The Rural Voice, 1981-03, Page 21RURAL NEWS IN BRIEF
Colborne foreign owner-
ship stand gets support
Delegates at the recent Rural Ontario
Municipal Association (ROMA) con-
vention have asked the provincial govern-
ment to take action on foreign ownership
of farmland.
The resolution. originated by Colborne
Township council last September and
circulated to township councils around
the province, asked the government "to
take action immediately to control the
purchase of farmland in Ontario by
absentee foreign interests."
Colborne Township reeve Bill Bogie
said delegates at the convention strongly
supported the resolution. He said in
talking to other delegates after the vote,
he found there was as much concern
expressed about absentee urban owner-
ship of farmland as about absentee
foreign ownership of agricultural land.
The township's resolution stated since
foreign interests, sometimes operating
under the guise of Canadian
corporations, are investing heavily in
Ontario agricultural land. and high prices
being offered for the land make it difficult
for young farmers to compete.
Agriculture Minister Lorne Henderson
and Premier William Davis were asked to
take action immediately.
The resolution also raised the issue
that "these absentee owners are de-
molishing the farm buildings in some
cases and lowering the tax base in some
areas. .severely disrupting
Community life in these areas."
The foreign ownership issue, once
largely a concern only of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture, is now being
opposed by many provincial groups and
organizations.
At a seminar sponsored by the Rural
Learning Association, the Roman
Catholic, United and Mennonite churches
indicated they would organize within
their institutions to protest further sales
to absentee owners.
All three provincial general farm
organizations also supported the position,
and the Women's Institute of Ontario,
and the Catholic Women's League also
saw eye to eye with the farmers.
National service associations, like the
Association of Canadian Community
Colleges, the Ontario Institute of
Agrologists and the Committee for an
Independent Canada, were all in agree-
ment that Canadian farmland should be
in the hands of Canadians.
The Anglican Church of Canada had
already indicated support in a letter to the
organizers.
The Canadian Association of
Consumers, represented by Ruth Jackson
of Kitchener thought the protection of the
family farm should be done, on a much
broader basis than just in the area of
foreign ownership. She said all large
farms tended to erode the concept of the
family farm and the rural community. and
that the whole problem should be tackled
at the same time.
However, the consensus of seminar
participants was that it was best to take
one step at a time and that foreign
ownership was the first problem to be
attacked.
Ag conference
called "total
waste of time"
The recent two-day Ontario conference
on agriculture in the 1980's was "a total
waste of my time" according to one
Huron County delegate.
Gerry Fortune, of R.R. 1. Wingham,
and president of the county federation,
said she was not impressed by the two
day conference, sponsored by Ontario's
minister of agriculture, Lorne
Henderson.
Fortune said the conference featured
over 20 speakers in a 24 hour period,
which meant the conference was "so
structured", it left little time for
meaningful discussion.
The Huron County delegate said
conference delegates were divided into
workshop groups. but the chairman of the
groups, recording secretary and even the
questions to be discussed. were all
decided beforehand. Gerry Fortune said
she happened to be put in a group that
didn't discuss any of the absentee' foreign
ownership of farmland. This is an issue
that the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture has been particularly con-
cerned with in the past two years.
Fortune said most of the speakers'
talks were published beforehand and
handed to delegates when they registered
for the conference. She said Jerry Long of
London area, one speaker who didn't
submit his talk beforehand, actually gave
one 9f the better speeches of the
conference.
She also criticzed the timing of the
conference - held shortly after the March
19 provincial election was called. She said
it bothered her that the agriculture
minister called the conference when he
did. While she said she couldn't say
Henderson and Premier William Davis
were definitely making political
speeches. "it was certainly political when
we got there" due to the timing of the
event. Fortune added the agriculture
minister could have found out the
concerns of Ontario farmers by attending
the Ontario Federation of Agriculture's
conference in December or could have
held the conference when he first took
office.
Cardiff bill may
speed parts delivery
The text of a bill aimed at ensuring
special handling of emergency repair
parts for farm machinery has been
forwarded by its sponsor. Huron Bruce
MP Murray Cardiff. to provincial agricul-
ture ministers, and national farm or-
ganizations.
Murray Cardiff first introduced the bill
last May, but the item may not be
debated in parliament until its next
session.
Citing potential damage to farming
operations from slow delivery of replace-
ment parts, Mr. Cardiff said the bill is
meant to provide procedures to alleviate
delays.
"The important thing is to come up
with a delivery system that guarantees
rapid parts delivery from anywhere in the
world," said the M.P. A farmer may have
'a $200,000 crop rotting in the field j
because his $80,000 machine is missing a
part. When you are facing the ruin of
your crop because that small part is
sitting idle in a storage bin at some
airport or customs depot, it is obvious
that you need procedures which will get
the part to you without such delays."
Under the MP's proposal, airlines in
Canada would be required to advertise a
special tariff and observe special pro-
cedures for parts shipped under that
category.
Such packages would carry the label
"F.E.R.P.-Rush" to notify handlers
special procedures involving Farm
Equipment Repair Parts are in force.
THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1981 PG. 17