The Ontario Farmland Trust …

The Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT) is does not support the proposed changes to the Ontario Land Tribunal that are included in Bill 23, and suggests that Schedule 7 of Bill 23 is withdrawn.

Currently, the Tribunal allows for a third part to appeal planning decisions, which can be crucial for farmers when these decisions place their livelihood at risk. The expanded powers described in Bill 23 that allows for issues to be dismissed without a hearing will negatively impact farmers whose operations are being put at risk when approvals are improperly given to development projects in close proximity to agricultural operations. This will ultimately result in the agricultural system in such areas being disrupted and the farmland being lost. OFT feels that removal of such processes will promote conflict between farmers, municipalities, and residents and that the burden of these conflicts will be placed unduly on the farmer. OFT is especially concerned with how the proposed changes will affect farmers seeking to appeal a planning decision that will affect their livelihood, such as when a planning decision violates the Minimum Distance Separation formulae and limits the type of agriculture that may be practiced on a particular piece of farmland. Ontario cannot afford to keep losing agricultural land at the current rate. The proposed changes to the Ontario Land Tribunal will only magnify this loss.

Additionally, with the proposed exemption of site plan control for residential development for residential units for up to 10 units, there are even fewer opportunities to address these issues and concerns. Errors often occur and whether they are addressed in site plan control or by the Ontario Land Tribunal, farmers need to be provided with mechanisms to address significant concerns that threaten their operations and the greater agri-food system throughout Ontario.

OFT believes that it is important that the agricultural community still have third-party appeal mechanisms available to them in order to correct planning issues, and as such that Schedule 7 of Bill 23 is withdrawn.