Issues of Concern to NFA Members:

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture, through the Environment Committee, has been offered a seat at Environment Canada’s Multistakeholder Group on Road Salt Management. Mary Lou Garr, OFA Regional Director for Niagara North West, has accepted this role. This working group is designed to provide strategic advice to Environment Canada on the effective management of road salts to maintain road safety, while protecting the environment. Many vested interests are around the table, the most vocal being the salt industry, who worry about losing market share in Canada if alternatives are used. Little attention is paid to the impacts of road salt on agricultural land.

Although some compensation has been paid in Ontario by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to landowners for damage to water wells from salt application, there are rare examples of compensation to farmers for economic damages to roadside crops.

Through our representation on this working group, it is our task to make agriculture’s views known. In order to do that, we need some examples that can be documented of salt damage to crops, trees or wells located on farm property. It would also be useful to know if any cases have been successfully litigated.

The Environment Committee is asking our counties to use their networks to help us gather this information, to assist us in making our case for agriculture. We need ammunition to show why alternatives to salt use should be considered in areas where the crop is very salt intolerant, or could be damaged by excessive application rates due to high traffic.

If you have any information to this end will you please contact Janet Licskai at (519) 426-7411 or bhn@ofa.on.ca or just go into our Townships Page and find Janet's picture. You can email her directly through her picture!

Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your assistance.

Norfolk's OFA Member Service Representative, Janet Licskai

 

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