By: Laura Steiner
The Campbellville Community Association hosted a by-election all candidates forum on Tuesday April 23. Five of nine candidates were given time to answer questions from a room full of 147 residents at the Gambrel Barn at Country Heritage Park. The event comes as Milton voters head to the polls in a May 2 by-election.
Andy Kuyvenhoven, owner of Kuyvenhoven Nurseries asked about how the candidates would help farmers cope with climate change. “Climate Change is affecting farmers. Farmers are ending up in disastrous situations. “How will you advocate for government support for farmers that are in dire situations because of climate change?”
The Ontario Liberals’ formal policy dates from May, 2022 under former leader Steven Del Duca. It focused on cutting the province’s carbon emissions, creating Green Jobs, as well as expanding the Greenbelt and making $1 transit. His successor Bonnie Crombie, has not yet announced anything beyond a six-expert policy panel.” “Climate change is an existential threat to our province’s economic prosperity, and to the health and safety of future generations,” Crombie said. It is expected the new Liberal policy will not have a carbon tax.
The word farmer appears in the Ontario New Democratic Party (Ontario NDP) 2022 platform nine times total. Their ideas for farmers include introducing mentors to young first time farmer as well as financial advice, and loan guarantees. They also promise to regulate the price of gas in order to bring down the cost of food.
The Ontario Green Party puts agriculture as part of the solution to climate change. They propose doing this by freezing urban boundaries, paying farmers for programs that produce, enhance, and maintain ecosystems and moving farms into the greenbelt. More on the Green party platform here
The word farmer is mentioned twice in the PC government’s climate change strategy document. The second time in admission there is a problem. “While agriculture has been able to adapt to recent changes in climate, increased innovation and tools will be needed to ensure the rate of adaptation in agriculture can keep pace with the changing climate over the next 25 years,”
Were You Satisfied With The Answers?
“No. They only talked about climate change mitigation. They did not deal with the core issue that I raised, which was helping farmers deal with the immediate effects of climate change. For example, too much rain or drought” Kuyvenhoven said.
If he was running for office, he’d look to start urgency recovery programs to financially help farmers “carry through when events happen on his farm that cause catastrophic situations that he is not at all responsible for, but is climate-change related,” he said.
Milton voters go to the polls May 2, 2024 for a by-election caused by the resignation of former Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Parm Gill. For more information on where, and how to vote visit Elections Ontario website.
