I am writing you to oppose…

I am writing you to oppose the adoption of the Grey County Official Plan (OP) as written. I am a farmer and long-time resident of Grey County. I have a personal interest in the success and prosperity of this part of the Province. My opposition centers on the fact that the agricultural lands within the County have not been properly assessed. As a result, the OP grossly underestimates the coverage of Prime agricultural lands within the County. As you can see from the mapping in Appendix ‘A’ the majority of the lands outside of settlement and recreational areas in the County is designated ‘Rural’. Lands designated ‘Agriculture’ in the OP are a fraction of the functionally productive lands in the area and are a fraction of the lands classified as CLI Prime soils (1-3). Furthermore, and perhaps most tellingly, lands designated ‘Agriculture’ in the OP are a fraction of those enjoying the ‘farm’ taxation category through MPAC. My second concern relates to the liberal severance permissions in the OP pertaining to the ‘Rural’ designation. In a time and agricultural-planning context where other upper-tiers in the Province are doing away with rural severances and severance of surplus dwelling lots altogether, the County of Grey proposes to increase these permissions. The stock of rural residential lots in the County is plentiful. New rural residential lots present land use conflict within the agricultural context, the likes of which need not be created by flimsy policy adopted through this review. Believing that increasing the number of rural severances will generate a self-fulfilling tax base and bolster rural life is fundamentally flawed. The notion that development pays for itself is erroneous. Increasing policy permissions for rural severance to increase taxation and garner development charges is not a land use planning argument and must not be accepted as such. Farmland values are already becoming unattainable in the County. The Province cannot allow these valuations to become more exorbitant and skewed by allowing our farmland to be assessed as having multiple severance and residential development potential. Allowing for additional rural severances on lands that are very likely designated ‘Rural’ in error, as above, is not consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement. In support of the farmers of Grey County I urge you to oversee the amendment of the OP to properly consider and prioritize agricultural land and uses. The County must be required to undertake a LEAR study and properly assess the lands within its jurisdiction. Thank you for your consideration.