The province mandates all farmers pay the fee and direct it to an accredited farm organization.
Danner told the tribunal he has no objection to any of the three general farm organizations, but only seeks an exemption from paying the fee.
He said he has directed his fees to the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario and then to the Ontario branch of the National Farmers Union. The third option is the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
The tribunal struggled to get a handle on Danner’s objection to paying the fee. He cited a number of scriptures, in particular Psalm 34:14, but did not explain how he thinks they guide him to want an exemption from paying the fee.
When asked about his membership in a church, he said he left in 2012 and is “on my own now.”
When the chairman asked, he said he was not aware that after naming an organization to have his fee, he could apply to it for a refund.
The tribunal is likely to issue its decision in about a month.
The hearing was stilted for about half an hour at the beginning as the tribunal chairman went through a lengthy list of protocols and Danner patiently tried to understand.
In the end, the appeal came down to a simple one-sentence request for an exemption.
