Protecting farmland, strengthening business risk management programs, and ensuring the future of agricultural education and research are top priorities for Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner as the prospect of a 2025 provincial election draws nearer.
While addressing delegates attending the Ontario Federation of Agriculture annual general meeting last week, Schreiner took direct aim at the Ford government’s plans for urban sprawl and the development of Highway 413, which could pave over 2,000 acres of farmland.
“We simply can’t continue to lose 319 acres of farmland each and every day in Ontario,” says Schreiner who was first elected MPP for Guelph in 2018. He also took issue with the controversial and secretive industrial development of 770 acres of farmland in Wilmot Township near Kitchener, Ont. He’s proposing alternatives to paving prime farmland, such as building homes in existing communities and making land available for commercial and industrial development in non-farmland areas.
RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin caught up with Schreiner to discuss the party’s agriculture policies after he finished his remarks at the OFA meeting.
When it comes time to hit the campaign trail, the Greens will also be looking for a stronger commitment to risk management programs. “Think of how large the provincial budget is, surely the government can come up with $100 million to enhance the business risk management program,” says Schreiner. “They just voted yesterday to spend almost $50 million ripping up bike lanes in Toronto.”
Schreiner, a farm kid from western Kansas, who grew up on a grain and cattle farm before moving to Guelph in the mid-1990s, is also concerned about the state of agriculture research and the role played by the University of Guelph, which is firmly rooted in his riding.
“I’m sick and tired of Ontario being last in per capita funding for healthcare and for post secondary education,” says Schreiner. He notes that the University of Guelph plays a critical role in training people for the business of farming and food production, and doing the research required to make the sector successful and profitable. Listen to the full report below.
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