Ontario needs to model its…

Ontario needs to model its farmland preservation after the successful model in the state of Pennsylvania.

http://www.agriculture.pa.gov/encourage/farmland/pages/default.aspx

Farmland in Ontario will never be securely preserved for future generations unless landowners are paid for the development rights to their land. If it is the interest of ALL Ontarians to have farmland for future generations, then ALL Ontarians should pay to have the land preserved. It's a matter of fairness.

The Pennsylvania model is fair, and it works. We don't need to re-invent the wheel. It has been successfully invented in Pennsylvania. By preserving farmland one parcel at a time, in the future, in order to "undo" the preservation, it will need to be undone one parcel at a time.

The Greenbelt was established with one stroke of a pen. It can be reversed by a similar stroke of the pen in the future.

As in Pennsylvania, preserving one parcel at a time, and setting aside money to pay legal counsel to prevent easements from being undone 25+ years in the future, has given them a strong, fair system that has preserved hundreds of thousands of acres. And this will stand the test of time.

If Ontario is SERIOUS about farmland preservation, this is the model to follow.

[Original Comment ID: 210961]