© AgMedia Inc.
by SUSAN MANN
A group of southwestern Ontario farmers question how the province can forge ahead and form a new grain organization given the low voter turnout and small percentage of people voting in favour last fall.
Cash cropper Tim Mullen of Essex County says just 17 per cent of the 28,000 farmers eligible to vote cast ballots in the September mail-in ballot addressing the question of whether to merge the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association, Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board and Ontario Soybean Growers into one organization. The voter turnout was way lower than the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission’s criteria of 50 per cent of eligible voters and 66 per cent of those who voted being in favour for the merger to be approved, says Mullen, who voted ‘no.’ The Commission conducted the vote.
Commission chair Geri Kamenz says the voter turnout “is probably consistent with the apathy many Canadian express toward their democratic right.” Even though people choose not to vote, ‘we still move forward in new directions,” he says. “The opinion rendered was well over 70 per cent that supported the move.”
In December, Elmer Buchanan, the Commission’s vice-chair, attributed some of the poor response to an impression within the farm community that the decision to merge had already been made, despite information sessions held across the province.
Mullen says many farmers didn’t vote because they’re happy with the way things are. Many of those opposed didn’t send in their “no” votes because they thought common sense will prevail, he says. “Nobody ever thought they were going to take this low number.”
Mullen is a member of Grassroots Farmers of Ontario, which has outlined its concerns in a letter to Ontario Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky in January. In the letter, group says the decision to proceed with the amalgamation “marks a new low for the integrity of your ministry.”
Ministry spokesperson Sherry Persaud said in a written statement that grain farmers petitioned the Commission through local resolutions to conduct a vote.
In its letter, Grassroots also questions why Elmer Buchanan was appointed interim Commission chair last summer, noting the move made it “obvious a railroad job was forthcoming.” Geri Kamenz was appointed chair in December.
The government “let it go through,” says Mullen. “That’s what the government originally wanted.”
Linking the staff changes at the Commission to the vote is “a real stretch,” says Kamenz. The Cabinet of Ontario’s government appoints the Commission chair and it didn’t make decisions based on whether grain farmers were having a vote: “They did it as part of their issues management.”
What does Grassroots want now? Mullen says he’d like the amalgamation stopped. He says one organization won’t be as efficient or have as much clout as the three have.
Essex County farmer Ian Pearce agrees that the amalgamation should be stopped or at the very least a new vote be held. Pearce, who voted ‘no,’ says there won’t be any cost saving with the new organization and there’ll likely be less representation.
A Dec. 12 press release from the ministry said 4,639 producers cast ballots with 70.4 per cent of them voting in favour of creating Grain Farmers of Ontario. The “yes” ballots also represented 72.2 per cent of the eligible acreage of the ballots. BF
Comments
http://www.betterfarming.com/online-news/grains-and-oilseeds-merger-enco...
This article came out in Better Farming to-day. It seems many people in Ont. feel free to use the name "Grass Root Farmers" to attract credibility and attention to their chosen opinion.
The opinion of all is relevant but it is important that the credibility of the original group of Grass Root Farmers that have been meeting for the last 4 yrs be maintained. It is also important that the issues chosen to be campaigned under the name Grass Root Farmers of Ont. reflect the consensus of the majority of the group from across the province. The name Grass Root Farmers of Ont.has been registered for the following web domain (and e-mail) as well as the name registered to the original group.
The original group of Grass Root Farmers of Ont. has looked for support and input from across the province It is expected that this support will continue as we face the ongoing and continuing economic and political challenges facing agriculture in Ont. today.
Bruce Pearse on behalf of
GrassrootsFarmersofOntario@gmail.com
Too Funny!! You think that this so called "original" group of Grassroots Farmers are the ONLY ones with credibility? There is no credibility to your "web domain" or email address claims. There is no registered organization anywhere I can find, and nothing comes up in a search of google to substantiate your claims. ANYONE can get an email address starting with whatever they want and ours happens to be "grassroots.farmers@gmail.com. What have you achieved in your time of existence to back up your credibility claims??
The real credibility or (lack thereof) is with OFPMC and Minister Dombrowsky. As the article states, Elmer Buchanan was appointed for a few short months and the day after the GFO announcement, he was pulled from the job. Also,you can see that 16-17% of eligible farmers voted in this vote and if 70% voted "yes", that amounts to 11% of total eligible voters. Definitely not democracy, especially when OFPMC staff was quoted at meetings saying that it would take 50% of producers or 50% of production (held by producers)and a majority of 66% of those voting to make a case to go forward with GFO. When the Government "gives" farmers something this easy, do you think it will be good for farmers in the long run? I very much doubt it. Just wait until this Government does not extend the RMP program after the end of the trial period of 2009. They did not give RMP because of farmer pressure, they only gave it at the last minute of the last election campaign when John Tory promised it in his campaign. This Government is not farmer friendly, you wait and see!
Dave Patterson
Middlesex
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