The Citizen, 1987-08-26, Page 15All-candidates meeting
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1987. PAGE 15.
Klopp, Peters push foreign ownership issue
While Jack Riddell, Liberal
candidate in the upcoming Sept. 10
provincial election and Ontario
Minister of Agriculture has said
foreign landownershipis notan
election issue, his two opponents
and questioners from the floor at an
all-candidates meeting in Londes-
boro Monday seemed determined
to make it one.
In answer to a question from the
floor Mr. Riddell said that the main
flurry of activity of foreign land
owners had died down and since a
loophole had been closed in the law
that charges a tax on non-resident-
owned farmland the amount of
acreage owned by foreign interests
had actually declined. He said
foreign-owned farmland had de
clined to less than one per cent of
Ontario farmland.
But the persistent questioner
argued the problem hasn’t gone
away saying the last five farms sold
in Stephen township have been
sold to foreign investors.
Paul Klopp, the NDP candidate,
said Mr. Riddell was good at using
figures but he felt there was a
problem and Ontario should enact
a law like Saskatchewan has to
discourage non-resident owner
ship. In Saskatchewan they say if
you don’t want to come and farm
you can only own 10 acres, he said,
and that applied tobig corpora
tions as well as foreign landown
ers. He said foreign buyers had
used numbered companies to get
arbund the loophole in the tax on
foreign-owned farmland.
Nico Peters, the Progressive
Conservative candidate said there
was nothing wrong with people
from outside Canada buying land
then coming to “be neighbours,
but don’t bulldoze the farm next
door. Don’t destroy my neighbour
hood.’’
Earlier he had attacked the
government policy which sees the
government pay a 100 per cent
rebate on taxes on farmland and
charges tax only on farm buildings.
It encourages farmers to destroy
the buildings on the land to save on
taxes, he said, and can lead to
situations he’s seen in Bruce
County where if a farmhouse
caught fire it is so far to the nearest
neighbour that no one would see
the smoke.
All three candidates were in
agreement on one farm issue: that
they didn’t want to see some form
of minimum guaranteed income
for farmers to replace present
stabilization programs. Mr. Peters
said farmers need make no apolo
gies for current stabilization pro
grams, that while they may get
government help in one area,
others in urban areas are subsidiz
ed in the provision of water and
sewage facilities that farmers must
provide for themselves.
Mr. Klopp argued that instead of
a minimum guaranteed income,
farmers must get more control over
their own prices. In his opening
remarks he had said the NDP will
keep pressing to get more commo
dities included under marketing
board legislation.
Mr. Riddell said he didn’t think
farmers wanted that kind of
guaranteed income program.
There are too many distortions in
the marketplace already, he said.
He pointed to the huge subsidies in
Europe and the U.S. and the
smaller subsidies in Canada and
said all subsidies that lead to over
production can’t be encouraged
any longer.
Mr. Peters, a poultry farmer,
turned a question from the floor on
how he could support free trade
when it might destroy the market
ing system of the poultry industry,
into an attack on Mr. Riddell. He
said federal ministers from John
Wise to Pat Carney had said
marketing boards won’t be under
discussion and they could be
trusted. He didn’t have the same
confidence in the provincial Liber
als, he said and claimed that Mr.
Riddell was speaking out of both
sides of his mouth about marketing
boards. While he told farmers he
was a great supporter of marketing
boards, Mr. Peters said, Mr.
Riddell had been quoted in a news
story from the G. A. T.T. talks as
saying Canadians had to be willing
to discuss all subsidies even if it
endangered marketing boards.
Mr. Riddell didn’t get a chance
to reply to the charge at the time
but later tacked his reply on to a
reply to another question. Every
body knows, he said, that he is one
of the strongest supporters mar
keting boards have.
The Farm Credit Corporation
policies came under discussion
even though the agency is a federal
responsibility. Paul Klopp said
that if the FCC isn’t going to help
farmers more in financing, the
province should use the Provincial
Savings Offices to provide financ
ing for farmers.
Mr. Riddell argued against
setting up both federal and
FARMERS
WE ARE READY TO RECEIVE YOUR
1987 WHITE BEANS
provincial loaning institutions
which would double the admini
stration. HefelttheFCC should
handle all lending including long
term, medium and even short-term
lending and had sent recommen
dations to John Wise, federal
agriculture minister on changes
that would make the agency work
better. If Mr. Kloppwas talking
about making the Province of
Ontario Savings Offices into a farm
bank, he said, the recent history in
the U.S. with banks failing showed
that wasn’t necessarily the an-
Riddell promises new
OMAF office for Clinton
Huroncounty willsoonhave a
new office of the Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food in Clinton,
Agriculture Minister Jack Riddell
announced during an all-candi
dates meeting in Londesboro
Monday night.
Mr. Riddell was replying to a
question from the audience that
referred to overcrowding at the
present office. “We are going to
have a new OMAF office in
Clinton,’’ he said. The Ontario
Ministry of Government Services
has been looking at some proper
ties in Clinton, he said, and he
understood some offers had been
issued on land. “It will be here
within the very near future,’’ he
promised.
swer.
Mr. Klopp later argued, how
ever, that this wouldn’t be strictly a
farm bank but a bank for small
business as well. Failure of several
Canadian banks didn’t mean we
should stop having banks either,
he said.
Mr. Peters said the government
help must be targeted to farmers
who most need the help and the
interest rate reduction plan his
party had proposed would do that,
offering lower interest to farmers
who most need it.
The reply deflated the earlier
arguments of his two opponents.
Paul Kloppforthe NDP said he had
understood the money had been
allocated for the new building at
least three years ago but some
highly-placed official in the Mini
stry in Toronto had decided Huron
didn’t need a bigger office. “1
thought we’d have it by now
because I understand that official
has retired,’’ Mr. Klopp said
Huron needed a stronger voice so
bureaucrats would not be able to
kill such projects so easily, he said.
Nico Peters for the Progressive
Conservatives said he didn’t feel
the OMAF office was too small and
he couldn’t see the need for a new
office.
Stocker, feeder sale Sept. 8
Continued from page 14
consigned by Mervin Smith of R 1,
Walton, averaging 10601b. sold for
$91.10. Nineteen steers consigned
by Howard Martin of RR 3,
Brussels, averaging 1196 lb. sold
for an overall price of $88.87, with
sales to $91.
Choice exotic heifers sold from
$86 to $90 with sales to $93.75.
Choice white-faced heifers were
$83 to $86.
A red-white-faced heifer con
signed by Lloyd Morrison of RR 1,
Lucknow, weighing 890 lb. sold for
$93.75, with his total offering of 19
heifers, averaging 889 lb., selling
for an average price of $90.13 A
heifer consigned by Leonard Ar
chambault of RR 1, Auburn,
weighing 990 lb. sold for $92. A
heifer consigned by Geoff Gallo
way of Brussels weighing 1120 lb.
sold for $91.25 with his total lot of
15 heifers, averaging 1138 lb.,
selling for an overall price of
$88.36. A heifer consigned by
Harry Schnurr of RR 2, Walkerton,
weighing 920 lb. sold for $91.25.
Two heifers consigned by Glen
Sellers of RR 2, Bluevale, averag
ing 1130 lb., sold for $91 with his
total offering of 10 heifers, averag
ing 1108 lb., selling for an overall
price of $87.13. A charlois heifer
consigned by George Blake of RR
2, Brussels, weighing 1040 lb.,
sold for $90.75, with his total
offering of 12 heifers, averaging
1015 lb., selling for an average
price of $86.37. Nine heifers
consigned by Alvin Grainger of RR
2, Wroxeter, averaging 10181b.
sold for an average price of $87.81,
with sales to $90.50. A heifer
consignedby Murray Mulvey of
RR 1, Clifford weighing 10801b.
sold for $90 with his total offering of
33 heifers averaging 1065 lb.
selling for an overall price of
$96.90.
Choice cows sold from $60 to
$65. Good cows were $57 to $62.
Canners and cutters were $52 to
$57.
Thirty - 40 lb. pigs traded to a
high of$l.11 per lb.; 40-50 lb. pigs
traded to a high of $1.18 per lb.; 50
- 60 lb. pigs traded to a high of $ 1.08
per lb.; 60 - 70 lb. pigs traded to a
highof$1.04perlb.; 70-801b. pigs
traded to a high of .92 cents per lb.
Choice veal sold from $85 to $95
per hundredweight with sales to
$1.09 per pound. Good veal was
$80 to $85. Plain calves were $70 to
$80.
Fifty - 60 lb. lambs traded to a
high of $1.15 per lb.; 60 - 70 lb.
lambs traded to a high of $1.33 per
lb.; 70 - 80 lb. lambs traded to a
high of $1.03 per lb.; 80 - 901b.
lambs traded to a high of .925 per
lb.; over90 lb. lambs traded to a
high of .865 per lb.
Brussels Stockyards will be
holding a Stocker & Feeder sale on
Tuesday, September 8, and a
Sheep, Lamb and Veal Sale on
Friday, September 11. For further
information phone 887-6461.
Dateline
Sunday, August30 - Huron County
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