Posted by Sheryl Kirby in farm to table, politics on August 19, 2008 at 7:56 pm

The Ministry of Transportation is currently considering the addition of alternative routes and bypasses along the Highway 7 and 8 corridor which runs from Stratford to Hamburg in southwest Ontario. These changes may require the displacement of several residential buildings and would impact agricultural properties. One of these properties is Church Hill Farm, a family-owned farm since 1843 that produces humanely raised, pasture fed, free-range meats and where the owners Max and Vicki Lass work diligently to assure their farm remains sustainable.

The Lasses risk losing part or all of their farm if these changes are passed and the highway 7 and 8 corridor is widened.

A petition has been set up where concerned citizens can add their signatures and share their comments. Please sign it if you care about keeping Ontario's farmland intact.

Also - While online petitions are a useful tool, direct contact with the minister in charge usually carries much more weight when it comes to influencing a decision. Please consider contacting Jim Bradley, the Minister of Transportation directly, and voicing your opinion to him via email, snail mail or telephone. The provincial Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington is John Wilkinson - drop him a line, as well as your own MPP, while you're at it.

Photo from the Church Hill Farm website.