'It certainly feels good to be heard': Ontario farmers convince Ford government to abandon lot severances
Ontario farmers convince the Ontario government to abandon lot severances.
The proposal was included in a Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) designed to ease the housing crisis in Ontario.
Along with Bill 97, a separate piece of legislation, called the “Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act”, Ontario is trying to find ways to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.
The PPS included a proposal to allow a parcel of farmland to be severed in three ways.
“Unfortunately the lot severance was something that was just I'm not sure there was going to be any middle ground,” says Ethan Wallace, director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). “Our province needs housing and we don't want to stand in the way of that. But we certainly think there's a more efficient and better use for farmland than simply sprawl housing.”
On May 19, the OFA issued a joint letter on behalf of most of Ontario’s agriculture associations, asking the government to abandon the severance proposal.
“The concerns surrounded operations like myself that are on the small side,” says Wallace. “A house can be put at the limit, the existing minimum distance separation, and it will prevent me from expanding my operation in the future.”
Wallace says after voicing their concerns the government “took the time to listen and to sit down with us”.
On May 29, the OFA issued a news release saying the province was abandoning the severance proposal.
“It certainly feels good that we were heard,” says Wallace. ”It means that they do respect agriculture here in Ontario.”
In a written statement to CTV News Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing confirmed, “We will not be moving forward with the proposal on rural lot severances.”
The Ministry says the proposal was meant to make it easier for farmers to sever a piece of their land to a descendent and allow them to build a home closer to existing barns or buildings than is currently allowed.
“To be clear: It has never been our intention for severed lots to be transferred or sold to non-family/farm owners, nor for these lots to have anything more than single-family homes (i.e. no multi-residential structures),” Minister Steve Clark wrote in his letter to the OFA. “Any ambiguity regarding our intentions will be clarified, eliminated and resolved.”
The government has now extended the public consultation phase on the PPS to August 4, 2023, to allow “..our government more time to consider alternative solutions to support multi-generational farm families..”.
According to CTVNews.ca, the Ontario government passed Bill 97 on Monday.
It will go into effect once it receives Royal Assent.
The legislation will allow cities, among other things, to expand their borders “at any time” in order to build more homes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.