With the increasing excitement about the “information highway” and the importance of technology in today’s society, it is often perceived that agriculture is an industry in decline. However, as research in other areas of Ontario had indicated that agriculture was still making a significant contribution to local economies, a steering committee was formed to initiate a study of the impact of agriculture on the economy of Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Leeds & Greenville Counties.

To carry out the study, the School of Rural Planning & Development, University of Guelph, was commissioned. Under the leadership of the area Federations of Agriculture, Dr. Harry Cummings and Don Murray from the University completed the necessary investigations. The study revealed that between between 1981 and 1996, the population increased from 256, 567 to 271, 852, and that smaller communities and rural areas are experiencing a higher rate of growth than urban centres. It was conducted by reviewing secondary data taken from the Population Census of Canada and the Agriculture Census.

In 1995, there were $183 million in farmgate sales, and 4,325 jobs in agriculture. The leading farm-types in the area were beef, dairy, and various specialty farms, with livestock operations declining in number and specialty field and crop type operations increasing. Specialty farms include those that produce maple syrup, sheep, horses, deer and Christmas trees. In the Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Leeds and Grenville Counties, there were approximately 664 agriculture-related businesses, and an additional $351.6 million in sales related to agriculture. Of these astounding figures, 23.6%, or $83 million of the total agriculture-related sales is exported to markets outside of the study area. It was furthermore estimated that there exists an additional 5,321 induced jobs which are supported by the agriculture industry in the area.

The research team made the following recommendations:

Agriculture in Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, and the United Counties of Leeds and Greenville, produces substantial economic benefits that extend well beyond the farm gate. In the discussion that surrounds economic development, planners and policymakers should give consideration to strategies that:

Canada’s future is in the hands of our children. Our success depends on investing in them today so that tomorrow's adults have the tools they need to participate fully in our society. This Early Childhood Development Agreement acknowledges the commitment by the federal and provincial governments to help parents – and communities – during the earliest years so that Canada’s children are happy, healthy, and ready to learn when they start school.

With an investment of $2.2 billion over five years through the Canada Health and Social Transfer (the transfer through which the federal government provides funding for health care, post-secondary education and other social services), the federal government is doing its part to:

promote healthy pregnancy, birth and infancy

support parents and families

strengthen early childhood development, learning and care

strengthen community supports

Every child, every family is unique – with individual strengths, weaknesses, and resources. This Agreement takes into account this wonderful diversity and provides provincial and territorial governments with the ability to tailor their early childhood development services to meet the needs of their youngest citizens. In some communities, this could mean more child care spaces, in others, it could mean better services for mothers and infants at risk.

Reporting back

Canadians have a stake in the well-being of our children and will benefit – either directly or indirectly – from this Agreement. And we should know how these new investments are benefiting our society. This is why governments, under this Agreement, will report publicly on what they are doing to enhance the well-being of young children. It will allow us to track our progress and see how our tax dollars are being invested.

The Early Childhood Development Agreement is a priority under Canada's National Children's Agenda - a set of objectives agreed to by federal and provincial governments to focus efforts on the health and well-being of Canada's children. A cornerstone of the National Children's Agenda is the National Child Benefit that helps low-income families with investments that will reach $2.5 billion by the year 2004.

We have also extended parental leave benefits so that parents and new babies can spend up to 50 weeks at home together. And though all Canadians are benefiting from our Five-Year Tax Reduction Plan, it is families with children who benefit the most with an average reduction in personal income tax of 21 per cent.