Brady proposes farmland protection legislation

The provincial government needs an action plan to protect farmland, says Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady.

“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 in a statement released Tuesday. “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.”

Brady has introduced legislation by way of a private member’s bill that, if passed, would protect farmland.

“This is, by far, the most important issue on the minds of people in Haldimand-Norfolk,” Brady said in an interview with The Reformer. “They see the developers lining up, they see the urban sprawl in the Caledonia area and they see it in Hagersville and now they’re starting to see it in smaller communities like Delhi and it scares the living daylights out of them.

“Farmers and people in Haldimand-Norfolk realize that land is finite. They know that once its paved over and developed that it’s lost.”

They know that you can’t add land, she said.

AS well, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, people want items made close to home.

“If there’s one thing, I really want made close to home it would be my food,” Brady said. “People here are accustomed to having and have an appreciation for locally grown fresh food.

“If we have to start importing more food, then we’d be at the mercy of other countries and that’s never a good thing.”

Those who advocate for farmland protection are often called anti-development but Brady said that’s not accurate description.

“We’re not anti-development,” Brady said.

There’s a realization that there has to be growth in rural Ontario.

“But it has to be moderate and responsible and what we’re seeing in this province right now with respect to development is neither moderate or responsible,” Brady said.

Instead of building homes and then putting in the infrastructure, Brady called for intensification of housing in areas where the infrastructure – water and sewer pipes – are already in place.

Brady noted that when houses are built and more people move in, other services including a school and health services are also needed, which also require land and will be paid for by taxpayers.

In her statement, Brady said Ontario has 52 per cent of Canada’s prime arable land and much of that is adjacent to cities. Protecting those lands should be paramount, she said.

Citing census data from Statistics Canada, Brady said Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland each day, which is unsustainable.

Constituents in Haldimand-Norfolk have been raising concerns about the loss of farmland since well before her election as MPP, Brady said.

“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,” Brady said.

Brady’s private members bill would require the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to develop a strategic plan to protect Ontario’s farmland from the effects of development, aggregate mining, fluctuating commodity prices, and the availability of vacant land. It also calls for a stakeholder-led Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee to advise the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The proposed bill will return to the Legislature for second reading debate on March 8.

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