Food & Water FirstMinister responds
Ontario’s Agriculture Minister has responded to the Food & Water First letter requesting a 10-year moratorium on non-farming development involving Class 1 farmland. Jeff Leal did not directly acknowledge the moratorium proposal, but says “Our government recognizes the importance of Ontario’s agricultural land base and is committed to managing growth and protecting it for future generations.”
His letter describes how there will be provincial reviews this year of the Greenbelt, Oak Ridges Moraine and Niagara Escarpment Plan. However, it does not address the vulnerable prime farmland outside those protected areas. There is mention of the promised Farms Forever program. It’s expected this program will be similar to the farmland preservation program in Pennsylvania, which has protected more than 500,000 acres of prime farmland since 1988. But there are still no details.
“My ministry will also be creating a Farms Forever program, which will work together with the Provincial Policy Statement and provincial land-use plans. While we are in the very early stages of developing this initiative, the program’s goals are to help preserve the productive capacity of agricultural lands close to urban centres, support the local sourcing of food, strengthen Ontario’s agri-food sector and support young farmers.”
The Food & Water First letter can be found here TIME FOR ACTION
Greenbelt Town Hall
The threats facing Ontario’s famous Greenbelt were addressed at a packed meeting in the village of Brougham on January 28th. Hundreds of people attended the Greenbelt Town Hall and heard from a panel of experts and local advocates. Mary Delaney of Land Over Landings pointed out that “economic development doesn’t need Class 1 farmland, but farmers do.” Another panelist, Faisal Moola of the David Suzuki Foundation told the crowd “We depend on farmland and nature to sustain us, but they’re ignored.” Judging from the energy and dedication in the room, the Greenbelt will be vigorously defended during its provincial review this year.
Big Carrot: Year of Soils
The popular Big Carrot grocery store in Toronto is helping spread the word about the importance of preserving the local land that grows local food. It invited Food & Water First to post a blog about the Year of Soils and what Ontarians can do to help protect our prime farmland. Take a look! The Dirt on the Year of Soils
