NDACT launches pre-election campaign

April 1, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Marni Walsh

With the 2018 Provincial election just over a year away, the North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT) and legacy movement “Food & Water First” is launching a campaign to make sure all politicians seeking election “make the preservation of Ontario’s valuable farmland and source waters a #1 election priority.”

The Food & Water movement is focused on food security going forward, stressing that “for the health and enjoyment of our children and their children, this is an issue that cannot wait any longer.”

NDACT’s new Chair Alia Jalbert says the not-for-profit organization is asking voters to give attention to issues of urban sprawl – which is “showing no sign of slowing down.” “Quarry and industrial expansion continue apace to meet those demands,” says Jalbert. “The next provincial government needs to address this issue in an assertive fashion.”

The Chair suggests several ways individuals can make their voices heard now and throughout the coming year:

Join Food & Water First or another local organization that advocates for a stop to urban sprawl at the cost of farmland
The Food & Water First campaign is looking for energetic people to help craft our campaign to get the word out to Ontarians about the risks of continued unchecked development at the cost of farmland and/our source water regions
Ask your members of Provincial Parliament what they plan to do about this issue. When the time comes, and all parties are vying for your votes, ask them what their government will do about this issue, if they get into power.
Participate in events that support these causes: they are fun, and politicians take note of numbers and interest.

“The bottom line is, something has to change,” says Jalbert. “It will not happen without significant leadership, so our elected representatives must make the right decisions for Ontarians now and, most importantly, for the future generations of Ontarians.

“Ontario is a very large province, but not all of it will produce drinking water, delicious fruit and vegetables, or provide habitat for the bio-diversity our forebears enjoyed. Without protection, our children, and their children, will know nothing but suburb after suburb as they drive along Ontario’s highways and byways.”

NDACT is looking for experienced writers or communicators on the team. Planning meetings will be held once a month, in North Dufferin, and can be attended via telephone.

For more details, or if interested enclose a brief resume, email NDACT Vice Chair, Brian Bell at bw.bell@sympatico.ca.