Margaret Atwood: Protecting land & water

On a perfect summer afternoon, hundreds of people gathered at a farm in Midhurst, Ontario for a celebration and a cause. They gathered to raise awareness and funds to fight the development of nearly 2,000-acres of Class 1 farmland and threats to the nearby world-renowned Minesing wetland. The keynote speaker was author Margaret Atwood. Her appearance was made possible by a tweet from the Midhurst Ratepayers’ Association, asking her to support the citizens’ group. She responded by saying she’d attend a fundraiser in the community if they gathered 5,000 names on a petition. They did and Ms. Atwood kept her promise.

In her remarks Margaret Atwood urged Midhurst residents to be “a part of something bigger than yourself.” She also called on Premier Kathleen Wynne to protect the Minesing wetland. “So with this (the environment) as a priority for your government, why would you let the most important wetland in Ontario be destroyed?”

Food & Water First volunteer, Shirley Boxem, also addressed the gathering and was delighted to see Ms. Atwood sporting a Food & Water First button. Congratulations to our Partners in Midhurst on a terrific event. For further details, watch this report from CTV Barrie.

CTV Barrie: Margaret Atwood in Midhurst

 

Ontario Federation of Agriculture: Letter to Kathleen Wynne

In a strongly-worded letter, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is calling on the Premier to protect the province’s prime farmland (Classes 1-4) for food production. The OFA points out that we’re losing 350-acres of farmland a day to non-agricultural uses such as sprawl and aggregate. “If this loss rate continues, Ontario farmers will be unable to meet the growing demand for food in Canada and around the world. And, as a non-renewable resource, productive farmland will be lost forever.”

OFA: Farmland preservation key to Agri-food sector