Rural Ontario needs natural gas infrastructure says OFA president
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
by SUSAN MANN
Only 10 per cent of rural Ontario has natural gas and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has once again told the provincial government the region needs infrastructure so more residents can get the fuel.
If most rural Ontarians had access to natural gas, the annual savings would be $350 million, says Mark Wales, the federation’s president. “That’s all money people could reinvest and that would help attract business to small towns, villages and hamlets.”
There are good models across Canada in other provinces that demonstrate how natural gas infrastructure can be introduced in rural areas, he explains.
Wales says he raised the matter during a meeting of farm leaders hosted by Ontario Rural Affairs Minister Jeff Leal at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo last week. Leal says about 15 to 20 leaders attended the 1.5 hour meeting on Sept. 19.
Other groups attending included Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, National Farmers Union – Ontario, the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, Flowers Canada – Ontario and the Organic Council of Ontario.
The meeting was held to give farm leaders an opportunity to talk about matters they’re concerned about and about how the organizations and government can continue to grow the agri-food sector, Leal says.
The Ontario government maintains a steadfast commitment to the agri-food sector, he says, using the example of the recent launch of a local food fund of $30 million over three years. The fund will be used to increase awareness and demand for foods grown and made in Ontario.
In addition to outlining the need for natural gas infrastructure for rural Ontario, Wales says OFA also talked about minimum wage matters. The OFA is scheduled to present to the Minimum Wage Advisory Panel on Nov. 1 in Guelph. The panel was appointed by the provincial government to study how the province should set future wage levels.
Wales says other agricultural groups will also be presenting their views to the panel on Nov. 1. “We’ll all be reinforcing each other.”
Wales says one point he plans to raise is how increasing the minimum wage is not a solution to poverty. That’s because raising minimum wage is just fundamentally a job killer, especially for some agricultural sectors such as horticulture, which is the biggest user of labour. “We’ve got huge job creation issues in this province and the last thing we want to do is to be losing any more jobs.”
Labour also accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of the cost of production in horticultural production, he says.
Leal says the provincial government is reaching out to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to make a presentation to the minimum wage panel and “for their voices to be heard.”
About the Open for Business process, Wales says they talked about how that has been a good model for ensuring future legislative problems and roadblocks are prevented.
Leal says leaders also commended the provincial government for its commitment to the Ontario business risk management program.
Asked if there was anything he heard at the meeting that requires immediate government action, Leal says it was to ensure agriculture’s voice is heard as part of the minimum wage discussions and to make sure the government continues the Open for Business process to allow the agricultural sector to thrive and create jobs. BF