I believe it is a mistake to…

I believe it is a mistake to create a blanket elimination of any severance for non-ag related residential use in a so called agricultural area as is now reflected in the revised draft policy statement. Such a blanket restriction presumes that rural municipalities containing large land areas, many with limited professional staff and resources will accurately identify and designate "agricultural" lands. Even assuming a hypothetical 95% accuracy level in properly identifying and designating agricultural lands, this means that 5% of the local land base may be needlessly sterilized, eliminating potential for creating much needed housing. Some may respond to this by saying that owners inaccurately saddled with an agricultural designation can simply seek a re-designation. I say that nothing is simple when it comes to the planning approvals process, and nothing is cheap. Many municipalities have application fees in the 10's of thousands of dollars for the most simple of applications. Many small scale property owners simply cannot afford to participate in a process that has become cost prohibitive and intimidating to the average citizen. This is not to argue against policy that generally is protective of agricultural land, but to state that there should be provincial recognition and accommodation for practical circumstances within agricultural areas where the creation of additional residential lots does not offend agricultural practices on good farmland. Reality of on-the-ground circumstances is a fundamental planning principle that should be reflected in severance policy applying to 'agricultural' areas.