From the office of MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
To The Haldimand Press
Last week, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady introduced legislation that, if passed, will protect Ontario’s farmland.
“Land use planning affects our daily lives and Ontario’s farmland and arable land is an essential resource for the sustainability and security of our food systems, environment, and local economies,” Brady said. “Farmland and arable land is productive, valuable, and essential – but most importantly it is finite and non-renewable, which is vital to consider in the face of increasing pressure to develop housing in the province.”
With Ontario having 52% of the country’s prime arable land, and much of that being adjacent to cities, Brady said protecting these lands should be paramount.
Further, according to census data, Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland each day. Brady feels this is unsustainable. Constituents in Haldimand-Norfolk have also raised this same concern with the MPP since well before her election.
“As the government continues with its target to create 1.5 million new homes in Ontario, it is vital to put in place policies that will protect our farmers and their land, as well as the province’s food security, both now and in the future,” she said.
The bill requires the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to develop a strategic action plan that aims to protect Ontario’s farmland and arable land from development, aggregate mining, and the effects of fluctuating commodity prices and the availability of vacant land.
It also stipulates a stakeholder-led Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee be set up to advise the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The bill will be back before the Legislature for second reading debate on March 8, 2023.
