Food and Water First
Food Water FirstARA Review Update
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- Published on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 17:48
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"Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success."
We hope this is true. Frustration has certainly been our experience in dealing with the Standing Committee on General Government and its review of the Aggregate Resources Act. For our new followers, some background: The provincial government ordered a review of the outdated ARA in the fall of 2011. The fight to stop the Highland mega quarry highlighted the many flaws in the legislation and we believed the ARA should be revised. Agricultural groups, municipalities and environmental organizations welcomed the opportunity to propose changes to the ARA.
The task was handed to the Standing Committee a year ago. The all-party panel held public hearings in four communities, starting in Toronto and Orangeville. Carl Cosack, Dave Vander Zaag, Christina Wigle, Donna Baylis, Ron Lehman as well as the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Ontario Farmland Trust gave excellent presentations about the need to protect prime farmland and source water regions. The hearing rooms were packed. The media covered the proceedings. Taxpayers picked up the tab for the travelling hearings.
However, we've learned the Committee is holding hearings into traffic congestion this week, followed by hearings into auto insurance next week. The review of the ARA is in limbo, just as it was during prorogation. The ARA review has been referred to a sub-committee which, so far, has provided no direction on whether the job will be completed and a final report issued. There is the possibility the review will be dropped, along with all of the hard work agricultural stakeholders contributed to the proceedings. Once the auto insurance hearings are over next week, the Committee will be pondering its next move. Let's help the MPPs with that decision.
If you haven't e-mailed the Committee members yet, please do. If you e-mailed them last week, e-mail them again and demand that they finish the ARA review.
Contact info:
Meanwhile, Donna Baylis has written an op-ed about her thoughts on the ARA review. Congrats, Donna B! She was published in a Cornwall newspaper.
http://cornwallfreenews.com/2013/04/lte-donna-baylis-call-to-queens-park-continue-with-the-aggregate-resources-act-review/