KELOWNA, B.C. – Canada’s rural communities need a significant injection of federal capital and political support to ensure they survive in the 21st century, says a municipal leader.
Basil Stewart, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), told farm leaders from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture that federal politicians have overlooked the needs of Canada’s rural communities for decades.
As a result, he added, rural Canada has reached a critical point in its history and many regions are fighting for their survival.
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“Rural Canada’s plight should matter to all Canadians because unless we want everyone in Canada to be crowded into a few massive cities, we need to help rural communities survive,” Stewart said.
“The recession has threatened to push some communities over the edge.”
Stewart, a former Prince Edward Island dairy farmer, told farm leaders that the FCM is committed to working with rural groups and will lobby Ottawa for a long-term plan aimed at rejuvenating rural communities.
Stewart, who was elected FCM president earlier this year, said he will spend his one-year term as leader lobbying for rural improvements and promoting rural issues on Parliament Hill.
“I’m here to kick off what I hope will become a push by FCM, the CFA and other organizations to put rural issues on the front burner in Ottawa,” said Stewart, who is also mayor of Summerside, P.E.I.
“It’s no secret that we may be looking at a federal election this fall and before we get there, we need to hear from all parties in the House of Commons on where they stand on rural issues. This is our chance to let them know that rural issues matter …. We need hard commitments, including a plan for rural Canada and the money to make it work.”
Earlier this year, the FCM released a lengthy report calling for immediate action on rural issues and greater federal leadership.
The report recommended:
– The presence of a rural champion in the federal cabinet to promote rural interests.
– A long-term federal plan aimed at addressing long-standing rural issues.
– The formation of policies that recognize the diverse interests of Canada’s rural communities.
Steward said a co-ordinated lobby effort spearheaded by the FCM and the CFA would help achieve those goals.
“This is a wake-up call for everyone, but especially for the federal government,” he said.
“Contact your MPs and tell them that rural communities are struggling. Tell them that rural regions produce more than half of Canada’s exports but are missing out on the prosperity they helped to create. Tell them that household incomes in rural Canada are lower than average, lifespans are shorter and poverty is more common than it is in the rest of the country.”
Stewart said the federal government has taken steps to address rural needs and resolve inequities.
For example, the federal government’s economic stimulus package included $1 billion to help rural communities diversify their economies and mitigate the impacts of the recession.
Ottawa has also dedicated $1.5 billion over the next two years to rebuild the country’s rural infrastructure. It will spend as much as $225 million over the next three years to bring broadband internet services to all Canadian communities.
Those steps suggest Ottawa is listening, Stewart said, but more action is needed to reverse decades of neglect.
“These and other measures will not reverse the long-term trends,” he said.
“We need a vision for rural Canada and a plan to make it real, including long-term federal funding to make it happen.”
Stewart’s message was well received by CFA delegates who met recently in Kelowna.
Farm leaders agreed that a co-ordinated lobby would be more likely to generate results, although some questioned whether diverse interests could speak with a unified voice on certain issues.
They said issues such as urban annexation and the use of agricultural land for commercial and residential development illustrate the need for greater consultation between farmers and municipal authorities.
Joe Sardinia, a fruit producer from Summerland, B.C., said farmers in his province have limited access to productive agricultural land and are facing more pressure each year from commercial and residential developers.
“There is tremendous pressure on our agricultural lands,” he said.
“Every day, farmers face new challenges … in light of the people who choose to live adjacent to (us). We operate under the constant threat of complaints and challenges to our farming activities.
“We didn’t ask to have developers move in next door to us and build condos or houses and we didn’t ask the individuals who moved in to be a constant source of complaints. We need some semblance of planning, at the municipal level, to assure us that there are safeguards in place that will allow agriculture to continue.”
Adequate consultation
Other delegates said municipal bylaws that affect farmers, such as nutrient management bylaws, nuisance bylaws, development bylaws, setback distances and restrictions on the use of pesticides, are often approved without adequate consultation.
Stewart said rural municipalities often operate with limited financial resources so opportunities to generate more tax revenue through residential and commercial development are hard to ignore.
Municipalities receive about eight cents of every tax dollar collected, he said. The rest goes to the provincial and federal governments.
