Hardeman Blasts Wynne on Bureaucracy Wage Increase, Questions Premier About Ag Priorities

Nov 04, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Ontario PC’s agriculture critic, Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman rose in the legislature Monday, to question Premier Kathleen Wynne on the supposed four per cent increase to ministry salaries for 2013-14.

According to government documents, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Rural Affairs budget estimates show salaries and wage increase of $3.63 million, an increase of more than four per cent over 2012-2013.

Ontario’s Risk Management Program (RMP), an insurance program for farmers has been capped. Hardeman asked Premier Wynne, “How do you explain to those farmers that there was no more money to help them, but you were able to find enough money to increase salaries and benefits at OMAFRA by more than 4%?”

Wynne fired back saying, “I would suggest the Member opposite check public accounts as the Ministry actually shows a decrease in salaries and benefits. I’ve always been clear: there is no room for wage increase. The average annual wage increase for BPS is only 0.2% - this is a de facto wage freeze. MPPs are leading by example with a five year wage freeze.”

Hardeman challenged the premier to put forward what he calls a “real plan” for the Fall Economic Update which is scheduled for Nov. 7.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.