The general public should put a class action suet against the farmers for all the years they spread cancer throuthout our country

Where can I sign up to get taken OFF this lawsuit. Another fine mess you got us into Oliver.

I know lets sue them and then we can turn around next week and ask them to help us with getting some provincial money.

"The general public should put a class action suet against the farmers for all the years they spread cancer throuthout our country"

The farmers had nothing to do with spreading cancer. Tobacco farmers produced a product. Consumers who use the product are the ones who could be accused of "spreading cancer throughout the country". Your argument would be like saying that someone who works in a automotive parts factory is responsible for all the car accidents because they made the parts that go into the car.

It appears that the Tobacco companies were involved in practices that resulted in the farmers NOT getting paid what they were entitled to be paid. As such that should be remedied.

I guess some people were born dumb, farmers have no control of cigarette sales YOUR GOVERNMENT DOES they control this product, so I guess your class action suit is against your government farmers only grow tobacco, don't sell cigarettes for huge profits of 9 BILLION IN TAX DOLLARS.

I love my dog. I am not a crook.

Howie

I heard this somewhere on this site and it will come true.
"It will be harvest time for the lawyers"
The biggest challenge for the farmers will be to come up with are the dollars required to keep their legal team going.
The companies have deep pockets.
I wish them good luck.

I think all the money tobacco generated for norfolk and surrounding counties over the last 50 years should be paid back to the farmers because most the general public like the first poster havn't deserved a dime of it. Tobacco built the entire area, it built the hospitals, it built the schools, it built the arena's it brought in the business, without there is no norfolk today.

But while you at it trying to sue tobacco farmers for causing cancer, why not make that lawsuit bigger? Why not sue beer stores for liver disease, why not sue mcdonalds,potato chip companies, chocolate bar companies, soda pop companies and auto mobile companies for causing heart disease, obesity, diabetes, kidney failure and pollution which will ultimately end everyones life?

Ungrateful Hyprocrite

I think the normal people have done their share...Do farmers pay taxes to schools etc. guess you forgot about that.

Point #1 - Tobacco did not build this area - tax dollars built this area. Tobacco is only the product grown here, just like soybeans and corn. There are far more people in the area contributing to the tax base than the tobacco farmer (who most of the time - have run an efficient farm business showing a loss and not paying income tax in the same realm as non-farmers.) Tobacco did not build the area - tax dollars that we all contribute did.

Point#2 - Tobacco farmers are not responsible for Cancer - that is ridiculous! I agree with you there!

To 8:19 poster, Car accidents etc. are just that Accidents, there is a difference than knowingly growing a killer product

These kinds of statements are exactly what helps the public in their not supporting your cause.

Tobacco was a factor in building the area, yes, that is true. However, as a kid I remember, as many older retired tobacco farmers confirm, all tobacco farmers had very diverse farms. They grew strawberries, potatoes, watermelon, onions, carrots, some had beef, some had small dairy, most had chickens either selling eggs or the chickens for meat and on the list goes. It wasn't until this current generation that tobacco became a sole entity. Your grand parents also did all their own stripping and did not have near the equipment that you do today. Let's give them the credit they deserve.

Also in Norfolk, even though tobacco constantly makes the news, there were as many vegetable and husbandry operations as there were tobacco. The only difference is, in the '60's to 90's, tobacco netted 4 X the personal income as did any other sector. Many a Norfolk kid worked their way through school on vegetable farms.

I have much respect for our tobacco farmers, but when I read pure arrogance, I cannot help but respond. Cheers! Leasa

Saying tobacco built Norfolk is not a slight against others at all, while other sectors played a role in the Norfolk boom it is pretty clear that without tobacco there would of never been a boom and Norfolk wouldn't be what it is today. Its also pretty evident that ever since tobacco started going downhill Norfolk has in a way went with it as farmers struggle to pay debts, struggle to find different crops to live off of and businesses which came here because of them close their doors.

Its not far fetched at all to say Tobacco built norfolk and to the other poster who said you built the hospitals because of your tax money well sure you helped but the tobacco industry mainly the companies donated millions and millions of dollars to both Simcoe and Tillsonburg hospitals through the years, with those donations both hospitals probably wouldn't exsist today and for sure alot of the neccessary equipment would of never been brought in.

Get a grip.

The companies will know who the people are who are supporting the lawsuit are.

Good luck in negotiating a deal at the farm gate with these multi-national crooks and their agents

I must admit, suing the hand that feeds you seems a bit foolish to me. I suppose all those exiting the industry under the buyout have nothing to lose, but I wouldn't want to be their friends and neighbours who still want to continue to grow under contract with the tobacco companies.

They can simply claim that they will not buy from any group that has legal proceedings against them and I guess that closes that avenue of sales for the farmers.

I suppose they could always sell for export prices though.

So if your employer pays you less then what you are entitled to, you would not try to get the money owing to you for the time worked or in this case for the product you sold?

Everyone will be selling for export prices if you grow - you dummy! There is no more domestic price.

"Everyone will be selling for export prices if you grow - you dummy! There is no more domestic price."

Dummy? Perhaps you should figure out what the word domestic means?

Anything that is sold to a Canadian Producer from a Canadian farmer is sold domestically. Hence it will be sold at a domestic price.

Will the domestic price be the same as export price? That is a possibility and one that the farmers are going to have to figure out whether it is beneficial for them to grow or not.

At least please try to understand the English language if you are going to make an argument.

I will have to go back to school and study english! Why don't the farmers already know what the 2009 prices are going to be? Perhaps it could be much higher than in the U.S.

"Why don't the farmers already know what the 2009 prices are going to be? Perhaps it could be much higher than in the U.S."

The days of one price for all the growers are over. It's up the to farmer to negotiate the price from the companies and they insist the price must be comparable to world pricing. Higher than in the US? You gotta be kidding!!

I was just being sarcastic. We know everyone will be in for a suprise once the price comes out. But why havn't the prices come out to the individual growers? We were all told that the new tommorrow would be nothing like the old days of barn buying before 1957 and yet the greenhouses will be in before the prices are out. Sounds like the same old same old to me.

Then its back to export prices!