Calls for farmland protection intensify amid daily land losses

Concern is increasing over Ontario’s rapidly depleting agricultural lands, which make up five per cent of the province’s land mass.

According to the latest Census of Agriculture, Ontario’s daily farmland loss has nearly doubled since 2016, to 319 acres compared to 175 acres per day. That is the rough equivalent of losing nine farms each day.

“To see a daily loss of 319 acres of farmland is a shocking jolt of reality that is simply not sustainable if we hope to have any kind of food sovereignty or independence in Ontario,” said Peggy Brekveld, Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) president.

Why it matters: Farmland loss means less land on which to grow food and drives up price of farmland.

She said urban growth isn’t the only cause of farmland loss but “it can’t be denied that development is putting intense pressure on Ontario farmland. Urban development is leap-frogging the greenbelt and straining against urban-rural boundaries.”

The need for accessible, affordable housing and agricultural land protection are not mutually exclusive, said Brekveld, and can be achieved through strong, long-term strategic land planning.

The OFA is concerned that the accelerated loss of agricultural land could be catastrophic for Ontario’s food sovereignty unless there is comprehensive and enforceable protection.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the province’s agri-food industry contributed 6.4 per cent of Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product in 2021, an increase of 5.8 per cent, or $47.6 billion, over the previous year.

Farm cash receipts and total value of capital on Ontario farms have grown by approximately 40 per cent since 2016, while daily agricultural land losses have nearly doubled.

“We have to think long-term and use strategic visioning of what we want this province to be and how will we feed the 1.5 million people they predict will come to this province,” Brekveld said.

Innovative urban-rural planning in jurisdictions including Germany and Waterloo have successfully integrated agricultural land protection and urban growth land planning with economically positive results for both urbanites and agriculture, she added.

Germany incorporated farmlands into its urban boundaries and protected farmland beyond it by investing in walkable communities, efficient transit and affordable housing options to suit residents’ current and future needs.

In February, Ontario’s Housing Affordability Task Force (OHATF) made 55 recommendations to the province. It suggested diversification of the full spectrum of housing supply, improving densification and modernizing zoning to facilitate growth in the “missing middle” of housing options.

Mid-rise condos, rental housing, smaller houses on subdivided lots or laneways and additional units in existing dwellings define the “missing middle” category.

Modernized zoning to allow multi-residential amendments or new builds to address the lack of affordable housing could transform 70 per cent of Toronto’s land restricted by single-detached or semi-detached zoning to meet housing needs and densification, the task force indicated.

It noted the average price of a house in Ontario climbed from $329,000 to $923,000 within the last decade, which is approximately a 180 per cent increase. In comparison, the average income grew by only 38 per cent.

The report said using existing lands within urban boundaries, modernizing zoning to address housing shortfalls and building more diversified housing options could slow, if not halt, growth past urban limits and the loss of farmland to development.

“Relying too heavily on underdeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture,” the report said, noting farms provide food and food security. It also advised protection should be mandatory for the greenbelt and other environmentally sensitive areas.

Farmtario asked OMAFRA whether the Ford government would reconsider the Highway 413 proposal due to its impact on prime agricultural land, the environment and rising outcry from the public.

It responded by saying there is a challenge in balancing development to accommodate the Greater Golden Horseshoe’s projected growth with the needs of agriculture so they both thrive.

“Ontario’s farmland is critical to the success of our agri-food sector, which is a key driver of the economy and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs,” a spokesperson said in an emailed response. “Protecting farmland is a key consideration when determining the needs of our growing population and maintaining a viable agri-food sector.”

All major highways, including the 407, will be at or will exceed rush-hour capacity within the next decade. OMAFRA said sector-wide stakeholder input, including that of farmers, supports the highway.

“From an agricultural lens, it’s (the 413) a good thing,” said Tom Dolson, Peel Federation of Agriculture president, in a quoted email.

“It should take a lot of traffic off the arterial roads, and that’s something that causes a lot of grief in Caledon with the added growth we’ve had and running farm equipment between farms.”

Provincial plans, including the Greenbelt Plan and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the GGH, contain policies requiring an agricultural systems approach and completion of agricultural impact assessments for new or expanding infrastructure projects, the spokesperson said.

The system assists in identifying and protecting vital agricultural land and supports a thriving agri-food sector. The revised provincial policy statement includes Ontario-wide land-use policies to protect agricultural lands and encourage municipal-level implementation of the agricultural system.

Brekveld argues that the province isn’t following its policies with the Highway 413 project, led by the transportation ministry, which is responsible for environmental assessment and minimizing the impact on farmland and the agri-food sector.

“What will that look like in 10, 50 or 100 years if left unchecked?” asks Brekveld. “Once this farmland is gone, it’s gone forever. We are not saying don’t build; we get the province must accommodate growth. We are saying build in the right places through long-term strategic land-use planning.”

Kevin Eby, former Region of Waterloo director of community planning, said implementing urban land planning that acknowledges agricultural lands as a critical resource is possible with education and buy-in from municipal government and the community.

Waterloo’s long-term strategic land plan embraces growth intensification through reviewing and renewing structures such as warehouses, incorporating commercial-housing hybrid models, modernized zoning for multi-residential amendments within single-family dwellings and using census data to address areas of significant social shifts like the need for student housing.

“All of the shifts, the climate-aware lifestyle changes and aging seniors, are all leading in one direction — and that’s away from single-detached units,” said Eby.

“We’re seeing that in the marketplace here in Waterloo and throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe.”

Eby said the 2005 growth plan housing forecast for single-detached units fell short by approximately 10 per cent, while the last 10 to 20 years have seen an increase in duplexes and laneway houses.

“Waterloo had its third-largest number of units built last year and the year before,” he said. “They had almost nine per cent accessory dwellings. That’s a phenomenal number. The marketplace is changing, and it’s asking for something different.”

Municipalities need to track and plan land use for the needs of their community in 20 years, not just now, so they can maximize the resale of single dwelling units through a diverse housing supply, he said.

In the Waterloo region, approximately 100,000 residents who now live in single dwellings will be in the 70-year-old plus demographic by 2051 and may struggle to sell their homes and find other accommodations, Eby said.

“Are we building for the new people coming in, or are we building for the people already here, and through doing that, freeing up their units for the new people coming in?

“It’s a very different kind of mindset you have to think about as you’re looking at what the needs for the community are because they’re changing dramatically.”

Rising mortgage rates and fuel costs exert pressure and may redirect demand toward higher density housing and developments in the 40-storey range that are spaced throughout a walkable community with easy access to public transport.

Brekveld said municipalities could reduce pressure and increase farmland protection by instituting a protection clause stating that a community must meet its intensity targets before considering outward expansion.

The goal is to protect farmland and ensure the agricultural sector remains viable and healthy, she said.

“We can do that through supporting our local food movement and public procurement from Ontario food,” she said.

“We’re ready for the challenge of growing more food and ensuring that the people living here now and the ones coming can enjoy Ontario food and food security.”