Protecting Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Lands by Laura Fraser, OFA Member Service Representative for Oxford/Elgin Counties Laura.fraser@ofa.on.ca
Elgin County, are approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, while the County approves lower-tier Official Plans. Official Plans are there to designate land uses and allocate resources, making them essential to farmland preservation, but an amendment to an Official Plan, which is the process through which the town guides and approves changes to policies and/ or designations within the OP, can lead to problems.From 2000- 2017, 545 Official Plan Amendments led to the loss of 72,196 acres of prime farmland in Ontario. OFA believes in designing land use policies and making decisions which keep growth within fixed urban boundaries and intensify urban areas where possible. With the recent proposal of Bill 97 and the proposed changes to the Provincial Policy Statement, it is crucial for farmers and rural landowners to understand the implications of the changes and how to maintain our shrinking rural landscape.The Elgin Federation of Agriculture has been very active in keeping up with new legislation and communicating with all levels of government. As a resident, there are also steps you can take to help support the preservation of farmland. Any resident can submit a written submission or verbal delegation to Council, and you can also discuss concerns with the planning department or municipal staff from any department. If there is any issue you feel strongly about, you can mobilize other community members to have a bigger impact. Lastly, you are encouraged to contact your local Federation of Agriculture with concerns or questions at elginfarmers@gmail.com. You can also reach me at laura.fraser@ofa.on.ca. I would like to invite all OFA members to a member appreciation BBQ on August 18th at the Keystone Pavilion in Shedden. A free lunch will be served from 11:30 – -3:00, and it is a great time to connect with local representatives from the OFA and Scotiabank. Hope to see you there!
For the farming community, it’s been a busy spring and summer, which is no different than any other season. What is different, however, is the increasing pressure being placed on farmland as cities continue to try to meet growth targets and push boundaries. Ontario’s shrinking agricultural land base is alarming. Ontario loses 319 acres of farmland a day, and farmers and residents of rural communities are sounding the alarm as conversation around the need for housing gets louder. It’s important to recognize that farmland is lost in many ways, including development, tenure, farmers leaving, and commodity prices. OFA believes that farming to produce food, fibre, fuel, flowers, and nursery stock is the best use for farmland. Ontario’s limited supply of farmland is a scarce resource, making up less than five percent of all the land in the province. It’s vital that Ontario has a strong, viable and sustainable supply of food products grown, harvested, and processed right here at home. Provincially, protecting Ontario’s prime agricultural areas for their long-term agricultural use must be a key objective. It is one thing to think about housing the anticipated additional two million people that will reside in Ontario over the next ten years, but it is another to think seriously about how we will feed this increased population. Municipalities and planning departments need to consider all reasons for farmland loss and create policies that protect the farmer and the land. Official Plans are arguably the most important policy tool, as they plan for 30 years of growth. OP’s are updated every five years. Elgin County’s approved Official Plan is from 2015, with a draft released in February of this year. Upper tiers, such as
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