A am a farmer from Norfolk…

A am a farmer from Norfolk County and I. Wow e the governments provincial policy statement released on April 6 2023 is an excellent document which enables our province to deal with the current housing crisis which we are currently experiencing in the Province.
The 3 residential lot proposal for farm parcels is a very reasonable and sound proposal that allows for farm properties the option of severing lots along road frontages to deal with future generational farmers in the family and at the seeking allowing farms to attract full time farm employees.
Ontario is in an excellent position when food security concerns are taken into account. During the last 30 years agriculture has doubled productivity with plant breeding, they have increased livestock production with improved genetics and vegetable production has more than doubled along with year greenhouse vegetable production has increased ten fold in the same time time frame. Small increases in global temperatures are providing new farming opportunity’s in Northern Ontario and Western Canada opening new tracts of farmland.
Rural Ontario can do a small part in Ontario governments goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.
Rural lot severance would would not be mandatory for landowners to sever lots and many farmers will not sever lots. There are many tiny parcels of non viable farmland that can be turned into housing which can be a benefit to all Ontarians during this housing crisis we are currently facing. If the housing crisis subsides then we will have done a small part in achieving our goal to ensure every person in Ontario has access to affordable housing.
To satisfy all stakeholders some powers could be given to individual municipalities to enact a more restrictive severance policy in response to their own grower groups or demographics.
Additional housing units situated within existing farm operations or in between the barnyard animals is not a safe nor healthy environment for raising a family with children as farm operations are large in size with very large machinery and transport trucks moving in and out of farm operations all hours of the day.
Horticultural growers have a high demand for on farm labour and full time employees like to live near the workplace without having to live in the workplace. This may explain some of the increasing reliance farms are having on offshore labour when some Canadians may be willing to accept employment with full time potential.
Horticulture producers often supplement their income and sell their farm products off the farm and some rural residents will become regular customers via roadside stands pick you own operations etc.
Small rural municipalities can get a property tax boost through farm lot severances without having to put more strain on municipal infrastructure ie water, sewer, sidewalks, roads in -ground services.
The lot severance proposal should be enacted as first proposed on April 6 2023. The rural municipalities could be given the flexibility to be able to limit the farm lot severances making the provincial standard a maximum allowable standard. That would make following the provincial guidelines at the maximum rate a voluntary program rather than a mandatory one satisfying all parties involved. I encourage the provincial government to implement the Procincial Planning Statement that was introduced on April 6,2023 as written