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Grown in Ontario campaign? G REGG C HAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca meat, fruit and vegetables that come from On- tario farms over imported produce and meats at their local stores.
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throughout the province and also with federal government officials. The legislation is a joint ef- fort by McMeekin’s ministry and also the health ministry. “The Ontario Food Act is something that we’ve been talking about for a while,” he said. “It’s our hope that we can articulate a vision for agricul- ture and the importance of food to those we represent in Ontario. It would have a lot to do with nutrition, health, economic viability, how we work together to grow the sector, and how, essentially we get more Ontario produce on On- tario tables, and continue to spread our brand around the world. So it has an economic devel- opment component, it has an education compo- nent, it has a support component.” During his Bourget stop, McMeekin heard comments from several farmers expressing concerns about the impact that animal rights groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Society for the Prevent of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have now on farm- ing practices and their potential impact on the market for farm produce, especially meat, milk, and cheese.
“They said that Ontario produce is the most nutritious, the best-tasting, and the safest in the world,” he said. “Ninety-two per cent of Ontario says that. That is the biggest advantage we have when we look at exporting.” McMeekin agreed with suggestions from the farming community that more work is needed to educate the general public, both in Ontario and outside of the province, on the importance of agriculture. “The farmers have been saying to me and my staff team here that we need to continue to tell our story,” he said during a Vision interview, “be- cause it’s a good story, that the Ontario Foodland brand is a good brand, that it’s a strong spring- board for us to do more on the education front, and to have more people understand that we produce the best-tasting, most nutritious, safest food in the world.” He described the proposed Ontario Food Act as a key factor in that effort, and is one of the main discussion items on his tour agenda
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BOURGET | If T e d McM ee kin had his way t h e w o rds “Gr o wn in On t ari o ” w o uld be o n b ill- bo ards in e v e ry far m ing c omm uni t y in t h e pr o vinc e and in a t l e as t o n e par t o f e v e ry gr o - c e ry s to r e. H e lping l oo k af te r t h e in te r e s t s o f t h e pr o vinc e ’s far m ing s e c to r as t h e agricul- t ur e m inis te r s t ar t s wi t h pr omot ing wha t far m - e rs, ranch e rs, and ot h e rs pr o duc e in t h e ir fi e lds and b arns . McMeekin spent Thursday in Prescott-Russell meeting with local farmers and representatives of regional agriculture groups in Bourget in the morning and then visiting the St-Albert Cheese Factory in the afternoon. During his talks he mentioned a recent survey of householders in Ontario stated that 92 per cent preferred to buy
Paul-Émile Lévesque Community Centre 756 Brébeuf
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Firehall expansion fast-track
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EMBRU N | A b i t o f urg e ncy is be hind Russ e ll T o wnship c o uncil’s d e cisi o n to all o w t h e plan- ning d e par tme n t to t ak e a sh o r t cu t in g ett ing e xpansi o n w o rk s t ar te d o n t h e E mb run fir e hall be f o r e t h e e nd o f su mme r . Council agreed during its May 22 regular ses- sion to allow the planning department an ex- emption from the municipal purchasing policy and issue a direct invitation to a select list of con-
tractors to bid on the fire hall expansion project. The standard policy is for the township to adver- tise a contract through newspapers, the munici- pal website, and other sources. In a report to council Planning Director Domi- nique Tremblay noted that progress on the fire hall expansion is moving slower than expected because of the time needed to complete a de- tailed geotechnical study of the site.
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School proudly offers an Environmental Specialist High Skills Major Program (SHSM) SHSM students earn the following certifications: First Aid / CPR • WHMIS • GPS • Automatic Emergency Defibrillator • Map and Compass Plant Management • Species Identification
2011 & 2012 Regional Envirothon Winners
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