New report: Farmland at Risk

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Environmental Defence have teamed up to produce a strong report on protecting prime farmland outside the Greenbelt. The organizations call for better land-use policies that curb further sprawl within the Greater Golden Horseshoe region (GGH). “The current provincial land-use planning rules see farmland as development land in waiting,” says Don McCabe, the president of the OFA. “This discourages investment in farm businesses and fails to recognize agriculture as a long-term economic activity.”

Among the report’s recommendations: Freeze urban boundaries of the GGH until at least 2031, permanently protect areas of high agricultural value and require municipalities to conduct agricultural impact assessments for new developments. Read more here: Farmland at Risk