12-04-2008

ORDERS OF THE DAY

BILL 98 THIRD READING

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: This bill-I was going to say "if passed," but I'm going to say "when passed"; I think we should think of this on a positive note-allows farmers to erect signs to do what all Ontarians want them to do, which is to connect farmers with the eaters or the consumers in the province of Ontario.

I would also like to thank all the members of the Legislature who voted for this bill on second reading and who then supported the process in getting it through to be called back for third reading, which is not something that happens very often with private members' bills and which I'm happy to see. On behalf of all the farmers who will benefit from this bill, I want to thank the members of the Legislature.

I also want to thank Chuck Emre, an asparagus grower in Norfolk riding. Our colleague Toby Barrett represents that area. He had a sign and it was taken down because, under the Highway Traffic Act, it was not allowed to be where it was. It had been there for a number of years, but it was taken down because it was an infraction of the law. That's what prompted the introduction of this bill. I want to thank him for helping me design a bill that would solve his problem.

I'd like to take the time that I have to speak to this bill to point out the benefits that this bill will present to rural Ontario and to agriculture in this province by going through some of the letters of support that I received after we got second reading of the bill.

The first one is from Brenda Lammens. She is the chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association. The applicable part in the letter reads:

"The ability to erect a directional sign on privately owned, agriculturally zoned land makes sense for farmers and consumers. The intent is simple: to link consumers with fresh, locally produced food that might otherwise be hard to find on country side roads.

"With current government policies promoting `Buy local' and Pick Ontario Freshness, this proposed legislation enables farmers to leverage that awareness into actual purchases at the farm gate. With those financial rewards, farmers remain viable and sustainable. This legislation is very practical, allowing farmers to do what they do best" as stewards of soil and water.

Another one, from the president of Local Food Plus: "We at Local Food Plus bring farmers and consumers to the table to share in the benefits of environmentally and socially responsible food production. We know first-hand the incredible demand for local food and the challenges consumers face, finding and purchasing Ontario-grown product.

"We also strongly support increasing the economic sustainability of Ontario farmers and we believe Bill 98 will help to accomplish just that."

We have a letter from Neil Currie. Neil Currie is the general manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the largest organization representing farmers in Ontario. They are, he says, very appreciative of "your efforts to reduce red tape and help farmers promote their products through appropriate highway signage.

"The bill is also an important one for our consumers, who get frustrated in not being able to locate local producers. The demand for local food is growing, and your private members' bill will certainly help facilitate this phenomenon." That's from the largest farm organization in the province.

We have another farm organization in the province, the National Farmers Union, and its chair, or its-I don't believe he's the chair, but Grant Robertson from the Ontario farmers' union: "We would encourage all members of the Legislature to vote for passage of private members' Bill 98. For those members who are willing to stand with you and Ontario's farmers, it is a small step to say we recognize the important contribution farm families make to our economic well-being and the health of Ontarians." That's from the farmers' union.

We have one here, an interesting one from 4-H Ontario. These are the young people in Ontario who are aspiring to become food producers: "... we are seeing a great deal of investment into the awareness and support of consumers' awareness and producers' investments toward the connection of agriculture to food to health. This bill addresses on a very practical level the `access' issue for consumers to easily find the `local' food they are being encouraged to incorporate into their healthy diet choices, and local community economic health." Thank you very much to 4-H of Ontario for putting those comments on the record.

Another one here, from the Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association-I just want to read one line out of theirs: "Growers need to be freed from red tape and be allowed to market their crops in ways that are profitable." To that end, the Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association supports this bill.

From the Ontario Berry Growers Association: The Ontario berry growers are "pleased to see the bill entitled Signage to Promote Ontario Grown Products Act. We agree that this bill would benefit our members by allowing them to post signs adjacent to provincial highways. Our industry has a great tradition of on-farm sales and this bill would help ensure the tradition continues."

These are just some of the comments of the people who will be using this bill, and that's why I'm proud to stand here today and, on their behalf, thank this Legislature for the support thus far and hopefully ask for support for third reading of this bill so they can actually put it into practice.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me these few moments.