PC Leader Promises Exit Strategy for Tobacco Farmers

Source from:  By Kate Schwass SUN MEDIA Friday September 14, 2007 09/17/2007

An exit strategy for tobacco farmers will be one of the first orders of business if Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory is elected premier next month. "It will be a principal concern of mine . . . to put together a proper exit package," Tory told a crowd that had gathered at local PC MPP Toby Barrett's campaign office last night. "The objective is to get something done." He said the Liberals have done little to help local tobacco farmers. "Even what they've done is of tiny, little effect," Tory said, adding all farmers have felt the pinch and the current government has done virtually nothing to help. "(Dalton McGuinty) threw a couple of small cheques at the farmers, hoping they would go away," Tory said. "They did nothing and in the meantime, people lost their farms, they lost their homes." While his announcement had people cheering, after his speech the Reformer asked Tory why tobacco farmers should believe him now after they've already heard so many promises from so many other politicians. "I have a track record. I hope people will recognize that," he said, adding he has made the commitment to tobacco farmers and it will be one of his top priorities if he gets elected. "I will consider myself duty bound." Tory's buses stopped in Simcoe Wednesday night around 6:30 p.m. for a campaign stop on just the third day of the election. He focused on what Barrett calls the "major three" issues affecting this area: tobacco, Caledonia native land dispute, and coal-fired plants. "There's a lot going on here close to home, and I'm sorry for that," Tory said, noting major issues in Norfolk and Haldimand are big issues across the province. Tory called the situation in Caledonia with native protesters a "tragic failure of leadership" and pointed out he has been to the area eight times while McGuinty has yet to visit. He offered few details about his plan for coal-fired plants, saying he plans to address that Thursday morning at a news conference near Nanticoke, but did blast McGuinty for halting any work to clean up emissions at the local plant. "When we get to government, we will begin immediately, beginning with Nanticoke, to look at what we can to do clean up the air with clean coal technology." The Reformer also asked Tory whether rural municipalities could expect any kind of funding from his government for infrastructure considering Norfolk was shut out of all rounds of the COMRIF funding. He said he doesn't like a "lottery style" funding system. He said smaller communities could expect to get some money if he gets elected because he would allocate more of the fuel and gas tax to go towards repairs on roads, bridges and transportation. "Next year there will be money coming into these towns," he said. Barrett said Tory's visit was a "gift" and he was pleased the PC leader decided to stop in Simcoe. "This gives us a tremendous kickoff for our campaign," Barrett said. Enditem