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Mark the date on your calendar for the Agricultural All Candidates Debate
When:October 1st Where: North Stormont Place Avonmore Time: 7 pm meet and greet 7:30 start Join in and show a strong rural voice to all the candidates running in SD&G this Federal Election!
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By Peggy Brekveld, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure invited input on how to spend $15 billion in infrastructure funding outside the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA). Consultations were held in communities around the province and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) was represented at many of the meetings. You see, infrastructure covers just about every aspect of our communities. The building of roads, bridges, schools and hospitals all fall under infrastructure banner. It is tremendously important to ensure rural communities have access to the level of services enjoyed in more densely populated areas of Ontario. And in rural Ontario, these projects often intersect with key agricultural areas. There are endless ways for how and where this $15 billion dollar investment should be divided to build up communities all across the province. OFA’s formal submission to the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure contains two key parts -- four guiding principles for any new infrastructure project, and OFA’s specific recommendations for how the dollars should be allocated outside the GTHA. The four guiding principles are: minimize the loss of prime agricultural land, ensure rural Ontario businesses and farms have access to comparable services and infrastructure as their urban counterparts, use the proceeds from the sale of Hydro One to fund infrastructure in rural communities, and consider the needs of modern agricultural equipment with transportation infrastructure. We believe these important principles should be addressed with any new infrastructure funding program, ensuring agriculture does not pay the cost for community improvements. Infrastructure decisions and funding are critical to rural Ontario and our communities. OFA’s recommendations for where funding gets allocated outside the GTHA includes the need for natural gas, expanded broadband service, support for northern expansion projects. It should include resiliency to climate change in project funding, and it should increase the overall level of the $15 billion infrastructure funding to specifically support rural projects. No community or city can function without an effective infrastructure plan. Rural Ontario has specific requests as the government evaluates how to allot $15 billion in new “bricks and mortar” money. Agriculture is a big driver in the provincial economy, and we need appropriate, planned infrastructure support from government to keep our communities and our industry thriving. For more information, contact: Peggy Brekveld Vice President Ontario Federation of Agriculture 807-935-2154 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 By Don McCabe, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
With regulations now in place limiting the use of neonics on corn and soybean crops in Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has continued to hold fast on an important task. We are committed to working closely with government and industry to achieve a comprehensive pollinator strategy that includes all considerations for improving pollinator health. This past Tuesday, a Pollinator Health Action Plan Forum was organized by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The OFA was there to assist in constructing a comprehensive pollinator health strategy to encompass managed bees and wild pollinators in all of Ontario. Other ministries included in the participants were the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Roughly 30 groups in total made up of other farm organizations, academic institutions, and NGOs began facilitated discussions about the actions needed to improve pollinator health in Ontario. Following a presentation from Dr. Nigel Raine, Pollinator Conservation Chair at the University of Guelph on current pollinator research and health issues, Kelly McAslan from OMAFRA gave a description of the broad elements in Ontario’s Pollinator Health Strategy. The three areas of the strategy include a Pollinator Health Action Plan, Financial Assistance to Beekeepers and the new regulation under the Pesticides Act that apply to neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seeds. From the beginning of the pollinator health discussions, OFA has been at the table and pushed for a comprehensive strategy that considers the full list of nine key stressors that have been identified as playing a role in pollinator health – bee genetics, habitat loss, nutrition, disease and predators, climate change and impact of weather, and exposure to pesticides used in hive management and in crop production. These stressors were the centre point of our initial submission to government on its Pollinator Health discussion paper submitted in May 2015. OMAFRA will lead the development of the Pollinator Health Action Plan. This action plan will encompass habitat and nutrition, diseases, pests and genetics, climate change and weather, and pesticide exposure. The forum allowed the participants to comment directly on the first three of the four areas just mentioned to begin the consultation on these areas. The forum also served as an opportunity to learn about current government programs in place, and to network with possible partners to strengthen the outcome of the future plan. The need for clear communication on the issues was evident. Minister Leal brought remarks to close the forum and was clear on his mandate to deliver on a comprehensive strategy. The OFA will continue to advocate for and represent the interests of our members who represent a broad swath of Ontario agriculture. We won’t consider our work to be complete until there is a comprehensive strategy in place to address pollinator health that works for all farmers in the province. For more information, contact: Don McCabe President Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-331-6175 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 |
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