Take Action: Speak up to protect Ontario’s farmland for farming

UPDATE: The NFU-O is encouraged by the recent communications from the government, promising that Bill 97, if passed, would not affect the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement or have it go into force. The government stated they want to ‘continue working with the agricultural sector to look at alternatives that would assist farm families in succession planning, but do not involve additional severances’. They have extended the consultation deadline on the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement from June 5th to August 4th. Please continue to send the letter below, and add your own comments by August 4th.

The Ontario government’s newly introduced Bill 97 and Proposed Provincial Planning Statement will weaken farmland protections by allowing up to three lot severances per farm parcel in prime agricultural areas province-wide for residential, non-farm uses in addition to weakening important protections for specialty crop areas.

This legislation will have impact on all Ontario farmers now and in the future, including:

fragmenting and permanently removing farmland from productive agricultural use
limiting farm business growth
inflating farmland prices
creating conflict with non-farming residential neighbours
adding significant new burden to already stretched municipal and regional services and service providers

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario(CFFO), and the National Farmers Union – Ontario (NFU-O), along with numerous commodity and agricultural organizations are united in their opposition to Bill 97 and the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement.

The provincial government wants to hear from individual farmers by June 5, 2023. Your voice is needed to tell the government that farmland must be protected for farming – to ensure the current and future value of agriculture to the province’s economy, to our long-term food security, and long-term vibrant rural communities.

Together, OFA, CFFO and NFU-O are asking you to personally tell provincial political leaders that removing farmland protections in the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement is short-sighted and will undermine your work in contributing to the provincial economy, your rural community, and protecting our local and long-term food security.

Use our action tool below to communicate your concerns to Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing at minister.mah@ontario.ca, and

Doug Ford, Premier
Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
John Vanthof, Opposition House Leader and Critic, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Marit Stiles, Leader, Official Opposition
Mike Schreiner, Leader, Green Party of Ontario
John Fraser, Interim Leader, Liberal Party of Ontario

You can edit the letter to personalize it – just start typing in the message window to add your own comments. Please send your letter by no later than August 4, 2023.

Take Action! Speak up to protect Ontario’s farmland for farming

Dear MInister Clark

I understand that you are interested in hearing from farmers in Ontario to gauge our reaction to Bill 97 and the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement.

I am writing to voice my opposition to the proposal to allow for the severing of three lots per farm parcel.

There are many good reasons why existing legislation restricts residential lot creation in agricultural areas. Allowing farmland severance will fragment and shrink a finite agricultural land base, increase conflicts between residential uses and farm operations, inflate farmland prices, and increase costs to municipalities.

While there may be some farmers who welcome the opportunity to have their farm severed into lots, I feel this is a short-sighted approach.  We have a housing shortage in this province but severing farm parcels is not the way to balance that shortage. Building houses at the cost of impacting the ability of farmers to produce agricultural products is not a wise decision.  New housing should be added in the hamlets and villages within rural Ontario with municipal servicing.  Limiting lot creation protects farmland for farmers so they can continue to feed the towns, villages, and cities in the province.

As a farmer, I strive to be respectful to our neighbours with regards to spraying, nutrient application, moving equipment, and other normal farm operations. Adding a significant number of new lots with owners not familiar with farm, or even rural life, will make it more difficult for me to maintain good relations and to produce the food, fibre, and/or fuel my neighbors need to live.

I also support the current and future use of Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) standards to regulate development in rural areas.

I am proud to farm in Ontario with some of the best soil and growing conditions in North America.  All I ask is that the land still be here to produce agricultural products for a growing nation, to continue to protect the land and waterways, and for our children and grandchildren to have the choice to farm and to invest in their businesses.

I respectfully ask that the government step back from its proposal to allow for the severing of farmland parcels in recognition of the current and future value and importance of agriculture to the province’s economy, food security, and to ensuring vibrant rural communities. Our finite and irreplaceable farmland needs to be reserved to produce food, not to build houses.  
   
Sincerely,

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CC Hon. Doug Ford, Premier; Premier Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; John Vanthof, Opposition House Leader and Critic, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Marit Stiles, Leader, Official Opposition; Mike Schreiner, Leader, Green Party of Ontario; John Fraser, Interim Leader, Liberal Party of Ontario.

BCC yourself

Other actions you can take:

When you receive the bcc copy of your letter, forward the message to your local MPP. You can find your MPP’s email and phone contact info by typing in your postal code here.
Call your MPP and schedule a meeting to share with them directly why you are opposed to farmland severance and residential lot creation on agricultural land.
Join others on social media to share the urgent message – Post a photo of you on your farm to social media and tell us why you are speaking up to protect Ontario’s farmland for farming. Use the hashtags #WeWillNotBeDivded and #OpposeBill97, and remember to tag the NFU-O so we can share!
Share with family, friends and neighbours and ask them to have their say

For More Information:

The provincial government has introduced a list of Acts that will impact farmland and farming:

Bill 108, More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019

Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022

Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023

And, under Bill 97, the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement, which has the potential to forever alter the rural landscape and the future of farming in Ontario.

Review this insightful presentation by Margaret Walton, Dr. Wayne Caldwell and Dr. Pam Duesling on the ‘Impact of New Proposed Provincial Planning Statement: Lot Creation Policies’ to learn more about how lot creation will forever impact farming in Ontario.

Take Action: Speak up to protect Ontario’s farmland for farming

Take Action! Speak up to protect Ontario’s farmland for farming

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