Glenn Black,
a small flock owner on Manitoulin Island, is demanding the right to vote at Ontario
chicken board district meetings.
Not only does
the chicken board not allow those who do not hold quota to vote at district
meetings, it also will not allow reporters and other members of the public to
attend the meetings.
Black has
written to the board as follows:
“I own land
on which I raise chickens in the Province of Ontario as a small flock poultry
farmers.
“Section 5(3)
of FPMA (the Farm Products Marketing Act) states that membership in a local
board will be defined in the
Plan.
“Regulation
403/1990 (Chicken Plan) was enacted under FPMA. Section 3 of the
Chickens Plan
states:
“For the
purpose of electing producer‐representatives to the District Chicken
Producers’
Committee and eligibility for membership in a District Chicken
Producers’
Committee or the local board, a producer is the owner of a property on
which
chickens are produced...”
“As I own
land on which I raise chickens in Ontario, I meet the definition of
"producer" as defined under Ont. Reg 403/1990.
”
Black goes on
to request information grants the chicken board makes to its district committees. I think it's less than $4,000 a year - a huge support for grassroots democracy, eh?
Black also writes that “I also
request CFO's written certification that CFO is in full compliance with all of
the requirements under Section 2 and all sub-sections thereof of ON Reg.
421/1990.
“If not in
full compliance, I request full disclosure of all the information that should
have been included in CFO's 2013 financial statements, and a written explanation
why CFO was non-compliant with these mandatory requirements.”
Black lobbies
vigorously on behalf of small flock owners who want the chicken board to grant
them the right to produce up to 2,000 birds per year instead of the current
limit of 300.
Black has
filed an application with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Appeal
Tribunal.
