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16--Champion Country, Tuesdav. March 23. 2004 Windows & Doors 3 0 L ff Insta lied ~F "jJList Price Does your home need a facelift for more curb appeal? Do you want a new entrance, not just a new door? RIDLEY has the answer. Why paint? Explore the choice of 160 colours. Your choices and solutions are almost limitless as RIDLEY applies creative solutions to meet your needs. *Sales • Installation *Service• Vsit our Showroom at 2675 Reid Sideroad, Campbellville Call for a free installed estimate 905-854-2228 Or 1-877-RIDLEY 1 » Does not apply to supply only contrats. Ontario farmers continue to struggle with finances because of the BSE crisis, and rumoured announcements of more goverm- ment funding continue to be rumours. We have called on both federal and provincial govemments to pro- vide a cash infusion for livestock producers, but we're still waiting. Producers have a keen appetite for information about anything that might help Usem survive the crisis. They watch their mailbox, their fax machine, or their e-mail, hoping for some good news that will spell survival for them and their fami- lies. As I tour the province, talking with farmers, the shortage of cash and the lack of a possible date for re-opening Use border are the pri- mary reasons for frustration. Many are also angered by stories that someone else is making money on the backs of farmers. It's obvious there's no single solution that will pull our livestock sector out of the depression stage it has reached now. While the addition of more dol- lars would go a long way to strengthening the confidence of livestock farmers and other con- Ontario's farmers continue to fee pinch from BSL crisis Government aid remains just rumours whilefarmers wait OFA Ron Bennet Commentary nected to the sector, there would still remain a number of difficulties to overcome. Without immediate cash, farmers can't move ahead with the plan- ning required for the balance of the year on their farms. The growing number of cows is a major concern. A strategy is need- ed to reduce that number, and the industry wants to make Usat a posi- tive measure - ensuring the resulting beef product is useful to society. We need additional processing capacity in Canada, and without any clear plan to achieve this, there continues to be more questions than answers. Another aspect of a recovery strategy that has to be developed is retuming stability to the market place for livestock producers - and that's neither going to be quick nor easy. We aren't certain what export e hiwi R E SElNTS 4 7à MIUON HOM HARDWAR BULDN CENTREOOM-:OP Women's on-line course slated to start April 19 from TANNER on page 15 book that will be conducted from April 19 to May 9. The women have prepared ques- tions that will "quiz" students on the vari- ous aspects of the course and will provide one-hour online chat sessions once a week for students to ask any questions they may have. "We are very excited about all of the things going on right now," said Ms Tanner. "It is a lot of work but it is reward- ing too." Full siate ahead Ms Tanner and Ms Samuels are also completing a series of speaking engage- ments in connection with the book includ- ing the National Social Work Conference in Saskatoon in June. "We have had speaking engagements in Peel and Cambridge at the hospitals and have more planned in Kitchener and Kingston as well," said Ms Tanner. "The conference in Saskatoon is a large annual event with a lot of well-known keynote speakers. We will be discussing 'The Ethical Issues of Whistleblowing and Mandatory Reporting' at the conference, a topic that has generated a lot of interest lately." Future plans for the Fieldstone Centre include further corporate work, seminars and possibly more writing. "I would like to see us do more corporate work for businesses such as providing a type of Employee Assistance Program (EAP)," said Ms Tanner. "Some compa- nies do not have an EAP and they may have employees that need personal coun- selling or that would benefit from profes- "I would like to see us do more corporate work for businesses such as providing a type of Employee Assistance Program (EAP)." sional development. We can provide pro- fessional, private help close to home. As well as providing individual care and mediation of disputes, we can also do sem- inars for groups of employees on topics such as stress reduction, anger control, and dealing with difficult people." Ms Tanner said that, through the Fieldstone Centre, they're "taking a holis- tic approach to care for clients who are people that are having difficulty dealing with the transitions in their lives." Upcoming seminars include 'Everything Old is New Again', which is a day for women to learn how to get rid of the bag- gage and issues they carry around with them in relationships as well as dealing with issues such as depression and self- esteem. And 'Is Your Business Breaking the Law?' discusses the new federal priva- cy laws that came into effect January 1, and applies to all businesses big or small. For more information on the Fieldstone Centre, contact Elayne Tanner ai (905) 854-0801 or Marilyn Samuels at (905) 854-4942. markets might be there for us as we regain access to vaious markets around the world. It seems very likely that the live- stock industry Canadian producers once knew won't be the industry of the future. It's important that pro- ducers wishing to remain in the industry are given the tools to do so. It's equally important that farm- ers who decide they want out of the industry can do so with dignity. Working with the Ontario Cattlemen's Association and our national partners at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture continues to be com- mitted to finding solutions that will help our producers. This has been an extremely diffi- cult year for livestock producers and a number of other sectors asso- ciated with that sector. Producers contact the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) office daily expressing grave concem for their future and the future of their fami- lies. These producers want and deserve solutions that will give them hope for the future. At Use OFA we continue to work with our goverments to find those solu- tions. Ron Bennett is president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.