BRUCEDALE – Guelph-Eramosa council had a presentation on Oct. 21 from Kathryn Enders of Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT), and will consider a $5,000 grant for the group as part of 2020 budget discussions.
OFT helps landowners who want to see their farms permanently protected for agriculture. Enders said the funding would be used for work within the township, which has 62,000 acres of high-quality farmland.
Council asked how land use would be limited.
“We work with the farmer to come up with restrictions – some of those restrictions are: no severances, no subdivisions, no landfills, no aggregates, no Walmarts, that sort of thing,” she said.
In addition to local initiatives, OFT works with the province and other partners to encourage greater protection for agriculture and farmland through planning and policy development.
“This seems reasonable to me; it’s a noble cause,” said Mayor Chris White. “We are under the threat of growth, with the GTA growing and Places to Grow legislation.”
OFT says Ontario loses 175 acres of farmland every day, with 20 per cent of all Ontario farmland being converted to other uses between 1976 and 2016.
