QUEEN’S PARK – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady has 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 per cent 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. For the Silo, Jeff Helsdon.
The bill will be back before the Legislature for second reading debate on March 8.
For more information, contact MPP Bobbi Ann Brady directly at 519-428-0446 or 905-765-8413 or babrady-co@ola.org Please mention The Silo when contacting.
Issue of farmland and development is not unique to Ontario
A few weeks ago, I attended the Council of State Governments Midwestern Legislative Conference in Detroit.
In my social media feeds, which primarily included photos of what I saw in Detroit, I promised to write about what I learned. The first session was with Kansas State Representative Mari-Lynn Poskin, who discussed a bill she helped draft – Kansas Employee Savings Account (KEESA). Through state tax credits, the bill incentivizes small-business owners to implement emergency savings accounts with automatic payroll deductions for employees.
The State of Kansas has discovered the tax credit, during the tight labour market, helps small businesses attract and retain a skilled workforce. Employers, all over North America, found during the pandemic that the inability to address emergency expenses contributed to absenteeism and, thus, financial instability. While I took issue with some aspects of the program, perhaps it’s something Ontario should investigate.
I looked forward to the sessions on food security – Feeding the Future, as well as the Future of Farmland in the Midwest. I left these sessions gravely concerned. Of interest was information on Farms Under Threat 2040, a road map per se on how development and other factors will affect American farmland until 2040. The American Farmland Trust conducted the study in partnership with other conservation and environmental partners.
Since we were in Michigan, that’s the state we chose to focus on. Much like Ontario, Michigan has some tough decisions to make. If recent trends continue, 483,800 acres of Michigan’s farmland will be paved over, fragmented, or converted to uses that will jeopardize agriculture. To put that in perspective, that is 3,100 farms and $353 million in farm output.
I know I’m like a broken record on preserving Ontario’s farmland, so it was encouraging to learn that I’m not alone, as the American Farmland Trust believes every acre counts. Farmland feeds us, but it can do far more. With appropriate stewardship, farmland can also sequester carbon in the soil, protect our water quality and provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife and native species.
According to the Ontario Farmland Trust, Ontario is losing 319 plus acres of farmland each day – nearly double the 175 acres of farmland lost per day reported in the 2016 Census of Agriculture. Urbanization is one of the biggest culprits for the loss, but not the only one. From 2001 to 2016, the United States lost or compromised 2,000 acres of farm or ranch land each day – this is staggering. Of more significant concern is that if the current trend continues, by 2040 24.4 million acres of farm/ranchland could be gone.
Today’s land use planning is haphazard, and I fear food security is being undermined.
Looking at today is short-sighted. What kind of future do we wish for our children, our grandchildren? The way I see it, and obviously, I am not alone, is that today’s development is being poorly planned and done without common sense. I will repeat the example that was recently presented at my agricultural town hall meeting – it’s alright for a developer to pave over an entire farm but it’s impossible for a farmer to create a reinvestment or succession-planning lot.
It’s time North America rethinks its approach to development, and it’s also time all governments provide the necessary tools to help farmers succeed. This will go a long way to attracting and retaining farmers as well as keeping land in agriculture.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk.
The Grain Farmers of Ontario helps put food on our tables
In the beginning of July, I had the pleasure of heading next door to my constituency- to the town of Elgin for the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) meeting. And the next day accompanied them on a portion of their farm tour. My brain was tweaked with interesting new observations and increased knowledge of how farms are operating in the modern day regarding the modern age.
In their own words, the GFO is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover over 6 million acres of Ontario farmland and generate over $4.1 billion in production value, result in over $18 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 75,000 jobs in the province.
Further, their goal is to provide their farmer members with the information and resources they need to continue being economically sustainable while operating in a manner that meets their commitment to the environment and society.
Those are indeed words to live and work by and the GFO does a great job promoting and assisting farmers to do just that.
An important component of putting food on our tables is research and development (R&D). As GFO reminded me, they have a history of investing in R&D to augment research requirements for barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat through four priority areas: agronomy and production; weed, disease and insect pests, crop quality and utilization; and breeding and genetics.
Another key component supporting the putting-food-on-our-tables paradigm is fertilizer. Specifically, farmers need fertilizer to grow more food, but they need access to fertilizer without additional fees and barriers to access. The GFO in April applauded the federal government’s Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for recognizing that farmers need better access to fertilizer, and the committee’s recommendations, which are: 1. Returning tariffs collected by government on fertilizer imports; 2. No mandatory fertilizer emission targets; 3. Recognizing already achieved sustainable efforts on farms and sustainability programs being utilized, such as the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship; and, 4. Look at building fertilizer capacity.
Farmers want to grow as much food as they can, but they also want to protect the soil, air, and water. They are always working to find the right balance.
One of my passions as a politician is our children’s education, and GFO has them covered with their Grains on the GO traveling show. It’s free, fun, interactive and showcases Ontario grains in a format that helps students understand the importance of grain farming for Ontario. The Grains on the Go trailer drives to schools and is designed to present directly to grade three students. It includes a presentation, activity, or experiment. If Ontario if fortunate, some of these students may turn out to be future food producers. For more information, check it out at https://goodineverygrain.ca/grains-on-the-go/
Much of the population of Ontario’s involvement in farming is limited to dropping food in their basket at their local grocery store. They know farms exist but don’t know the toil that goes into putting food on people’s tables. And often, the toil takes a toll on the psychological well being of many farmers and their families.
The GFO is well aware of that and has a Farmer Wellness section on their website. It contains a wealth of support resources, prevention tips, awareness advice and contact information for those experiencing trauma or extreme stressors. If you are suffering, I urge you to get help and talk to someone. And the GFO’s Farmer Wellness section may be a great place to start your healing. It’s located here: https://gfo.ca/farmerwellness/
I look forward to my future interactions with the GFO, and taking forward their concerns because their contributions are vital to our food security and economy, today and into the future.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk
Brady scolds gov’t for delaying Ontario farm severence Bill 97 consultations
QUEEN’S PARK— Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady chided the government for delaying Bill 97 consultations. She also asked for clarity on the proposal, which is now seemingly under revision. The original proposal made allowances for each Ontario farm to have three severances, but Premier Ford seems to be stepping back on those plans.
Brady was primarily unhappy that the government, after formulating the original proposal, seemed only recently to have met with farm organizations. Brady reminded the House this past winter she introduced her first Private Member’s Bill—a bill designed to protect Ontario’s most productive lands, a bill that was supported by Ontario’s top farm groups and virtually all stakeholders except those in the government—those who regularly purport to be pro farmer.
“[The government’s] consultation after the fact is really a moot point…Before I introduced my bill, I met with farmers, I met with farm organizations, and I solicited their opinion ahead of time,” said Brady. “A government in touch with rural Ontario would have known this was not a good idea in the first place…The past few days, we hear this government backing down on the original proposal, but where will we land?”
Brady conveyed concerns that this government’s pre-occupation with building houses is clouding judgment and this proposed policy puts 510,000 acres of Ontario farmland in jeopardy. And she flagged Oxford County’s report warning that 10% of its prime agricultural land is in danger of being lost forever.
“[Farmers] see the value in one succession planning lot but three? Speaker, through you to the minister, what was the significance of the three lots to begin with and how will this government proceed on this policy?”
Both Premier Ford and Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson responded with no definitive direction, but they maintained that they’ve had consultations with farmers as of late.
“Speaker, through you to the Minister, will this government announce today that their trial balloon has been popped, and will they back down on this policy?” asked Brady.
For more information, contact MPP Bobbi Ann Brady at babrady-co@ola.org or 519-428-0446 Please mention The Silo when contacting.
UPDATE————–
Government votes against Brady’s bill to protect Ontario’s farmland
QUEEN’S PARK – Bill 62 the Farmland and Arable Land Strategy Act, 2023, was defeated in the Ontario Legislature yesterday on second reading. In a vote of 68-29, all parties except the governing members, voted in favor of the legislation.
The bill would have required 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 stipulated a stakeholder-led Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee be set up to advise the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The bill passed first reading on Feb. 21 and was up for second reading on March 8, with the vote the following day.
While the NDP, Liberals and Green Party MPPs all supported Brady’s bill, all PC members voted against it to defeat it.
Brady was disappointed with the defeat, reiterating protecting farmland should be a priority of the government.
“Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland per day,” Brady said. “This is not sustainable. We need to protect farmland from development and, although the government speakers during debate of the bill said there was existing legislation for this purpose, I question why the loss of farmland is continuing.”
Brady had widespread support for the legislation, including letters of support from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Beef Farmers of Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Norfolk and Haldimand Federations of Agriculture, other county federations of agriculture, naturalist groups and numerous individual farmers.
“I was amazed at the widespread support for my bill,” Brady said. “I want to thank all who took the time to write a letter and want to share that many other MPPs were impressed with the package of letters they received with my bill. My fight to protect our most productive farmlands will not end.”
For more information, contact MPP Bobbi Ann Brady at babrady-co@ola.org or 519-428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629 Please mention The Silo when contacting.
**UPDATE*** My Private Members’ Bill — my passion to save our farmland
On Tuesday, February 21st, I proudly introduced my first Private Members’ Bill (PMB). The PMB is entitled Bill 62, An Act to provide for the development of a farmland and arable land strategy and an advisory committee on farmland and arable land.” This legislation is close to my heart because it’s my first, but mainly because we can’t make more land. Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland each day.
So that we feed ourselves, we must cease this constant subtraction of arable land. Anyone who has chatted with me in the past six months has often heard me passionately raise concerns about this. We can’t make more land appear out of the blue, so we must protect and manage our productive land. And protecting Ontario’s farmland is my proposed legislation’s main thrust—time for the rubber to hit the dirt road.
My PMB calls for the Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs to develop a strategic plan 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 mandates the establishment of the Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee to advise the Minister. Members of the public will comprise the Committee rather than politicians.
In short, my legislation will help prevent further land degradation and protect farmland and arable land for future Ontarians and Canadians for many years. Protection is essential to ensure short-term and long-term food security for Ontario.
The Act would also establish the composition of the Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee. A committee of members of the Legislative Assembly would select members of the Committee. The Committee would be required to provide a report of its findings, advice, and recommendations to the Minister at least every six months. The Minister would be required to table the report in the Legislative Assembly.
Since introducing this legislation, I’ve received a great deal of support from the people of Haldimand-Norfolk. Getting this feedback after working hard on something you are passionate about is very satisfying. And it’s easy to be passionate about saving farmland when you think about the statistics the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) lists on its website.
The OFA reference the loss of 319 acres of Ontario farmland per day, but they also equate that to losing the equivalent of nine family farms each week. And they point out that those 319 acres can produce more than 23.5 million apples, 1.2 million bottles of Ontario VQA wine, or 37.1 million strawberries. They put it in terms of everyday items to which we relate daily.
Ontario agriculture and food annually contributes $47 billion to the province’s economy and employs almost one million Ontarians. If we don’t protect our food-producing land, we will also send shockwaves across our economy with the loss of STEM, labour, technological jobs and even damage rural main streets.
And who can forget the supply chain issues Ontarians experienced during COVID-19? I shudder to think we would do anything further to harm our domestic supply chain and local food production. We can’t afford to do this to ourselves and future generations.
In this spirit and passion, I look forward to receiving all-party support in the Ontario Legislature for Bill 62.
Bobbi Ann Brady