For Immediate Release
June 1, 2005

Barrett pitches pipeline, jump teams, Ag. Innovation Centre to Legislature
“… it is time for this government to stop ignoring the consequences of its own actions and do the right thing”

Queens Park – A Lake Erie pipeline, rural jump team, and agricultural innovation centre could rebuild a “tobacco country without tobacco” stated MPP Toby Barrett in a late night debate on Bill 164 – the Smoke Free Ontario Act.

After citing farms and area businesses as, “casualties of the war on tobacco”, Barrett called for a “rural jump team” and asked government to, “stop ignoring the consequences of its own actions and do the right thing.”

“I am calling for what our government described a number of years ago as a rural jump team to set up shop in tobacco country, storefront, if you will - the town of Delhi might be a good location,” said Barrett. “They could be there to help, to advise and to provide support not only for the farmers but for rural people and people in towns like Delhi, Langton and Tillsonburg.”

In a 2002 visit to Rainy River to inspect flood damage as Parliamentary Assistant to Agriculture, Barrett was impressed with the quick work and accessibility of an Ontario government ‘jump team’ located in a downtown storefront.

Barrett’s one-hour speech also pitched the proposal for an Agriculture Innovation Centre.

“I ask this government to consider a proposal—I understand it is sitting on the desk of our Minister of Agriculture—for an agriculture innovation centre to help farmers look to other commodities and other sectors for future alternatives: alternative crops to tobacco, alternative economic activity to tobacco,” Barrett stated. “I would hope we could see some action on an ag centre because there is very little agricultural future at the present time in tobacco country without tobacco.”

Barrett also proposed government analyze the feasibility of a Lake Erie pipeline through tobacco country.

“In my opinion, there is an opportunity to enhance irrigation-based agriculture on the Norfolk sand plain,” explained Barrett. “In trying to get away from some of the negative impacts of this legislation that will put farmers out of business, I do ask this government to consider an idea to pipe raw water from Lake Erie to be used not only for irrigation-based agriculture but also, once it’s properly treated, to serve municipal needs.”

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For more information please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: 519-428-0446, 905-765-8413 or 1-800-903-8629