L’union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens has received
stable-funding approval from the tribunal.
It sailed through a public hearing and re-accreditation, a
stark contrast with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Christian
Farmers Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Branch of the National Farmers
Union. All of them were initially denied re-accreditation and the OFA and CFFO
only regained their stable-funding status after the provincial government
changed the requirements and the NFU went to court to win its re-accreditation.
The association for French-speaking farmers in Ontario
receives its funding indirectly via the other three general farm organizations
who forward a portion of their fees under an agreement they negotiated and the
province has approved.
According to the decision of the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal, the association’s
membership has increased by eight per cent since the previous three-year
accreditation and now totals 657 regular members.
Twenty-one of them have registered under the new government
standards that came into effect July 1.
The re-accreditation is for another three years which will
end Nov. 8, 2017.
