For immediate release:
October 2, 2008

Ontario Conservatives score victory for farmers
MPP’s Hardeman, Barrett work to allow farmers to post highway signage

Queens Park – If the Ontario Government wants residents to “buy Ontario” produce, it should allow producers to tell them where to buy it.

That was the focus of a speech Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett made at Queens Park today to urge government members to untie the hands of Ontario farmers trying to promote their Ontario product, and support Bill 98,An Act to promote the sale of Ontario grown agricultural food products.

“I congratulate the member from Oxford for bringing it forward and, through my office, we have been fighting this issue for several years now, specifically on behalf of Charles Emre, who was mentioned earlier, an asparagus grower down in my riding.” Barrett also recognized Brenda Lammens, who was present in the Ontario Legislature, and is chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.

"Charles Emre has a number of farms and, for the past 23 years, he’s had a sign—on provincial Highway 24, just a couple of miles north of my constituency office—that says, ‘Fresh Asparagus for Sale’," continued Barrett. "It was a year ago last summer that Mr. Emre’s sign turned up missing. He stormed into our office. He was furious. Thanks to my staff, we did a search and we discovered it in the MTO yard in Brantford—it had been confiscated by workers—and made arrangements for it to be returned.."

Barrett went on to report that this year, after arranging to post the sign in a private field beyond the ministry's road allowance, Mr. Emre  received what amounts to a “cease and desist” letter from MTO.

"Mr. Emre is far from the only farmer to be dissuaded from promoting his produce grown locally. Others have run afoul of MTO authorities enforcing signage laws in this province,” Barrett added. “For that reason I fully support Bill 98 - obviously we’ve got to change the law and I welcome this proposed legislation.”

Following the legislative debate Mr. Hardeman's Private Members Bill received all party support and will now go to Justice Policy committee for further development.

For more information please contact MPP Barrett at 1-800-903-8629


LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
Thursday 2 October 2008
PRIVATE MEMBERS’
PUBLIC BUSINESS

Signage to Promote Ontario Grown Agricultural Food Products Act, 2008

Mr. Toby Barrett: I welcome Bill 98. I support the bill. I congratulate the member from Oxford for bringing it forward and, through my office, we have been fighting this issue for several years now, specifically on behalf of Charles Emre, who was mentioned earlier, an asparagus grower down in my riding. Also thank you to Brenda, another asparagus grower in our area for being here this afternoon on behalf of the OFVGA.

Charles Emre has a number of farms and, for the past 23 years, he’s had a sign—on provincial Highway 24, just a couple of miles north of my constituency office—that says, “Fresh Asparagus for Sale,” and it gives you a clue as to where to go to get it, because you can’t get it right on that provincial highway—locally grown produce. There is an urgent need to resolve, not only his issue, but the issue of many farmers across the province. Hence, we have legislation before us—the Signage to Promote Ontario Grown Agricultural Food Products Act, 2008—something that I would say everyone of us in this House agrees with.

It was a year ago last summer that Mr. Emre’s sign turned up missing. He stormed into our office. He was furious. Thanks to my staff, we did a search and we discovered it in the MTO yard in Brantford—it had been confiscated by workers—and made arrangements for it to be returned. I understand it was taken during nighttime.

This year, after arranging to post the sign again on a private field beyond the ministry’s road allowance, Mr. Emre received what amounts to a “cease and desist or else” letter from the MTO.

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: What kind of treatment is this?

Mr. Toby Barrett: Well, I’ll quote from this government letter: “This letter serves as notice to cease this activity and remove the device immediately.... Failure to do so may result in removal of the device ... and may result in chares being laid.”

Charles Emre reports that, as soon as that sign got ripped down by government, his sales dropped 50%, especially on those big spring weekends when you get your sales.

The news has not been taken well locally. People are behind Mr. Emre and others, some have suggested. I want to quote from a publication, UR Norfolk:

“Anyone wishing to advertise the selling of their home-grown produce in Norfolk should find or build a covered wagon, stack something that looks like a few transparent bags of illegal cigarettes on it, attach a Mohawk Warriors Society flag to this wagon and then attach a large sign on that wagon advertising their particular product for sale.

“That would guarantee that no one from the MTO or the OPP or the RCMP would interfere or dare touch any part of that sign.”

These are the times we are living in, certainly in our part of southern Ontario.

The mayor of Norfolk county—he got involved this summer—categorized the move by Ontario’s transportation ministry as being, as he characterized it, “abusive and threatening.”

Mr. Emre is far from the only farmer to be dissuaded from promoting his produce grown locally. Others have run afoul of MTO authorities enforcing signage laws in this province. Examples across rural areas are inconsistent enforcement and provincial sign laws leading to confusion, red tape, and lost revenues for Ontario farmers. For that reason I fully support Bill 98. We got nowhere dealing with staff summer after summer trying to resolve this issue. Obviously we’ve got to change the law and I welcome this proposed legislation.