 April 3, 2008, Guelph, Ont. – The majority of Ontario’s greenhouse floriculture growers who
participated in a recent vote support Flowers Canada (Ontario) being
designated as their representative association and paying a mandatory
licence fee to fund the organization.
A total of 78.4 per cent of greenhouse floriculture growers representing 90.7 per cent of the square footage of those casting valid ballots voted in favour of the following question:
Are you in favour of Flowers Canada (Ontario) being designated as the representative association for all greenhouse floriculture growers in Ontario of cut flowers, potted plants, annual bedding plants and propagative plant materials, and paying an annual licence fee of 2 cents per square foot of greenhouse area to a maximum annual fee payable of $13,000 (650,000 square feet) to finance the association’s activities to stimulate, increase and improve the producing or marketing of greenhouse floriculture products in Ontario?
“The Commission needed to see a clear majority of growers supporting such a request before we could confidently proceed with a recommendation to the Minister, and that is reflected in this outcome,” said Dave Hope, Chair of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.
The mail-in expression of opinion vote was conducted by the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission between Jan. 10 and Jan. 23 of this year.
Only greenhouse floriculture growers growing 20,000 square feet or more of cut flowers, potted plants, annual bedding plants and/or propagative plant materials were eligible to vote on the question. Growers growing less than 20,000 square feet would be exempt from paying the mandatory fee.
A total of 51.7 per cent of the 356 known eligible greenhouse floriculture growers who received a ballot participated in the vote.
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