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Urban sprawl and the Greenbelt were just two issues on the minds of area residents who took the opportunity to question local provincial candi- dates at a meeting Thursday evening. No sparks flew between the five Wellington-Halton Hills can- didates at the event, which drew about 40 people, and was hosted by the Halt- on Feder- ation of Agriculture at Halton Place. Area resi- dent Ant- onio Rod- rigues was the first to take the microphone asking candidates what they plan to do about urban sprawl. Green Party candidate Martin Lavictoire stressed the Green Party is concerned with sustain- able growth. Were paving over some of our fine agricultural land, I defi- nitely want that to stop, he said. Your land should be worth just as much as green space, as farm land, as water recharge areas, as is new development, said Lavictoire. NDP candidate Noel Duignan said, we need to look at how we develop our land. He said currently the develop- ers control what happens to land. We need to stop that, we need to put regulations into place to make sure we stop u r b a n sprawl, said Duignan. Giuseppe Gori of the F a m i l y C o a l i t i o n Party said there are many prob- lems that come with growth, and stressed Milton is growing incredibly. The solution is not going to happen very soon, said Gori. What this is is long-term plan- ning and our solution would be to decentralize. Marg Bentley said she was offended by urban sprawl and the Liberals have taken action to combat it with the Greenbelt. It is to preserve the environ- ment... it is also to slow down urban sprawl because it will force the areas that are built up (to) become denser, said Bentley. PC candidate Ted Arnott said the Liberal gov- ernments Places to Grow Plan has been a concern for Halton Hills council and Wellington because Queens Park is telling them how fast they have to grow, without an infrastruc- ture plan or plan for how its going to be paid for. The best way to preserve farmland is to preserve the farmer, to ensure the farm family can make a living on that piece of property, said Arnott. R o b e r t McClure, a l a n d o w n e r impacted by the proposed Bruce to M i l t o n hydro line t w i n n i n g p r o j e c t , asked if the candidates supported a full environmental assessment for the new line. Duignan, Bennett, Arnott and Lavictoire all supported the assessment and Gori said the production of energy should be decentral- ized to where its used, eliminat- ing the need for the line. Halton Federation of Agriculture president Lorna Wilson asked about compensa- tion for farmers whose property has been devalued because its in the Greenbelt. There should be compensa- tion for farmers who have had their land devalued by the Greenbelt, said Bentley. Arnott said his party called on the Liberals to bring forward a compensation plan, but the gov- ernment refused. Our party is committed to bringing forward a land conser- vation challenge fund as well as tax incentives for conservation easements, said Arnott. Duignan said there should be an a d e q u a t e p a c k a g e available for farmland in the Green- belt. The can- didates were asked by area resident Sandy Grant how their parties would help Halton Region pay for the infrastructure required as a result of the Places to Grow plan. Arnott said, its incumbent upon Haltons MPPs to work with regional council towards a solution to that problem. T h e Development Charges Act needs to be immediate ly reformed and drast ical ly , said Lavict- oire. He added the Green Party would reinstate the authority of municipalities so they can charge what they feel it costs for growth. Duignan agreed. He said the Province also has to ensure there is proper plan- ning being done at every level. Duignan also called for limit- ing the size of big box stores. I think local government is the most important government, said Gori. Bentley said, municipalities certainly cant absorb these costs alone, and theyre not going to have to. Candidates were also asked about coal-fired power plants and how farms should be assessed for taxation. Before the meeting began a representative of Elections Ontario explained the referen- dum question and the two types of electoral systems first past the post and mixed member pro- portional voters will be asked to choose from on Election Day. Rural-themed all-candidates debate draws sparse crowd The Georgetown University Womens Club will hosting an all can- didates meeting for the riding of Welllington-Halton Hills Thursday, October 4, in preparation for Ontarios 2007 Election and Referendum. The meeting will be held in the John Elliott Theatre at the Cultural Centre, 9 Church St., 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. An impartial speaker from Elections Ontario will explain the refer- endum in a short talk before the debate begins. Candidates will answer questions on policy. Look for a full report Friday on The Independent & Free Press web site at www.independentfreepress.com. LISA TALLYN Staff Writer Candidates to meet Thursday MARG BENTLEY TED ARNOTT NOEL DUIGNAN MARTIN LAVICTOIRE GIUSEPPE GORI BACKYARD TOUCH 3. 9.000x30 COL=BW 54418 Backyard Touch 318 Guelph Street Georgetown 905.873.8835 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, October 3, 2007 3 Halton Hills Fire Protection and Prevention Services personnel doused a car fire on 10 Sideroad and Fifth Line Saturday at 6 a.m. The were no injuries in the blaze which destroyed a 1999 GM Blazer. Damage is estimated at $10,000. Photo by Donavan Gaudette Blaze destroys Blazer