By the end of this week, five Ontario ridings will have chosen five new MPPs to sit in the Ontario legislature.
These byelections offer voters an excellent opportunity to speak up and that's what we're asking you to do via e-mail by Thursday!
It may be the dog days of summer, but please take a few moments to contact the candidates and ask them to support the protection of prime farmland and source water regions. Food & Water First!
Below is a suggested letter to be sent to the various candidates.
E-mail addresses are provided and can be copied into a single e-mail to be sent to all the candidates OR you can select individual candidates to contact. To the keyboards!
Scarborough-Guildwood
Liberal - Mitzie Hunter mitzie@votehunter.ca
PC - Ken Kirupa ken@kenkirupa.ca
NDP - Adam Giambrone adamgiambrone@ontariondp.ca
Green - Nick Leeson nickleeson@gpo.ca
Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Liberal - Peter Milczyn peter@votepetermilczyn.ca
PC - Doug Holyday info@dougholyday.ca
NDP - PC Choo pcchoo@ontariondp.ca
Green - Angela Salewsky angelasalewsky@gpo.ca
Ottawa-South
Liberal - John Fraser info@votejohnfraser.ca
PC - Matt Young info@mattyoungpc.ca
NDP - Bronwyn Funiciello bronwynfuniciello@ontariondp.ca
Green - Taylor Howarth taylorhowarth@gpo.ca
London-West
Liberal - Ken Coran ken@votekencoran.ca
PC - Ali Chahbar info@alichahbar.ca
NDP - Peggy Sattler peggysattler@ontariondp.ca
Green - Gary Brown garybrown@gpo.ca
Windsor-Tecumseh
Liberal - Jeewen Gill jeewen@jeewengill.ca
PC - Robert deVerteuil http://windsortecumseh.ontariopc.com/Contact
NDP - Percy Hatfield percyhatfield@ontariondp.ca
Green - Adam Wright adamwright@gpo.ca
Suggested letter: Please feel free to add your own thoughts/anecdotes/expertise!
To the candidates in the provincial byelections,
On August 1st, you may be elected to the Ontario legislature and, if so, you will represent the hopes and concerns of your constituents. I'm writing to ask you to give your support to an issue that is of growing importance to Ontarians: protection of this province's prime farmland and source water regions.
As you're aware, a grassroots movement consisting of tens of thousands of citizens helped stop the proposed Highland mega quarry just 90 minutes northwest of Toronto. The mega quarry would have destroyed thousands of acres of Class 1 farmland and impacted a vital aquifer in north Dufferin County. Two weeks ago, the Highland Companies sold the land to Bonnefield Financial, a Canadian investment firm that purchases farmland and then leases it back to local farmers. This is a positive step in a five-year battle to protect rare farmland and water resources so close to Canada's largest city.
However, Ontario's prime farmland and water resources remain vulnerable to development, aggregate operations and other non-farming operations. As the climate changes and our population grows, the demand for food security will increase. Ontario is home to the best agricultural soil in the country as well as Canada's largest agri-food sector. We must not squander these strategic and perpetual resources. Other jurisdictions in Europe and the U.S. are taking steps to protect their prime farmland for food production. We should be leading the way in Canada. In fact, thousands of Ontarians who fought the mega quarry are now engaged in this effort. The fresh campaign is called Food & Water First.
As a new representative in the legislature, I ask you to encourage your party to demand the preservation of Ontario's prime farmland and source water regions. Our future depends on it.
Sincerely,
Food and Water First
Food Water First