Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones is settling into his role as Ontario agriculture, food and agribusiness minister.
The former Leamington town councillor and OPP officer was named to cabinet last month in just his second term as an MPP.
We asked Jones about his new role in cabinet. His responses have been edited for style and brevity.
Q: Just beginning your second term as an MPP, can you describe the honour of being named minister for a portfolio as prominent as Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness?
A: It is an honour . . . I grew up and continue to live and raise my family in Chatham-Kent-Leamington, where our communities have a long tradition of farming, greenhouse growing and food processing. As such, I developed a strong appreciation for this sector and remain inspired by the hard-working people who feed Canada and the world.
Early in my career with the OPP, I earned a position on the Emergency Response Team and . . . was given the opportunity to work with members of the community from all across Ontario. Of the many lessons I learned while in this role and living in a major food-producing region, I witnessed first-hand that innovation and technology was rapidly changing how our food is produced, increasing variety and availability to the world; yet, fresh food could still be scarce or unaffordable in many urban, rural and remote parts of Ontario.
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