On behalf of the Ontario…

On behalf of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) please find attached our submission with respect to ERO # 019-6240 (Amendments to Certain Requirements under the Excess Soil Regulation).

OFA is committed to protecting agricultural lands and we maintain that agricultural activities make the highest and best use of arable land. Soil is a non-renewable resource vital to food production and human health.

We recognize these amendments are meant to make the regulation more practical and focused on higher-risk projects moving soil in the province, we remain concerned with any lessening of the regulation related to movement of soils onto agricultural lands regardless of the source.

OFA believes the generator is responsible for ensuring the quality of excess soil meets all provincial quality requirements for application to agricultural lands.

OFA does not wish to increase regulatory burden on farmers to access and reuse excess soils as fill on their property; we will continue to monitor the implementation of the Excess Soil Regulation to ensure negative impacts to agricultural lands are prevented.

Thank you.