While the tribunal turned down the three major farm
organizations, it has approved the special arrangement for the Union des
Cultivateurs Franco-Ontariens.
The organization for French-language farmers receives
special funding under Section 17 of the Farm Business Registration Act.
The Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Tribunal
posted its decision on its website today, indicating that the Union has been
re-certified until November, 2014.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Christian Farmers
Federation of Ontario and the National Farmers Union – Ontario have all been
denied re-certification.
The tribunal wants all of them to provide a process by which
farmers will indicate explicitly that they want the annual $195 Farm Business
Registration fee to be directed to the organization they choose and to become a
member of that organization.
The provision to apply for a refund from the chosen
organization remains in effect.
The tribunal has also ruled that none of the three provided
an audited financial statement within 10 days of its annual general meeting and
ordered all three to provide more information about how they meet the
requirement to direct 25 per cent of the revenues derived under the Act to
locals.
The National Farmers Union was ordered to sever some of the
management ties its head-office staff in Saskatoon has exercised over the
Ontario branch.
Ann Slater, head of the Ontario branch, says the election
procedure was corrected during the last annual meeting this March. The national
organization has been counting on Ontario for the lion’s share of its revenues.
The tribunal made clear that the Ontario branch needs to have autonomy.
The Farm Business Registration Act makes no provision for
appeals from tribunal decisions.
The legislation setting up the tribunal does allow for
appeals of most of its decisions to the Minister of Agriculture and to
divisional court.
The three organizations plan to meet with OMAFRA officials
to sort out how to deal with the tribunal decisions.
Kirk Walsedt, a lawyer, is chairman of the commission. His term expires this month. The
others who listened during public hearings were Jane Sadler Richards and Mary
Field.
A different set of tribunal members was in charge of the
public hearings for the Union des Cultivateurs Franco-Ontariens – Marthanne Robson
and Denis Perrault.
