Elections
Do you support maintaining or expanding the protection of farmland and rural natural land from urban boundary expansions?
Responses to the question: "Do you support maintaining or expanding the protection of farmland and rural natural land from urban boundary expansions?"
In This Page:
15 Candidate Responses (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Barry Spruce | No | In General terms, the Freedom Party is all about Freedom of Property rights, landowners should not have restrictions imposed on their land and how it is used, zoning is in place to manage what the land is intended to be used for. Changes to Zoning and Environmental assessments certainly impact how land is used and developed. Farmland is very important to the Province, as we need to produce our food supply. Any future development would certainly need to be well vetted to make sure that existing Farmland is not eroded at the expense of risking our food supply and economic benefits that it produces for the province. |
| Raymond Dartsch | Yes | Yes, the Greenbelt is just a good start.
|
| Ted McMeekin | Yes | Yes! As a former Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, this is an issue that is near and dear to my heart.
Ontario's agri-food industry is a shining star of our economy, creating $34 billion in GDP and supporting more than 740,000 jobs from farm to fork. Our Premier understands the importance of agriculture and the need to preserve farmland. That's why she took on the role as Minister of Agriculture and Food (on my advice) because we wanted to raise the profile of the importance of this sector to our economy. We also introduced the Local Food Act which celebrates the good things that grow in Ontario and encourages consumers to think local when they shop at the grocery store or farmers market. People tell us the Greenbelt Legislation our government brought forward in 2005 in the single most important initiative - protecting in perpetuity 2 million acres of greenspace, wetlands, forest and farm land. We hope to expand this working with our municipal partners. The PCs have indicated they would like to open up the Greenbelt for residential and commercial development. This is horrifying. They want to privatize the Greenbelt. I am proud that our platform continues to protect farmland through our Farms Forever Program, to help landowners protect prime agricultural land close to major urban centres. This will help support the local sourcing of food, and strengthen our strong agri-food sector. We recognize young farmers need support and the Farms Forever Program and other policies, will ensure farming is a lifestyle for generations to come. |
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Bob Mann | Yes | |
| Donna Tiqui-Shebib | Yes | Absolutely. This is something we are very clear about in our platform. Hamiltonians are blessed to be surrounded by so much green space – from local farms, to the Bruce Trail. This is something I don’t take for granted. The Ontario Liberal government has introduced award-winning land-use planning legislation that encourages smart growth and protects green spaces for future generations.
If re-elected we plan to: * Protect more land by expanding the Greenbelt over the next six years; * Create a Farms Forever Program to help landowners protect agricultural land close to major urban centres; and * Explore opportunities to develop agriculture in the north, including making Crown land available to farmers who commit to bringing the land into agricultural production. |
| John Vail | Maybe | Thanks for the questions but in my opinion they are better directed to municipal candidates as the questions relate directly to municipal issues and not to provincial issues which are jobs, the provincial economy, the provincial deficit, provincial debt reduction, and lower provincial taxes |
| Peter Ormond | Yes | If we don't have food to eat, the politeness disappears. Riots result. Farmland that produces food should be our top priority. We have urban farming emerging as an exciting option that our grandparent's took for granted. Plus I'd like to see medians and green spaces planted with perennial food-producing plants and pollinators rather than manicured grass or flowerbeds that are replanted every two weeks and watered every day.
Right now, Hamilton's airport expansion is a case study on what not what to do. At the OMB hearing, concerned citizens proved that the data used by the City of Hamilton was outdated. However, the Ontario Municipal Board ruled that this data was irrelevant. Seriously! The brownfields on Hamilton's abandoned industrial sites are already serviced as well. Therefore, upwards of a billion dollars could be spent on airport lands expansion and servicing. Basically, we're paying to pave over prime farmland. This is silently ignored by the mainstream media. Meanwhile, citizens flock around the table to debate the allocation of riding-specific parliamentary budgeting tasks, with net budgets in the order of 0.1% of the resources allocated to the airport. On a positive note, the process does build community. The Greens will dismantle the OMB. We'll also start speaking out about some of the local issues that our local MP's and MPP's ignore over and over again. Hamilton's Airport is a classic example of greed of a few local 'heroes' trumping the needs of the community. We can continue as is, or start a new direction. If we want different results, then it's time to start voting for them. Vote for the new path that Green offers. |
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Paul Miller | Yes | The Ontario NDP is committed to preserving Ontario's farmland for future generations. The loss of Ontario's most productive agricultural land is one of the greatest threats to local food and farming in Ontario. However, this issue cannot be resolved by simply making more regulations at the provincial level. It needs to be solved through consultation with stakeholders across the province. We will work with all stakeholders involved to develop a farmland preservation plan. |
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Greg Lenko | Yes | I definitely support expanding the protection of farmland and rural natural land. Ontario is losing 365 acres of farmland a day, an area the size of Toronto every year. We can't afford to lose those farms. We can never replace them, and only 0.5% of Ontario's land is prime farmland in the first place. Protecting prime farmland from development doesn't cost Ontarians anything as taxpayers. The benefits, on the other hand, are priceless. Who wouldn't rather eat fresh picked produce rather than produce that was picked before it was ready then shipped thousands of km to a grocery store while it ripened on the way. |
| Hans Wienhold | No | I do not support any ideologically driven attempts by politicians and their rent seeking cronies to manipulate the allocation of land.
Instead I would support market based direct democracy where the people decide how to allocate rural and urban boundaries. This process would occur naturally via the combination of mutually agreed buying and selling decisions involving only those with a direct and compelling interest in the outcome. (I.E. Those spending their own money.) |
| Monique Taylor | Yes | The Ontario NDP is committed to preserving Ontario's farmland for future generations. The loss of Ontario's most productive agricultural land is one of the greatest threats to local food and farming in Ontario. However, this issue cannot be resolved by simply making more regulations at the provincial level. It needs to be solved through consultation with stakeholders across the province. We will work with all stakeholders involved to develop a farmland preservation plan.
|
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Basia Krzyzanowski | Yes | If we don't have food to eat, the politeness disappears. Riots result. Farmland that produces food should be our top priority. We have urban farming emerging as an exciting option that our grandparent's took for granted. Plus I'd like to see medians and green spaces planted with perennial food-producing plants and pollinators rather than manicured grass or flowerbeds that are replanted every two weeks and watered every day.
Right now, Hamilton's airport expansion is a case study on what not what to do. At the OMB hearing, concerned citizens proved that the data used by the City of Hamilton was outdated. However, the Ontario Municipal Board ruled that this data was irrelevant. Seriously! The brownfields on Hamilton's abandoned industrial sites are already serviced as well. Therefore, upwards of a billion dollars could be spent on airport lands expansion and servicing. Basically, we're paying to pave over prime farmland. This is silently ignored by the mainstream media. Meanwhile, citizens flock around the table to debate the allocation of riding-specific parliamentary budgeting tasks, with net budgets in the order of 0.1% of the resources allocated to the airport. On a positive note, the process does build community. The Greens will dismantle the OMB. We'll also start speaking out about some of the local issues that our local MP's and MPP's ignore over and over again. Hamilton's Airport is a classic example of greed of a few local 'heroes' trumping the needs of the community. We can continue as is, or start a new direction. If we want different results, then it's time to start voting for them. Vote for the new path that Green offers. |
| Geoff Peacock | Maybe | In this election, Freedom Party candidates are focused on
two things: restoring trust in government by balancing the budget without massive job cuts, and restoring affordable electricity by pulling the plug on already-existing, over-priced, Liberal green energy deals (without a penalty). Our position is that there should be no new spending unless and until the budget is balanced. You may consider this my reply to all of the questions in your questionnaire. |
| Stefanos Keratopis | No | My answer to all of these questions are no. However, that does not mean these things should not be done. I just do not think government should be doing them. I am opposed to all forms of government monopolies.
With the province having a $295 Billion debt is it really a smart thing to commit itself to large scale projects and more massive spending and more unsustainable tax increases? We need to reduce the size of government, sell off all government monopolies such as the LCBO/OLG and use that money to reduce the provincial debt, invest in restoring Ontarians freedoms and get government out of the way of business and REMOVE ALL red tape so they can create jobs. Please visit https://libertarian.on.ca/platform to see our current platform. Vote Libertarian Party, The Party Of Choice. |
| Tim Hudak | Maybe | Thank you very much for your letter. We appreciate the opportunity to listen to your priorities for Ontario. We share your commitment to Ontario's future and believe that with more and better jobs, we can do what's necessary to bring about the change Ontario needs.
I'm excited about our Million Jobs Plan-a plan to bring jobs back to Ontario, stop overspending, balance the budget and keep our debt from growing. Our plan relies on the notion that government should be smaller, but what it does, it does better. Our priorities for this election can be found at www.millionjobsplan.com We need to face our challenges honestly and compassionately. It won't be easy, but it can be done and it will be worth it. I know we can build a previously unimagined Ontario, but it's going to take some courage and a willingness to challenge the failed status quo. That's what our Ontario PC Million Jobs Plan delivers. We are asking government to tighten its belt, the way everyday Ontarians have, so that one million men and women out of work will have a shot at solid, good-paying jobs. We've got a job to do. It's time to get Ontario working better. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 9 | 60.0% |
| No | 3 | 20.0% |
| Maybe | 3 | 20.0% |
15 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alex Johnstone | ||
| Donna Skelly | ||
| Glenn Langton | ||
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Andrea Horwath | ||
| Peter Melanson | ||
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Britney Anne Johnston | ||
| David Brown | ||
| Greg Zink | ||
| Ivan Luksic | ||
| Mark Burnison | ||
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Albert Marshall | ||
| Brian Goodwin | ||
| Javid Mirza | ||
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Brian McCormack | ||
| David Mossey | ||
