Leamington council hopefuls tour greenhouse, look to 'mend relationship' between residents and growers
During the 2022 municipal election, different communities are focused on different issues.
In Leamington and Kingsville, one of the big ones is the rapidly growing greenhouse sector.
From lighting bylaws to water supply, greenhouse odour, zoning, housing, temporary foreign workers and red tape, municipally elected officials play a key role in regulating the local greenhouse sector.
“I would say it's an election discussion,” said Aaron Coristine, the manager of science, government relations and innovation at the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG). “I would say that certainly there are numerous areas of opportunity.”
On Thursday, Leamington’s Under Sun Acres opened its doors to council and mayoral hopefuls in Leamington.
“Going into the election, let's put our best foot forward, let's connect,” said Coristine. “We're here. We're willing partners. We're at the table, we always will be and we want the same thing. And that’s success for the community.”
Every candidate on the ballot was invited, with about a dozen taking the opportunity to tour the facility, ask questions and get answers about how greenhouses operate and learn more about the challenges they face.
“I think there's a lot of misunderstandings within the community at large about what's happening in this sector and how it operates,” said Derek Friesen, a Leamington council candidate who went on the tour. “I would like to help bring all parties to the table and just have a better dialogue on both sides.”
The greenhouse vegetable industry contributed $1.9 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2021, employing more than 10,000 people and providing more than 27,000 spin-off jobs in the community, according to the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.
Dave Metcalfe, also a Leamington council candidate, said he’d like to see council find common sense solutions to clear away red tape.
“The economic impact this industry has on this community,” Metcalfe said. “That's really important.”
It’s also a highly regulated industry, the results of which often turning into community flashpoints.
The most recent example is the “Dark Skies Provision,” where night-time grow lighting bylaws were put in place by the town in an effort to reduce evening light pollution while also allowing growers to maximize output.
But some residents still aren’t satisfied and some growers remain equally frustrated with growing amounts of red tape.
Jimmy Simoni is a retired farmer who is running for mayor against incumbent Hilda MacDonald and challenger Cris Biron. Simoni also went on Thursday’s tour and says he’s sympathetic to growers’ concerns.
“There's a severe disconnect between residents and community of Leamington and the greenhouse farmers and I want to mend that connection back again,” Simoni said.
Councillors touring this facility got a behind the scenes peek at new innovations and technologies that allow local operators to compete on the world stage and contribute to the municipality’s energy generation.
“It's that connecting is the collaborating and communicating with the administration of the town with the council and the mayor of the town, again to address concerns before they become a problem,” Coristine said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.