In the Legislature today, Erie-Lincoln MPP Tim Hudak called on Dalton McGuinty to stand behind his Greenbelt legislation and support farmers who grow grapes for grape juice production and beekeepers in Niagara who have seen devastating losses of their bees. Below is the statement Hudak delivered:

Mr. Tim Hudak (Erie-Lincoln): "I'm pleased to rise to bring the attention of the government members and ministers particularly to great challenges currently facing farmers in the greenbelt area.

We all know that anybody can draw a green line on a map and colour it in. Real leadership requires making the tough but necessary decisions to invest in projects to ensure that initiatives in the greenbelt are successful.

Today we find ourselves with grape growers who grow juice grapes facing tremendous challenges with the closure of the Cadbury plant, meaning that at the end of this year those crops will not find a market. These are hundreds and, spreading out into the community, thousands of individuals broadly impacted by this decision. If the government is truly going to put taxpayers' money where its mouths are, they will invest and help our grape growers move on to other markets, particularly through a grape replant program, which I'll note did not receive a dime in this budget despite $50 million going to Magna Corp., which is about to purchase Chrysler, I guess.

Secondly, Ontario beekeepers, particularly those in the Niagara Peninsula, are experiencing significant challenges. You may have seen the Toronto Star story today indicating 90% bee losses in many of the hives. This is important not only to the beekeepers themselves and their families but it has a tremendous impact on the tender fruit industry and the horticultural industry in general, not only in Erie-Lincoln but in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Niagara Centre and across the greenbelt area. If the government stands behind its legislation, it needs to invest in these two projects."

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Tim Hudak, MPP