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For immediate release
May 14, 2014
Orangeville — Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, has challenged the leaders of Ontario’s other parties to sign the Food and Water First Pledge.
“We can’t eat subdivisions, quarries, highways, or pipelines,” says Schreiner. “Aggregates just aren’t very nutritious.”
Schreiner, who grew up on a farm, was an early champion of the local food movement. He was the first political leader in Ontario to speak out against the Melancthon Mega Quarry.
“It breaks my heart to see the Ontario government fail to protect prime farmland. 350 acres of farmland a day bulldozed or paved over. It’s an unforgivable loss of such a vital resource.”
Losing farmland not only threatens our ability to feed ourselves, it also jeopardizes our economy. The food and farming sector employs over 700,000 people, contributes over $30 billion to Ontario’s economy and is essential to our quality of life.
“My top priority is to put food and water first,” says Karen Wallace, GPO candidate in Dufferin-Caledon. “I’m running to protect prime farmland and source water regions.”
While Queen’s Park sits on its hands, citizens have taken action to protect food and water. Schreiner is the first and only provincial party leader to sign the Food and Water First pledge to permanently protect Ontario’s class 1 farmland and source water regions.
“After all the hard work of citizens like Karen to stop the Mega Quarry, it is unacceptable that there is no legislation to prevent the another mega quarry from threatening our farmland and water,” says Schreiner.
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Media contact: Candice Lepage
519.362.9472
candicelepage@gpo.ca