I’m reaching out to express…

I’m reaching out to express my concerns with Bill 97 and the proposed Provincial Planning Statement, 2023. I am concerned and quite frankly scared for the unintended and irreversible consequences this bill will have on local food and farming.
I am very worried about the implications of this Bill on our ability to produce local food, continue to viably farm, have safe, happy rural communities, and affordable housing.
Ontario's prime agricultural land is a finite, non-renewable resource that comprises less than 5% of Ontario's land base1. Ontario has lost 20% of our farmland in the last 40 years. With the growing rate of farmland loss in the province, currently at a rate of 319 acres per day2, it is more important than ever before that we protect our prime agricultural areas. Once farmland is developed, it is gone forever. We are losing more than a family farm every day in Ontario to development. It is important to remember the ability to produce the local food we can in Southern Ontario can not be relocated or replicated elsewhere in the province or country. Once the prime soils and climates we have in our communities are developed on, that food producing ability is lost. This is not sustainable.
I recognize the need for more housing and agree with taking steps to ensure housing is available for Ontarians, but this is not a practical way to achieve housing goals. The home buying generation wants walkable, transit oriented, dense communities where walking to groceries, restaurants and entertainment is attainable. 3 rural severances on each farm parcel will not be affordable or desirable for the current home buyer’s demographic – which is our future.
The proposed policy of allowing 3 severance per farm parcel will virtually eliminate farmers ability to build a barn due to MDS (Minimum distance separation). This will also result in more investors purchasing farmland to sever houses, which will drive up the price for farmland making it impossible for the next generation of farmers who have a passion for producing local food to purchase farms. I worry this will be the beginning of the end for animal agriculture, which is the backbone of most rural economies.
From a practical standpoint I don't know how a side road in the rural area can accommodate, or safely accommodate private serving (septic and wells) for upwards of 30 additional dwellings resulting from lot severances.
Farmland is the foundation of the agri-food sector that provides us with locally produced foods, employs more than 750,000 Ontarians, or 1-in-10 of the province’s labour force, and contributes over $47 billion annually to the province's GDP.
The sections in Bill 97 and the new PPS that are the most concerning and must be addressed include:
1. The weakening of policy language that will undermine the implementation of agricultural system planning that will lead to inconsistencies in designating prime agricultural areas;
2. The removal of municipal comprehensive reviews that assessed settlement boundary expansion to protect prime agricultural land;
3. Reducing existing density targets for fast-growing municipalities and removing density targets for the remaining municipalities within the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This will lead to inefficiencies of land use in existing settlement areas and will require boundaries to expand on farmland more quickly; and
4. The requirement for municipalities to permit up to three severances on prime agricultural areas for residential lot creation.
5. The additional powers afforded to the use of Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs) in the land use planning process.
With the current rate of farmland loss, Ontario’s farmland will be completely lost in the next 100 years. We do not have time to sprawl and fragment Canada’s best farmland.
I recommend we shift the approach and keep the PPS 2020 policies related and impacting agriculture, and work towards utilizing lands within the existing urban boundaries to create dense, walkable developments. This way we can create the type of housing that is in demand among the young home buying and aging community members and minimize the amount of farmland lost in our country’s food producing region – Southern Ontario.
I urge you to address these concerns and save Ontario’s limited agricultural land.
Thank you for your consideration

References
[1] Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2016. Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas. Retrieved from http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/facts/permitteduseguide.pdf
[2] Statistics Canada. 2021. Census of Agriculture. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3210015301&pickMe…
[3] Ontario Federation of Agriculture. 2020. Agriculture Matters – A Guide for Municipal Councillors and Staff. Retrieved from https://ofa.on.ca/resources/guide-for-municipal-councillors-and-staff/