Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Do you agree with Bill Murdock MPP: Toronto Mentality hurts rural Ontario?

The media in Toronto is all over Bill Murdoch.....Toronto vs rural Ontario....I don't hear them disagree that they put Toronto issues first and are not interested in rural issues....

 

Here is some info I clipped from another site....

 

Bill Murdoch says he doesn't have to try to explain the "Toronto mentality" anymore.

The Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP, who made headlines this week for suggesting Toronto become a province on its own, said in a news release Thursday that "the attitudes" of people such as Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno and Warren Kinsella, a "Toronto-based Liberal advisor and strategist to Premier Dalton McGuinty," explains it for him.



www.olg.ca/lotteries/games/howtoplay.do%253Fgame%253Dlottomax%26erq...">
Murdoch said at a Bruce County Federation of Agriculture roundtable discussion on the weekend that "the province is run totally by the mentality that is coming out of Toronto."

He blamed that mentality for problems keeping the coyote population in check and cited the way the province handles First Nations affairs -- specifically the largely hands-off policy on the sale of tax-free cigarettes -- and restrictions on developments along the Niagara Escarpment as other examples of urban domination of rural Ontario.

His news release Thursday included an entire DiManno column that appeared in Wednesday's Toronto Star and a couple of paragraphs from warrenkinsella.com.

"A lot of people ask me what do you mean by a Toronto mentality. I say it's hard to explain but that Rosie DiManno and that other guy, they explained it for me quite good. There it is, there's what they think of people in rural Ontario," Murdoch said in an interview.

"That's the problem, when they have attitudes like that . . . they overtake the government of the day in Queen's Park and that's why we don't get some of the things we think should be right in rural Ontario."

Murdoch denied being thin-skinned about some of the response to his weekend comments, which were reported across the province and became fodder for columnists and editorials and radio talk show hosts.

"I'm not even upset," he said. "I just said there it is . . . The Toronto mentality. They don't understand rural Ontario and they think they're God. Our stuff's crap, they call it. Our complaints are no good . . . The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture, they think it's some kind of gay-commie group. There's no tongue in cheek stuff with that. That's the attitude we're up against."

DiManno's column read, in part that "Bill Murdoch, who represents Bruce-Grey-Owen- Sound, which I think is somewhere due north, made his comments this week at a meeting of the Bruce Country Federation of Agriculture, which sounds vaguely gay-Commie to me."

Views: 408

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Donkers on March 23, 2010 at 3:57am
Bill Murdoch says it like it is. From what I have read and heard I honestly dont think he is out of line. Playing politics to try to get what you need done seems almost hopeless in this day and age. The people in power are simply out of touch with the grassroots and seem to insulate themselves from our reality. So much could be accomplished if the rule makers honestly cut the crap and did the right things. As producers we are experts in our field and know the challenges that face us. The last thing we want is another bandade cheque so we can survive for another 4 months with no clear improvements to the wrongs that still lay ahead. There are numerous highly qualified people within the grassroots that have answers to most of the problems that we face. Attitude is a huge problem within the government and arrogance. Fix those two issues and things will become better for everyone in Canada.
Permalink Reply by Joann on March 25, 2010 at 9:47am
I believe there is merit in Mr. Murdoch's statement and a well rounded unbiased discussion should take place in my opinion. After all Nunavut became a separate territory in 1999. Ruperts Land was a distinct territory at one time and boundaries do change over time. How long will it be before the American Union changes boundary lines again? I suspect very shortly.

As for Toronto as a separate province/territory... there are some strong arguments for such a creation.

Years ago, I had the same discussion with the former Mayor of York, Mr. Alan Tonks. Mr. Tonks is the current MP for York South-Weston. Mr. Tonks argued that Toronto is distinct from the rest of the province and quite self-sufficient. (he had a myriad of points).

The idea of Toronto becoming autonomous is not a new nor novel idea. Its been floated for years and Wild Bill has been around almost as long. If Mr. Warren Kinsella truly thinks Mr. Murdoch is a crazy hick, then he is being selective in his criticism.

Shame on Mr. Kinsella for such juvenile ridicule.
http://warrenkinsella.com/ I HAVE A BETTER IDEA

Point of matter.... we are a have-not province today. Are we better or worse off if Toronto secedes? Is it time to cut urban Toronto from Ontario's apron strings and let them stand on their own?

I rather like Mr. Murdocks remarks and think the time is appropriate to further investigate the options. It has become painfully obvious that rural issues are being completely ignored and our rights trampled on by Queens Park as they cater to the distinct area we call the GTA.
Permalink Reply by AgOntario on March 26, 2010 at 2:11am
No mention of agriculture in Ontario's 2010 budget. Toronto agenda? Jobs for the North but not farmers?

Read transcript
Permalink Reply by Joann on March 26, 2010 at 8:30am
Agriculture is buried in the budget with some very ominous statements... but you are right.... McGuinty did not feel we are important enough to mention in the budget speech.

Table 28 shows an actual expenditure for OMAFRA in 2007/08 as $731M, 2008/09 as $877M BUT projects 2010/11 for a whopping $1,288.1M. Considering Leona returned $82M a few months ago.... how on earth does the government expect to nearly double the expenses next fiscal period? What is the government passing through farmers budget accounts to make it appear as agricultural expenses???????? That includes the expected $346M revenue from slots going to agriculture.

Table 29 shows Time-Limited Investments in Infrastructure for OMAFRA in 2010/11 for $1.898 BILLION when there was NONE in 2007/08 or 08/09. Where is agriculture designated money going????

there of course is a temporary clause for farm related tax relief.

How can the government slide nearly $2 BILLION in OMAFRA account for time-limited investments???? Small wonder the public has no sympathy for farmers. Look how much we are getting!

I'm gonna run out and buy a bigger mailbox cause it sure looks like us farmers have hit pay dirt.!!!!



AgOntario said:
No mention of agriculture in Ontario's 2010 budget. Toronto agenda? Jobs for the North but not farmers?

Read transcript
Permalink Reply by Grant on March 26, 2010 at 9:58am
Joann
If you dig into the budget you will find that it seems like the government is assigning close to a third of a billion dollars from racetracks and charity casinos as OMAFRA income and taking spending out for fixing racetracks and the like as agricultural spending. It seems a bit like a game of three card monty and I am really hoping some enterprising reporters really dig into what is going on.

I think most people would not consider this agricultural spending or designated to farmers, especially not a broad cross-section of farmers. If I am reading the documents right, than it looks like someone is up to something and may even be trying to hide actual cuts through creative budgeting. Even if I am not reading the numbers right, it sure seems odd putting casino and racetrack spending into the OMAFRA budget process.
Permalink Reply by Joann on March 26, 2010 at 12:22pm
The remark about the mailbox was tongue-n-cheek on my part but I do agree with your thoughts.

I just don't understand what $2.7401 BILLION for 2009/10 and 2010/11 for Time-Limited Investments in Infrastructure penciled in the OMAFRA budget. It sends a clear message that farmers have a huge chunk of change coming our way.


then there is the line: "To further support Ontario farmers, temporary restrictions on certain input tax credits will not apply to farming businesses" What's that suppose to mean?

Grant said:
Joann
If you dig into the budget you will find that it seems like the government is assigning close to a third of a billion dollars from racetracks and charity casinos as OMAFRA income and taking spending out for fixing racetracks and the like as agricultural spending. It seems a bit like a game of three card monty and I am really hoping some enterprising reporters really dig into what is going on.

I think most people would not consider this agricultural spending or designated to farmers, especially not a broad cross-section of farmers. If I am reading the documents right, than it looks like someone is up to something and may even be trying to hide actual cuts through creative budgeting. Even if I am not reading the numbers right, it sure seems odd putting casino and racetrack spending into the OMAFRA budget process.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Bison may not have future on Great Plains

The Great Plains has functioned as an ideal habitat for the North American bison for thousands of years. But according to new research from South Dakota State University, the grasslands of South Dakota and North Dakota may no longer be the national mammal's model habitat by the end of the century. Earth's climate has changed throughout deep history, with periods of both warming and cooling. Currently, the North American climate is seeing an increase in temperatures and variability in precipitation. That change is causing some species to shift their range as living conditions become unsuitable. The research team's findings, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, suggest that the center of suitable climate conditions for the North American bison will shift from the Saskatchewan-Montana/North Dakota border significantly to the northwest, near the Alaska/Canada border, by the year 2100. While Canada and Alaska will become more suitable for bison, much of the contiguous United S

Producers suffer egg woes

Key takeaways • After almost 21 million birds were affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza from January to March 2026, detections have decreased, with less than 10,000 birds affected so far in May. The resulting increase in egg supply comes during a time of softened demand. • Retail prices for shell eggs are currently 62 percent less than in 2025, while prices paid to farmers for shell eggs have decreased 93 percent. Prices for breaker eggs, used for the liquid-egg market, have decreased to just 8 cents per dozen. That’s 96 percent less than in 2025 and well less than break-even levels. • Prolonged periods of less than break-even prices could force farms out of the market and contribute to continued consolidation in the egg industry. Egg markets have encountered massive volatility since outbreaks of HPAI began in 2022. Retail shell-egg prices hit a record level in 2025 but are now almost 60 percent less than a year ago as supplies have strengthened and HPAI cases declined. Th

The world’s game on a Canadian ag canvas

Bert Bos, owner of the 165-acre Bos Sod Farms in Abbotsford, grew the nearly two acres of hybrid turf the players will play on

Pulse Market Insight #298

Third Quarter Scorecard Positive for Pulses More acreage and very high yields meant much bigger Canadian pulse crops in 2025. Pea and lentil crops were each nearly 1.0 mln tonnes larger than 2024 and chickpea production was up by almost 200,000 tonnes. And for each crop, the carryover from 2024/25 into 2025/26 was also large, which added to the big supplies. With pulse crops facing extremely heavy supplies, a serious increase in export volumes was needed in 2025/26 to keep markets from being pressured (even) lower. And early in the marketing year, prospects weren’t great. In fact, the most positive developments only started to show up in the third quarter of the 2025/26 marketing year. While that doesn’t leave a lot of time to “fix” the heavy supply situation, the outlook is certainly brighter than it was a few months ago. Prospects were especially dim for peas earlier in 2025/26, with Chinese tariffs essentially shutting off that important outlet for Canadian peas. Indian demand wa

Progress Accelerates in Lagging States as U.S. Corn, Soy Planting Remains Ahead of Average

U.S. corn and soybean planting continued to progress ahead of the average pace this past week as fieldwork accelerated in some states where it had been lagging. Monday’s USDA crop progress report showed the nationwide corn crop at 76% planted as of Sunday, up 19 points from the previous week and 6 points ahead of the five-year average. An identical 76% of the corn crop had been planted at this time last year. American soybean planting was pegged at 67% complete as of Sunday, a weekly advance of 18 points. That is 14 points ahead of average and 4 points ahead of last year. In Michigan - where producers had been bogged down by wet, cold conditions - corn planting surged 30 points from a week earlier to reach 47% complete as of Sunday. However, that remains behind 60% last year and 52% on average. Soybean planting in Michigan jumped 25 points on the week to 37% complete, versus 50% last year and 46% on average. North Dakota producers also made rapid progress after earlier weather-

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service