The following recommendations were made by the
Energy Probe Research Foundation in a presentation to Justice O'Connor,
as a part of the Walkerton Inquiry on September 6-7, 2001. The presentation was given by
Elizabeth Brubaker.
Regarding Agricultural Pollution:
1. The provincial government should strictly regulate potentially harmful
farming activities. It should remove exemptions or special treatment for
farming activities from the Environmental Protection Act and other provincial
legislation. Agricultural activities are a major source of harm to the
environment and human health. Agricultural pollution should be treated no
differently than any other form of pollution.
2. When regulating farming activities, the provincial government should not
confuse normal practices - or even so-called best practices - with acceptable
practices. Practices that damage the environment or human health should be
deemed unacceptable.
3. The provincial government should require mandatory compliance with laws
rather than voluntary conformance with guidelines. Voluntary conformance has
not worked to prevent environmental contamination.
4. The provincial government should grant no farmer the right to pollute. No
legislation should override the common-law rule that people should use their
own property so as not to harm another's.
5. The provincial government should rescind the Farming and Food Production
Protection Act. In farming, farmers should not have the right to harm their
neighbours' property. Farmers' rights to use their property should not trump
other rural residents' rights to be free of pollution.
6. The provincial government should require farmers to bear the costs of
preventing pollution from their operations. It should phase out existing
subsidies to farmers and should not introduce any new subsidy programs. As
subsidies are phased out, farms that are not both economically and ecologically
viable will cease operating, benefiting both the economy and the environment.
For more information about Environment Probe, please visit their website.
