| Nov 29, 2007


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Feature Article - November 29, 2007

Hillier Compains About Water Source Appointeesby Jeff Green

In a media release MPP Randy Hiller said he is “shocked” that the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) has snubbed two “democratically elected candidates” to the Mississippi Source Water Protection Committee.

“The actions of the RVCA completely disregard the province’s and this country’s democratic process,” Hillier charged.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Ontario Farm Environment Coalition (OFEC) held their own election last August and chose two people, Merle Bowes and Terry Hale, both members of the Ontario Landowners Association.

Injunction _served

However, according to Mark Burnham, the Chair of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, the election of members by an outside group, such as the OFA, is not, and has never been part of the selection process for the Source Water Protection Committee.

“Groups were invited to nominate people, and people were also invited to come forward themselves. We then went through a process to select the members of the committee. This was clear from the start,” Burnham told the News.

The selection process and the selection criteria are posted on the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region website. Under the heading “How to apply to be a member”, applicants are asked to send in a resume, a covering letter, and to fill out a downloadable application form.

Two spots on the 15-member board were reserved for the agricultural sector, and only one of the two men chosen in the OFA’s election sent in the application form, according to Mark Burnham.

“Of five applicants for the two agriculture positions, three people were interviewed, including Terry Hale. In the end, the other two were chosen,” said Burnham

The agricultural representatives on the Source Water Protection Committee are Peter McLaren and Richard Fraser.

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