PC ag critic promotes party's jobs bill as way to grow Ontario's agri-food industry

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

by SUSAN MANN

Progressive Conservative agriculture critic Ernie Hardeman has asked the provincial government to support his party’s million jobs bill to help grow Ontario’s food manufacturing industry again.

In a Feb. 14 letter to Premier and Agriculture Minister Kathleen Wynne, Hardeman says his party’s proposed legislation is forecasted to create 125,000 jobs a year for the next eight years. “I believe this would result in significant growth in both the agri-food and agriculture industries,’ he says, noting it would also help Wynne meet her challenge issued to the agricultural and food processing industry last fall to double its growth by 2020 and create 120,000 new jobs.

Since the agriculture minister issued this challenge, Ontario has lost 1,260 jobs after Heinz in Leamington and Kellogg’s in London both announced last fall they are closing, says Hardeman, noting there are reports of processors and abattoirs closing in small towns across Ontario.

But Wynne says in an email supplied by agriculture ministry staff person Amber Anderson that her jobs plan is to build a strong and growing economy in every part of Ontario “while making sure we take care of our people. That’s why we’re working with the agri-food sector to grow business, attract new investment and develop new markets both at home and around the world.”

Wynne also says she has “challenged the sector to set its course for growth precisely because this is a vital sector for our economy.”

But Hardeman says high hydro rates and a mountain of government regulations and red tape are choking provincial farmers and food processors. Wynne says the Conservatives “want to cut services and drive jobs away from our province.”

In response to Hardeman’s statement about job losses in Ontario’s food manufacturing sector, Wynne points out that there have also been investments, including Dr. Oetker and Natra in London, Royal Canin in Puslinch, along with Ferrero and Aryzla in Brantford. BF