Local agricultural officials visit city for Toronto 101 tour

Wellington County agricultural officials last week took a trip to Queen’s Park and other city locations as part of Perth-Wellington MPP John?Wilkinson’s Toronto 101 tour.

Wilkinson, along with his colleague Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion and MPP for  Scarborough-Guildwood, co-hosted the educational tour on?March 2.

Wilkinson, in 2004, began the Toronto 101 tour and an Agriculture 101 tour where MPPs and cabinet members enjoy a “taste and tour of the country,” to help educate each group by “building bridges be­tween rural and urban Onta­rio.”

Toronto 101, which brings members of local farming groups and organizations to the city for a day, began this year with a bus tour to Toronto and a coffee session with cabinet members and MPPs at Queens Park, followed by a visit to question period.

The group was joined by 10 MPPs, including  deputy-speaker Bruce Crozier, Min­ister of Transportation  Kath­leen Wynne, Minister of Agri­culture, Food and Rural Affairs Carol Mitchell, Minister of Environment John Gerretsen, and Minister of Natural Re­sources Linda Jeffrey.

The 26 agricultural members who attended from Well­ington County included: John Sealey, PAC Wellington South; Ron Weber,  of the Waterloo Wellington National Farmers Union; William Denhartog, of the Wellington Christian Farm­ers Association; and Karen Bertin and Rob Unsworth, of the Wellington County Cattle­men’s Association.

The agricultural visitors enjoyed:

- a guided tour by Best of her riding of Scarborough-Guildwood, with lunch at the at the Cedar Ridge Creative Centre;

- a presentation and tour of the Boys and Girls Club of Scarborough;

- a walking tour of the historical Guild Inn property, led by Donald Smith, local historian; and

- a tour of the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, led by Professor Franco Vaccarino, vice-president and principal, University of Toronto Scarborough, and An­drew Arifuzaman.