NDP-Change That Works For Rural Ontario

8/6/2019 NDP-Change That Works For Rural Ontario

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Change that Works for Rural OntarioONTARIO



ONTARIO NDP PLATFORM | 2

Backing the Family Farm



2 | ONTAR

We need small, medium and big processors- they are all important and they creategood jobs. We are at risk o losing much o our ood processing capacity and havealready lost a lot. You need only look at the loss o CanGro to see what the rippleects o the loss o processing can cause, including costs to the taxpayer.

Our “Buy Ontario” commitment will make it law that Ontario’s money is spent hin Ontario. It’s time to get behind local producers, with dollars not just words. It

doesn’t make sense to send taxpayers’ money out o the province when we have reaordable ood on our doorstep.

We will introduce legislaon requiring Ontario’s government tospend more of taxpayers’ money on local produce. Tis will be phasedover time with exibility built in to the system to control cost and avoid any suppissues.

Te Ontario Marketing Investment Fund needs to be expanded to invest in localsupply chains, including regional ood hubs to link armers directly with restauranand consumers.

We will extend funding for the Ontario Markeng Investment Fundfor a further three years.

We will assist businesses, farmers, processors, and local communitorganizaons, to develop materials and adversing that will inform

consumers of what products are available locally and how/wherethey can purchase them.

We will work with stakeholders to develop a provincial food andnutrion strategy.

Ramiro Mora



ONTARIO NDP | 3

Tere are still too many barriers stopping small wineries rom getting to theshelves o LCBO outlets. Many independent producers are orced to sell thebulk o their wine at the winery door.

We will examine a range of measures to give small wineriesmore access to more Ontarians including allowing wine to be

sold at designated farmers’ markets.We will work with the LCBO to guarantee more shelf space toindependently-produced Ontario wines.

We will also increase the Ontario grape content in “cellared inCanada” wines to support Ontario wineries.

We strongly support supply management to protect armers.

Farmers and their amilies need stability in tough times. Te expanded risk management program is essential to enable the agricultural sector to deal withuctuating market conditions.

We will fund the planned expansion of the risk managementprogram to include cale, sheep, pork and veal, andhorculture.

We support the inclusion of the honey industry in this programto reect the crical role played by bees in pollinaon andbiodiversity.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ndp-change-that-works-for-rural-ontario 5/16Greg Ben



ONTARIO NDP | 5

Cuing Red Tape



6 | ONTAR

It’s time to let armers be armers. Hard working amilies in agricultural communities must be reed up to do what they do best; produce nutritious, sae, high-quality ood or all Ontarians. Farmers should be able to ocus on priorities such asgrowing sae, healthy ood – instead o spending hours lling out paperwork.

Ontario armers are subject to too many inequitable rules that do not apply to outside competitors. For example, oreignapple imports can be grown with agro-chemicals while producers here are banned rom doing so. We need to make sure

our armers can compete on a level playing eld.We will undertake a review of regulatory barriers that put Ontario farmers at a compevedisadvantage.

We will cut costly red tape to allow amily armers to ocus on their priorities, not the demands o bureaucrats. We needregulations that make sense or all sizes o arms, instead o rules about whether there’s panelling in the ofce or twobathrooms in a small plant with ew employees.

Tere is a booming market or arm products processed on-arm as local people look or locally sourced ood. Farmersneed to be untied rom unnecessary rules that are getting in the way. You can’t have local ood without small abattoirs, egggrading stations and pasteurization units.

We will provide relief from municipal taxaon and zoning restricons to encourage on-farmprocessing.

We need to listen to the concerns o armers o every size and type, and all those with a stake in the uture o the industry,to ensure that the Ontario Ministry o Agriculture, Farming and Rural Aairs is ocused on their priorities.

We will embark on a comprehensive review of OMAFRA spending.

We will work in partnership with Ontario’s farmers to implement a plan, with achievable andmeasurable targets, that priorizes family farmers growing our food and making a reasonable livingfor all their hard work.





8 | ONTAR

Farmers are more than just landowners. Tey are thecustodians o Ontario’s rural landscape and our naturalenvironment. Farmers invest time and money or thecommon good to ensure Ontarians have access to saedrinking water, clean air and abundant wildlie. Wemust put a value on this unique contribution and takeresponsibility or our air share o this commitment.

We will spend $10 million over three years tohelp farmers accurately measure the value ofthis stewardship role.

We will expand the successful pilot project inNorfolk to include three new locaons at a co

of $4.5 million over three years.We will make it easier for farmers to protecttheir land, water and biodiversity.

We will expand incenve programs to payfarmers who set aside and protect land.

We will provide farmers and landowners

with hands-on assistance in idenfying andconserving crical habitat and we will ensurethat landowners are not penalized for doingthe right thing for the environment.

Andrew Louis



ONTARIO NDP PLATFORM | 10

Investing in the Future



10 | ONTAR

When schools and hospitals close it sends a message to youngpeople that there is no uture in rural towns and villages. We needto protect public schools, invest in more doctors who live and work in underserviced communities and ensure access to aordablechildcare.

Schools are an integral part o both the social and economic abrico rural communities. Not only are schools where our childrenspend a large portion o their days being educated; they are also ourchildren’s playgrounds, child care centres, adult learning centres,community centres, recreational acilities, and meeting halls.In recent years, high schools have been consolidated and relocatedto other communities. Removing older students rom rural areas ortheir education means that they are not in the communities to get

part-time employment. Long bus rides might prohibit them rombeing hired or ater-school employment, as they will be unable toget to work on time. While having an obvious impact on the laboursupply available to small businesses, it can also have a signicantimpact on the local economy, as the students are no longer aroundto spend their money at local restaurants and stores.

We will bring about more long term planning forschools by establishing a Rural School StabilizaonStrategy.

Andrew Louis

Ramiro M



ONTARIO NDP |11

Many communities across the province are acing a health care crisis. Ontario amilies across the province too oten lack access to both medical practitioners and acilities. Remedying these problems requires examining the entire community and services provided. A doctor’s decision to establish a practice in rural Ontario will oten depend on actors such as

employment opportunities or a spouse and schools and services or his/her children. Improving access to the health caresystem will bring obvious benets to the rural area.

We will forgive the debt of 200 graduang medical students who go to work in theunderserviced communies of rural Ontario.

Te average age o a armer is 53, 12 years older than non-arming sectors. More needs to be done to oer young peoplea uture in the industry. Tat includes providing those crucial rst steps on the career ladder to those who want to enterthe agriculture industry.

We will help young armers get a start.

We will create a new apprenceship program for young people to develop the skills they needfor a successful farming career.

Rural employers will be eligible for our training tax credit to help them invest in Ontarioagricultural workers.

Andrew



14 | ONTAR

Greg Ben



AndrewAndrew LoGreg Ben



14 | ONTAR

Support is needed or young armer organizations as they ulll an important role o identiying challenges and developingsolutions that work or young and beginning armers.

We will work with the Ontario Federaon of Agriculture, the Naonal Farmers’ Union and YoungFarmer organizaons to develop incenves and programs to support succession planning of a farmbetween generaons.

Rural communities rely heavily on their roads and bridges being well maintained. For example, arms are critically dependent on the road network or marketing their livestock and produce, as well as or the delivery o purchased inputs.Te highway system is one o the most vital elements o the industry, and contributes greatly to Ontario’s agriood sectorcompetitiveness. I access to markets or supplies in a cost eective manner is compromised, the whole sector will suer.In act, all small businesses in rural communities rely on transportation systems or the delivery o purchased inputs, anddistribution o their products to consumers.

We will ensure that Ontario’s roads and highways are in good repair.

We are commied to invesng $35 billion over the next 3 years to pay for much neededinfrastructure projects across the province.

In many rural communities in Ontario, Internet services are lacking. Te inability to access adequate, aordable technology throughout rural Ontario impedes rural communities. Small businesses rely on access to the Internet to make inormedbusiness decisions.

Te economic development o rural communities depends on the provision o aordable, current and competitive

technology options.

We will work to ensure all communies in Ontario have access to high speed internet services.



ONTARIO

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NDP-Change That Works For Rural Ontario