Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

MPP for Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington

Leona Dombrowsky was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs by Premier Dalton McGuinty in June, 2005. She was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 1999 and re-elected in 2003. She represents the riding of Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, which is the largest riding in southern Ontario, stretching from Napanee to Bancroft.
Minister Dombrowsky is taking concrete steps to strengthen Ontario's agri-food industry and rural communities, including:

• Focusing on research and innovation by transferring the ownership of 14 research stations and three colleges to the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario. The transfer will reinvigorate research and development and leverage new investment from the government's $40 million annual contribution to strengthen Ontario's agri-food sector.
  
• Creating new economic opportunities in the province's agriculture sector by investing in the commercialization of biomass products, including the creation of new energy sources.
  
• Protecting supply management and fighting for better access for Ontario products at the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks in 2005. Minister Dombrowsky was the first Ontario agriculture minister to attend WTO talks.
  
• Delivering the Rural Economic Development (RED) program, in which the province's $19.7 million commitment has meant a $126.9 million investment in revitalizing rural economies, increasing access to health care and enhancing skills development opportunities.
  
• Delivering the $900-million Canada-Ontario Rural Municipal Infrastructure (COMRIF) program, which provides funding to rural communities for much-needed improvements to roads, bridges, water, sewer and waste management systems.
  

Ms. Dombrowsky is a graduate of the University of Toronto. She lives in Tweed with her husband, Helmut. They have four children.

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