Press Release |
Klees: We need a Charter of Property Rights for Ontario
June 12, 2009
Frank Klees, M.P.P. (Newmarket-Aurora) says that a PC Government under his leadership would enhance property rights and free Ontario’s farmers from the regulatory stranglehold that is destroying their livelihood.
“Hundreds of thousands of Ontarians have lost their jobs as a result of the current economic downturn, and yet the McGuinty Government, instead of supporting sustainable industries like farming, is forcing farmers out of business,” Klees explained. “At the very least, if government insists on putting people out of business, there should be fair compensation for their loss of livelihood.”
Klees met with peat farmers in Mount Albert, who told him that they were being put out of business by the McGuinty Government and expressed desperation that they have no where to turn. Many have been in the peat farming business for generations and are now being given notices that their days of operation are over.
“There are three pieces of legislation that are attacking the peat farming industry,” says John Morgan, Peat Farmers of Ontario Chairman. “Who will be paying for all this bureaucracy when we are all out of a job?”
Ontario peat farmers have been struggling to survive under the weight of misguided regulations, red tape and interference, which have become the hallmarks of the McGuinty Government.
“This is yet another example of the McGuinty Government’s disconnection from hardworking Ontarians. Regulations that ignore the devastating impact on the livelihood of hardworking Ontarians are typical of the McGuinty Government’s disrespect and disregard for farmers and the agricultural industry,” Klees said. “That’s why we need a Charter of Property Rights in this province that will ensure that farmers are, at the very least, fairly compensated when the government interferes with their ability to earn a livelihood from their land. This is essentially expropriation without fair compensation.”
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