By Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture There is something exciting about all election campaigns. There’s the intense analysis, the microscope that looks at every candidate’s individual word, and activities. There’s the ups and downs of polls that inspire and discourage people as they cheer on their favourites. There’s the push to get people up out of their chairs to the local community hub to vote, vote, vote! All this ends with a result that potentially lasts for the next four years – are you engaged in this excitement? We’re heading into the final few days of the provincial election campaign. As I look back over the last month, party leaders and candidates have brought numerous and varied issues to the forefront during campaign stops, events and public addresses. But truly, the past month has just been a piece of the work involved in bringing farm and rural issues to the forefront. As an organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) began meeting with political leadership last winter so that we could have meaningful conversations with them about the issues and priorities that matter most to Ontario farmers and rural communities outside of the hustle and bustle of campaign season. We made a point of meeting with candidates from all the major parties in both urban and rural ridings, and as the campaign has unfolded, I see the reflections of those conversations in the platforms the parties are running on. Different parties have chosen to incorporate various aspects of rural infrastructure spending, supply chain investments and farmland preservation into their platforms because they’re issues that resonate with Ontarians across the province. Yes, they’re important to agriculture and to our rural communities, but they also directly impact everyone in Ontario. Investing in the food chain When the pandemic first hit, a major concern for Ontarians was the potential collapse of our food supply chain, but Ontario’s agri-food sector rose to the challenge and ensured we continued to have access to safe, healthy and affordable locally grown food throughout this challenging time. Agriculture will be a key part of our post-pandemic economic recovery, so it’s important that Ontario’s farm policies and regulations ensure stability and prosperity in all aspects of the agri-food supply chain, from field-to-fork. That means ensuring we have enough food processing facilities to meet market demands, addressing the labour shortage that is plaguing the entire agri-food sector, and protecting our ability to produce food for future generations. Farmland preservation Ontarians are keener than ever to source locally grown produce, meats, and dairy products, and for farmers and food producers to meet that demand, we must all work together to stop the loss of our farmland. It’s a limited resource, so we need responsible long-term land use planning that takes a balanced approach to supporting economic growth and protecting agricultural land. The latest Canadian Census of Agriculture data shows that land is now disappearing from agricultural production at a rate of 319 acres per day. That’s an increase from the previous level of 175 acres per day, and it’s simply not sustainable. That kind of loss puts the resilience of our food supply chain and our ability to produce food, fibre and fuel right here at home at risk. Rural infrastructure spending All Ontarians will benefit from government policies that distribute economic development opportunities more evenly across the province. Ontario’s agriculture and food industry contributes more than $47 billion to the provincial economy every year, so to keep this sector profitable and productive, we need strong rural communities with infrastructure to support growth. That includes properly constructed and maintained roads and bridges, widespread broadband, access to affordable energy and increased social infrastructure like schools, hospitals and community hubs. Building long-term relationships The work done during this election campaign is about more than just the future MPPs in Toronto. All the candidates running in this election are leaders who have been chosen by people in their ridings to compete for the right to represent them at Queen’s Park. Whether they win or lose, they will continue to be leaders in their communities, and I see great value in the new dialogue we’ve been able to start – and hopefully will be able to continue with them in whatever role they take on next. I would also like to personally thank every OFA member who has taken the time to talk to candidates, hosted or attended a debate, or engaged in election conversations about food and farming in Ontario – especially during the very busy spring planting season. Those conversations make a difference. Most of all, though, I encourage all of our members and industry partners to get out there and take part in our democracy by casting their ballots. Make your vote count for your farm and your community. Election campaigns are intense, but as the voice of Ontario’s farmers, our work won’t end once the election is over. OFA takes meeting and working with policymakers seriously and regardless of who wins on June 2, we will continue to raise awareness for these critical issues with all levels of government. Our mission is Farms and Food Forever, and that won’t change regardless of the election’s outcome. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected]
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The Dundas Federation of Agriculture (DFA) will be hosting the all-candidates meeting for the upcoming provincial election on Thursday, May 26 at the Chesterville Legion. Doors will open at 6:30pm with the meeting to begin at 7:00pm. The DFA will be hosting in conjunction with the North Dundas and South Dundas Chambers of Commerce.
The DFA encourages all to attend as an opportunity to ask questions and have your voices heard prior to the provincial election on June 2, 2022. By Sara Wood, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Ontario’s provincial election campaign is now in full swing, and across the province, candidates are engaging with voters in hopes of capturing their support at the ballot box. In turn, voters want to know where candidates stand on the issues that matter most to them. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has been meeting candidates from all major parties for the last several months now in both urban and rural ridings to help build awareness of food, farming and how supporting economic investments in agri-food and our rural communities will provide benefit to the entire province. As a farmer who lives in a mostly rural riding, I welcomed the opportunity to sit down and meet with candidates from urban ridings in the Greater Toronto Area. It was a chance to share the election priorities of farmers and rural communities with them, but it was also interesting to learn about what matters to their constituents – and how what we need to thrive and support economic growth will provide benefit for all Ontarians. Agriculture is one of Ontario’s main economic drivers, contributing more than $47 billion a year to the provincial economy and supporting close to one million jobs across the province. There’s no doubt the industry will also have a vital role in our post-pandemic economic recovery, contributing to employment and growth – and government is a key partner in helping to make that happen through policy, legislation and investment. Supply chain resilience Ontario farmers grow and produce more than 200 different food products, supporting a wide array of food manufacturing and processing activity across the province. So, it’s important that Ontario’s farm policies and regulations ensure stability and prosperity in all aspects of the agri-food supply chain, from field-to-fork. Food processing is essential to food security – ensuring we are able to feed ourselves – so we need to make sure we have enough food processing facilities to meet market demands. When the pandemic first hit, a leading concern of many Ontarians was that our food supply chain would collapse. That didn’t happen as Ontario’s agri-food sector rose to the challenge, persevered and showed how strong and resilient it can be. During the uncertainty of the pandemic, many commodity organizations and local federations stepped up by donating food products and contributing funds to help food banks and other groups support those in need. We applaud the efforts made by our industry to keep our supply chain strong as we navigated through these unprecedented times. Our job now is to ensure that strength and resilience continues. That means we must address the labour shortages in the agri-food sector. The gap between the demand for workers and available labour in Ontario currently sits at 29,000 workers and growing – and it’s estimated that job vacancies cost farmers $1.5 billion in lost sales every year. We need focused promotion of agricultural and agri-food programs and careers to Canadian youth to attract job seekers to the sector. We also need to prioritize skills development and training throughout the value chain to make it easier for employers to find, train and keep the workforce they need. Protecting food production by preserving farmland As resilient as our supply chain has proven to be throughout the pandemic, its success all begins with farmland. As farmers, we work hard to maintain the supply and meet the demand for locally grown produce, meat, eggs and dairy products – and without farmland, none of that can happen. We have to contain urban sprawl and preserve the valuable farmland that we have; if we don’t, who will we have to depend on in the future to grow our food when we can no longer do so ourselves? Our province loses an average of five farms per week to development to keep pace with Ontario’s growing population. Even though farmers are continually adopting new technologies and innovations to grow more food with less resources, that kind of farmland loss is not sustainable. We need to ensure we are protecting the land that feeds our families, cities, country and the world – not just for us, but for future generations to come. The decisions we make now will directly impact the future generation’s ability to grow and produce high-quality food, fibre and fuel for our growing population. Long-term land-use planning needs to be responsible and focused on a balance of enabling urban growth while also protecting agricultural land. We can do this by intensifying residential development in our existing urban footprint to create complete and liveable communities and by distributing economic development province-wide. Distribution of economic development province-wide will make rural communities more attractive for families and businesses. Yes, it will require investment in high-speed internet, energy and social infrastructure like schools and hospitals, but encouraging growth and development beyond the Greater Golden Horseshoe will benefit all Ontarians. We would like all candidates to understand the tremendous value and opportunities the agri-food sector and our rural communities have to offer. OFA encourages all voters to get involved in the election by engaging with candidates and asking about their positions on issues that matter most to Ontario’s farming and food sector. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Steve Brackenridge, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Throughout the last two years, farmers and farm businesses have worked hard to adapt to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. That included ensuring Ontarians continued to have access to locally grown food and keeping farm workers and rural communities healthy and safe. As an industry that contributes $47 billion a year to the provincial economy, agriculture is a key economic engine for Ontario. Agriculture will also be a key driver of the province’s post-pandemic economic recovery – and as candidates of all parties roll out their election campaigns, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is busy making sure the issues that matter to farmers and their communities are front and centre. We’ve already been meeting with candidates over the last few months leading up to the provincial campaign to help build awareness of food and farming and what we need to thrive and support economic growth for all Ontarians. I’ve participated in a few of those meetings myself to share our provincial election priorities and provide more information about how supporting farms and rural communities will provide benefit to the entire province. Investing in rural infrastructure We believe the key to producing prosperity for Ontario is ensuring that economic development opportunities are spread more evenly across the province than they are now. The pandemic has shown clearly how inconsistent infrastructure and services can unfairly disadvantage the non-urban regions of our province. Now, more than ever, all levels of government need to engage with the agricultural community to capitalize on the economic opportunities that the farming and food sector could additionally provide for the economy and its citizens. Ontario’s rural economy relies on properly constructed and maintained roads, bridges, and drainage to support the growth and transportation of goods and services. Simply put, when we can’t get trucks on the road, local food doesn’t make it to Ontario stores. Rural Ontarians pay anywhere from 30 to 100 percent more for energy than people in urban areas because many parts of the province still don’t have access to natural gas. If natural gas was available across Ontario, farmers, local businesses, and rural residents could save more than $1 billion in annual energy costs – money that could instead be used to create jobs and grow businesses. Fast, reliable and affordable internet has become an indispensable necessity of life in our modern world. Pandemic-related restrictions that sent everything from school to social activities online certainly highlighted that need – yet also illustrated how this piece of critical infrastructure is still not yet available to everyone in Ontario, putting rural Ontario at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the province. That’s why we’re urging a newly elected government to make long-term investments in rural roads and bridges, reliable broadband internet, and affordable access to natural gas. But it’s not just about physical infrastructure. To attract and keep families in rural communities, our social infrastructure needs support as well. This means schools, healthcare, recreation, businesses, community hubs and programs, and mental health and wellness resources that can meet the unique needs of rural Ontario and the agri-food sector. Supporting responsible land use planning As a farmer, I believe strongly in the need for preserving farmland and protecting high quality agricultural land that is vital to our food production through responsible land-use planning – and we’ve been hearing that this is an issue that matters to many candidates too. In Ontario, we grow and raise more than 200 hundred commodities, from grains, fruits and vegetables to milk, meat and eggs. Farmland is vital to our ability to grow food for Ontario, Canada and the world – after all, they’re not making any more of it, so it’s essential that we carefully look after this valuable resource that we have. Through responsible land-use practices, we know that farmland preservation can go hand-in-hand with addressing the province’s housing needs. The solution is two-fold: intensification of the residential development in our existing urban footprint to create complete and liveable communities, along with the distribution of economic development province-wide. New investments in rural communities and distribution of economic development beyond just the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area will grow existing businesses and attract new ones and make those areas appealing for new residents to raise their families and build their lives. When you support local farmers, you are supporting the jobs and employment opportunities the agri-food sector creates, as well as the economic growth and prosperity it contributes to the province. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Drew Spoelstra, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture For decades, farmers have been losing prime farmland to urban sprawl. I have seen several productive farms turned into housing developments, soccer fields, shopping malls, movie theatres and highway extensions. Our Home Grown campaign paints a very concerning picture using a time-lapse to illustrate the far-reaching impacts urban development has had on specific regions across the province. As we continue the trend of losing acreage every day, I think it’s time we ask ourselves, “How do we plan on producing safe, sustainable food for a growing population if our farmers are losing the finite resources needed to grow and produce these commodities?” On March 30, 2022, the Ontario government introduced legislation that will help support plans to increase the province’s housing supply. The government committed to completing a housing supply action plan every year for the next four years, beginning 2022-23. These legislative changes came shortly after the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force released their recommendations report. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) supports the goal of building more homes to accommodate a growing population. We recognize the challenges Ontarians face with soaring housing costs, so we believe the answer for farmers and non-farmers alike lies with smart land-use planning policy. For Ontario to continue to grow and prosper, we must have a long-term plan to preserve productive land for the purpose of food production. With the global population projected to rise to 9.8 billion by 2050, an increase in affordable housing supply will need to be accommodated, but so too will the demand for food production. To put this into perspective, less than 5% of Ontario’s land base can support agricultural production for human consumption. In fact, we’ve lost 1.5 million acres of farmland to development between 1996 and 2016 alone – which is the equivalent of 175 acres per day. New research also shows that southwestern Ontario lost more than 72,000 acres of prime agricultural land to urban development from 2000 to 2017. Ontario cannot sustain these continuing losses while still maintaining our ability to produce food, fibre and fuel from a limited and declining agricultural land base. OFA has been addressing the issue of farmland preservation and local food production in recent meetings with provincial election candidates. As farmers, we’re happy to meet the demand for more local food, but that means our province needs to make preserving farmland and containing urban sprawl a priority. Long-term land-use planning must balance responsible urban growth with protecting agricultural land to ensure that future generations have the resources necessary to continue to grow food for Ontarians and Canadians right here at home. Within my community, I have seen constant urbanization of farmland. I have known many farmers who have been forced to relocate due to urban sprawl, and only a few decades later, they are finding themselves in the same situation. Several factors outside of a farmer’s control, such as rapidly changing housing markets, planning processes, and political decisions, force them to work without the security and stability necessary to maintain a modern farm business and land base. Many farmers are also seeing development arise in close proximity to their land, which also puts our operation at risk. Farming near urban development creates heavy traffic pressures when moving equipment around or trespass issues when our fields become mistaken for walking trails or dirt bike paths, endangering our livestock or crops. Normal farm practices, like noise, dust, odour, or flies, can also become an issue for nearby residents when urban and rural communities intersect. Privacy also becomes a concern when urban development begins to encroach into agricultural areas resulting in farmers having to work next to residential developments. Although our day-to-day work on the farm may seem normal to us, spraying against someone’s fence or working in the late hours of the day may become an uncomfortable task when being observed. Another concern we are facing is the unprecedented use of Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) in municipalities that have robust land-use planning systems. MZOs have been used to quickly advance sprawl-induced housing developments, leading to further loss of farmland in Ontario. Since 2019, 2,000 acres of farmland have been lost to MZOs. Once land has been developed and paved over, it is lost forever. OFA believes fixed, permanent urban boundaries will help limit the loss of agricultural land. By redeveloping vacant or underused space, utilizing areas with poor soils or drainage, reinventing existing infrastructure, or building higher density development, we would be able to preserve Ontario’s productive land for food production. Urban intensification can also be utilized to protect agricultural land, by boosting economic growth, creating new jobs, providing affordable housing options, supporting municipal infrastructure systems, ensuring food security, and contributing to environmental stewardship. We will continue to advocate for the protection of productive farmland and keep this message at the forefront of political party platforms. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] |
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