Grape growing is an…

Grape growing is an important value-add agricultural industry for the province of Ontario, with the grape and wine industry contributing $4.4 billion to the Ontario economy. With such a strong economic contribution, it is essential to protect agricultural land while allowing agriculture-supportive infrastructure and value-added uses. It is important that any proposed regulatory changes are supported by strong economic policy.

Irrigation remains an important aspect of grape growing, and we continue to work with the Niagara regional government to develop a robust irrigation strategy to bring more access to our growers. As part of this, where agricultural drainage infrastructure has been duly authorized under the Drainage Act, that said infrastructure be classified as agriculture infrastructure and not as an intermittent stream, and therefore not considered a key hydrological feature. This key distinction needs to be recognized in the proposed amendments to the growth plan.

Additionally, under section 3.2.2, the policies on transportation include no reference to the use of the road system by agricultural equipment. Roads, bridges and traffic circles, in areas where farming is an ongoing activity, must be designated to accommodate farm vehicles, which are wider than most other vehicles on the road. Policies referencing “complete streets” should ensure that the needs of farm vehicles are fully accommodated on all roadways used by farm vehicles.

Lastly, for policies pertaining to the Agricultural System (Section 4.2.6.6), municipalities should not only be “encouraged” but be “required” to “implement regional agri-food strategies and other approaches to sustain and enhance the agricultural system”. This small change in language would improve clarity while supporting agri-food growth.