups, held in Clinton on Saturday. Jim McIntosh, of R.R.3, Seaforth an OFA regional director, told Jack Riddell, MPP for Huron-Middlesex; Murray Gaunt, MPP for Huron-Bruce and Bob McKinley, MP for Huron, that agricultural land can't continue to be the dumping grounds for urban waste. Mr. McIntosh said agriculture is Ontario's biggest industry and the amount of "prime agriculture land taken for a "dump-site" is only one of agriculture's major concerns." The director said an even greater concern is "the potential time bomb effect these sites may be to future generations." Mr. McIntosh said there are already 4,000 known chemical disposal sites in the Great Lakes basin, which will provide continuous contamination of the lakes. Now the question facing society is how many more dangerous chemicals are being dumped into land fill sites, Mr. McIntosh said. He told the three politicians that PLUARG researchers have stated there are 300 to 500 new organic compounds ap- pearing on the market every year, while no rigid testing program for the chemicals exists. Pointing out that pesticides must pass rigid tests before they can be used on farms, Mr. McIntosh 'called for more research into the effects of the chemicals being disposed of in dump-sites. "In the next, 10 to 20 to 50 or 100 years, these chemicals could enter the ground water and chemically poison many thousands of acres of farm land for future food production, or by being in the ground water, poison many farm supplies, "the director said. Mr. McIntosh called for more government research to determine ways to safely recycle the chemicals or convert them to products that are safe for the environment. Murray Gaunt said he agreed with Mr. McIntosh that "industry should test as vigorously and actively as agriculture is testing." He said as of Jan. 1, 1980, the Ministry of Environment is banning all new liquid industrial dump sites. However, he said some of the present sites will continue in use after 1980, if they are considered safe. Mr. Gaunt told the federation members that recycling is certainly the answer to the problem of waste but "there are some very real problems in recycling, due to the cost, not the technology." Mr. Gaunt 'said the technology is there to transform some waste products into neutral blocks by adding chemicals. He said a Fort Erie company wanted to build a plant to transform waste materials into building materials, but the council turned down the proposal. Bob McKinley said before the government funds expensive pilot projects to look into waste disposal, they should check whether similar projects have already been carried out in other countries. Jack Riddell the Liberal agriculture critic in the legislature said protection of the environment is one of the greatest dangers facing government and industry today and added if emissions from industries aren't controlled, "48,000 of our lakes in northern Ontario will be pretty well destroyed to the point where we can't bring them back." From the farmer's viewpoint, Mr. Riddell Jack Van Wonderen, of the Goshen Line representing the Stanley Township Federation of Agriculture, also presented a brief dealing with an environmental issue. He spoke about the transition in agriculture in the last 40 years from horse (Continued on Page 20) 8 THE, BRUSSELS POST, FEBRUARY 14, 1979 F of A wants controls on land ownership