The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has put together a pre-budget submission.
One of the key points is to shift spending by distributing economic development across Ontario.
Keith Currie is the president of the OFA.
"OFA has developed a campaign to secure a policy of distributed economic development through prudent public investment – Producing Prosperity in Ontario," said Currie in the OFA's weekly commentary. "And that’s the advice we’re presenting to government. Sound investments in rural Ontario will jump-start farming and overall rural Ontario growth. This will, in turn, stimulate the entire Ontario economy."
At the OFA's annual meeting last fall, delegates heard that investing in regions can create higher rates of returns for the province.
"Dr. David Freshwater recently addressed delegates at OFA’s 2017 annual general meeting, noting that investing in underperforming regions can provide a higher rate of return to society than simply abandoning these places," said Currie. "Rural Ontario is feeling abandoned, but it is the place with the most potential to deliver economic and social return to the province."
The OFA is strongly recommending the Ontario government work with municipalities across rural Ontario to develop and adopt a cost-effective infrastructure program including roads, bridges, drainage and broadband.
