| MPP Arnott Joins Cabinet Ministers' Forum With Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Filling in for Environment Minister Elizabeth Witmer due to last minute scheduling demands, Waterloo-Wellington MPP Ted Arnott joined the Ministers' Forum at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture annual convention on November 20, 2001.
Approximately 700 Ontario Federation of Agriculture delegates from across the province attended the forum.
Joining the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Brian Coburn, Mr. Arnott, who is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Environment, led a discussion on Nutrient Management legislation and how the government and farm families are working together to protect the environment and water resources.
Bill 81, the Nutrient Management Act, is the Government's legislation that is intended to set standards for the way farmers use materials containing nutrients such as manure. While the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs sponsors it, the Bill is an important part of the Ministry of the Environment's Operation Clean Water. As Mr. Arnott explained to Federation members:
“We have learned that we can no longer do it alone. The Ministry of the Environment can no longer be the sole protector of the environment, nor is that the most effective approach. This is why a system of shared responsibility makes the most sense. It encourages all manner of organizations to participate and take responsibility for the health of the environment.”
“If passed it will help ensure that Ontarians have access to clean, safe drinking water across the province through a strong protection and enforcement mechanism,” Mr. Arnott said of the Nutrient Management bill.
Mr. Arnott assured the delegates that the Government officials who will be responsible for inspection and enforcement would be very knowledgeable of the agricultural sector.
“Not only will they understand what is expected of them from an enforcement stand-point, they will also understand the typical challenges and issues that you face in the agricultural sector and on the family farm,” Mr. Arnott informed the delegates.
Currently the Government is conducting consultations on how the Nutrient Management Bill will work. The new law would cover a variety of areas such as minimum standards for quality and application of nutrient rich materials, mandatory nutrient management plans and strategies, and categories of operations related to farm size and practices.
Mr. Arnott told the delegates that eventually all farms will likely be governed by the new farm practice standards. However, the initial focus would be on the new construction or expansion of large livestock operations or those with more than 450 livestock units. New regulations would apply to existing larger animal operations within three years of the new law coming into effect while appropriate standards for all other farms would be established over five years.
“Our homes, farms and businesses are fixtures in our ecosystems, and they all have an impact on water quality. We need to consider the effects that air pollution, nutrient management, construction, landfill and a host of other issues have on our water supply,” Mr. Arnott added.
Before taking questions from the floor, Mr. Arnott illustrated the resolve that is needed to share responsibility for the environment by reciting the following poem by Patience Strong:
“Pulling together they break the rough soil;
Moving in unity – sharing the toil…
Rhythm of muscle, of harness and chain;
Pulling together and taking the strain.
Oh, the great work men could do on this earth!
Oh, the achievements of grandeur and worth –
We could accomplish if we, like the team –
Would each do our bit in perfecting the scheme
If all made an effort and nobody shirked –
Their jobs and their duties – and everyone worked
And did their own tasks with a glad willing heart
Pulling together instead of apart.”
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