darkangel8603
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Sowing seeds of discontent
Wed, December 14, 2005
Today's farm protests may cloud issues, anger public, critics warn.
By JOE MATYAS, FREE PRESS REPORTER
If you're Woodstock-bound this morning on Highway 401, better think again.
Traffic is expected to be snarled on Canada's busiest highway near Woodstock by a slow-moving farm protest including tractors and trucks.
But far from winning public sympathy, the move is more likely to tick off motorists, the head of the Ontario Trucking Association said yesterday.
And even Ontario's largest lobby group for farmers, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, is frowning on the move -- saying it distracts from the message it's trying to get across in the federal election about a farm income crisis.
Putting the safety and livelihood of 401 users at risk isn't the way to go, said David Bradley, president of the trucking association.
"It's not effective because it makes people angry," he said.
The protest convoy is expected to rally in Tillsonburg at 8:30 a.m. and head north on Highway 19.
At Highway 401, the convoy will head east, arriving about 9:30 a.m. at a Sweaburg Road truck stop, west of Woodstock, where the protest will end.
Traffic will be detoured around the demonstration.
The 401 is Canada's most important trade corridor, and anything that disrupts its flow of trucks has an economic impact, said Bradley.
He said much of the truck traffic is delivering parts "just in time" -- or straight to the factory assembly line.
Manufacturing production lines go down if parts don't arrive and Bradley said trucking firms often have to pay steep penalties for late delivery. A matter of minutes can cost $5,000 to $10,000, he noted.
But truckers aren't the only ones questioning the protest by the Ontario Landowners Association, a group trying to draw attention to government policies it says are harming the province's rural areas.
Paul Mistele, regional vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said the protest group is clouding the message the OFA wants to drive home in the election -- about falling farm incomes.
"Everything else is a moot point if there isn't any income" for farmers, he said.
Charges could be laid if the protest isn't peaceful and orderly, Oxford OPP Const. Dennis Harwood said.
"Our main concern is public safety," he said. "We will separate slow-moving farm tractors from other vehicles."
Officers will mark and staff traffic detour routes, he said.
Sgt. Dave Rektor of the OPP's Western Region said: "What they're planning is illegal, but we can't lay any charges until they do something."
Besides criminal or traffic charges, protesters could risk lawsuits if the demonstration goes awry, said Rektor.
Mistele said Canadian farmers would be in better position if they received 85 per cent of the government subsidies allowed under trade agreements, as in Europe and the U.S., instead of the 25 per cent they get.
"We're not condemning them (the OLA)," said Mistele. "They're expressing the frustrations that we know is on the farm. But their message is different than ours. It's more about constitutional property rights and too much government regulation than the farm income crisis."
WHY IT'S ALLOWED
Question: You can be fined for driving too slow on Highway 401, so how can a huge convoy of slow-moving protesters get away with obstructing the country's busiest highway?
Answer: Authorities say it's easier to try to control such a large protest than to individually go after those involved and police road safety at the same time.
401 DETOURS
Representatives of the Ontario Landowners plan to block the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 with farm tractors today. They will leave Tillsonburg at 8:30 am, travelling north on Highway 19 to the 401, eastbound on to the Sweaburg Road exit and to the TA Travel Centre for a rally, 401 traffic will be detoured at 9:15 am.
FARMERS' BEEFS INCLUDE:
- Proposals to trade away $600 million worth of Ontario dairy and poultry production during World Trade Organization talks.
- Devalued rural property and financial losses because of government regulations and restrictions on use of land.
- The threat of farmers' markets closing because of regulations assuming food sold in them isn't "safe".
- Urban property standards imposed on rural lands and farms.
- Nutrient management plans and high legal costs to defend against unfair enforcement.
- Zoning restrictions that prevent building and improvements.
- Government bureaucrats on land without cause, notice or warrant.
- Firearms regulations.
- Regulations putting tobacco farmers out of business.
- Mineral rights that strip away land rights and privacy.
- Municipal amalgamation that removes local representation. The group wants politicians to enshrine property rights in the Canadian constitution: "The freedom to own, use, and enjoy; and the opportunity to earn a living from our private property."
Wed, December 14, 2005
Today's farm protests may cloud issues, anger public, critics warn.
By JOE MATYAS, FREE PRESS REPORTER
If you're Woodstock-bound this morning on Highway 401, better think again.
Traffic is expected to be snarled on Canada's busiest highway near Woodstock by a slow-moving farm protest including tractors and trucks.
But far from winning public sympathy, the move is more likely to tick off motorists, the head of the Ontario Trucking Association said yesterday.
And even Ontario's largest lobby group for farmers, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, is frowning on the move -- saying it distracts from the message it's trying to get across in the federal election about a farm income crisis.
Putting the safety and livelihood of 401 users at risk isn't the way to go, said David Bradley, president of the trucking association.
"It's not effective because it makes people angry," he said.
The protest convoy is expected to rally in Tillsonburg at 8:30 a.m. and head north on Highway 19.
At Highway 401, the convoy will head east, arriving about 9:30 a.m. at a Sweaburg Road truck stop, west of Woodstock, where the protest will end.
Traffic will be detoured around the demonstration.
The 401 is Canada's most important trade corridor, and anything that disrupts its flow of trucks has an economic impact, said Bradley.
He said much of the truck traffic is delivering parts "just in time" -- or straight to the factory assembly line.
Manufacturing production lines go down if parts don't arrive and Bradley said trucking firms often have to pay steep penalties for late delivery. A matter of minutes can cost $5,000 to $10,000, he noted.
But truckers aren't the only ones questioning the protest by the Ontario Landowners Association, a group trying to draw attention to government policies it says are harming the province's rural areas.
Paul Mistele, regional vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said the protest group is clouding the message the OFA wants to drive home in the election -- about falling farm incomes.
"Everything else is a moot point if there isn't any income" for farmers, he said.
Charges could be laid if the protest isn't peaceful and orderly, Oxford OPP Const. Dennis Harwood said.
"Our main concern is public safety," he said. "We will separate slow-moving farm tractors from other vehicles."
Officers will mark and staff traffic detour routes, he said.
Sgt. Dave Rektor of the OPP's Western Region said: "What they're planning is illegal, but we can't lay any charges until they do something."
Besides criminal or traffic charges, protesters could risk lawsuits if the demonstration goes awry, said Rektor.
Mistele said Canadian farmers would be in better position if they received 85 per cent of the government subsidies allowed under trade agreements, as in Europe and the U.S., instead of the 25 per cent they get.
"We're not condemning them (the OLA)," said Mistele. "They're expressing the frustrations that we know is on the farm. But their message is different than ours. It's more about constitutional property rights and too much government regulation than the farm income crisis."
WHY IT'S ALLOWED
Question: You can be fined for driving too slow on Highway 401, so how can a huge convoy of slow-moving protesters get away with obstructing the country's busiest highway?
Answer: Authorities say it's easier to try to control such a large protest than to individually go after those involved and police road safety at the same time.
401 DETOURS
Representatives of the Ontario Landowners plan to block the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 with farm tractors today. They will leave Tillsonburg at 8:30 am, travelling north on Highway 19 to the 401, eastbound on to the Sweaburg Road exit and to the TA Travel Centre for a rally, 401 traffic will be detoured at 9:15 am.
FARMERS' BEEFS INCLUDE:
- Proposals to trade away $600 million worth of Ontario dairy and poultry production during World Trade Organization talks.
- Devalued rural property and financial losses because of government regulations and restrictions on use of land.
- The threat of farmers' markets closing because of regulations assuming food sold in them isn't "safe".
- Urban property standards imposed on rural lands and farms.
- Nutrient management plans and high legal costs to defend against unfair enforcement.
- Zoning restrictions that prevent building and improvements.
- Government bureaucrats on land without cause, notice or warrant.
- Firearms regulations.
- Regulations putting tobacco farmers out of business.
- Mineral rights that strip away land rights and privacy.
- Municipal amalgamation that removes local representation. The group wants politicians to enshrine property rights in the Canadian constitution: "The freedom to own, use, and enjoy; and the opportunity to earn a living from our private property."