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Agriculture Area Review
The Counties is sharing information and seeking feedback respecting the identification of prime Agricultural Area lands.
We welcome your review of these links to a presentation detailing the studies' process and approach and the draft land evaluation (soils) mapping for the Counties. (Please note: The land evaluation mapping is only part of the evaluation criteria. An area review will also inform if the lands are viable for agricultural activities and protection.)
If you have questions, comments, suggestions or wish to be put on a mailing list for updates and notices of meetings, please contact Elaine Mallory, Planner 1. Please be advised that all comments received form part of the public record for this study.
| Background | ||||||
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The Counties (UCLG) is undertaking a study of prime Agricultural Area lands to identify if there are any additional prime Agricultural Area lands that should be added to the Counties Official Plan (COP) and to confirm the existing Agricultural Area boundaries. The UCLG has retained a consulting team from PLANSCAPE, a professional planning firm with experience in many agricultural land reviews throughout Ontario, to undertake completion of this work. Soil experts will be involved in the land assessments. A Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR), a provincially supported methodology, is proposed to be used. The reason this study is being undertaken is because of a requirement of the 2015 first Counties Official Plan, approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2016. Due to a compressed timeline for the Official Plan preparation, there were some planning issues that were not reviewed in detail, including the lands included in the Agricultural Area designation. As a result, lands within the current Agricultural Area designation consist primarily of prime agricultural lands, based on the agricultural areas established in the local municipal Official Plans. At that time, it was known/suspected that the agricultural land mapping was not comprehensive and that some agricultural areas were missing. Many of these local official plans and their mapping were created under previous provincial policies with varying definitions of prime agricultural lands. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing recognized the issue by modifying the Counties Official Plan to add policy 3.2.3 (a), which states: “The Counties, in consultation with the local municipalities and the Province, will undertake a comprehensive Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR) or equivalent study to assist in identifying and designating prime agricultural areas in the Counties prior to the next review of this Plan under Section 26 of the Planning Act.” This project will identify any agricultural areas which are not shown in the current Counties Official Plan (COP) schedule and will refine boundaries of existing agriculture areas on the COP schedule. Ultimately the review will provide a new map of the agricultural system consisting of Prime Agricultural lands to be updated on the Counties Official Plan schedule. Your participation in this process is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated. If you have questions, comments, suggestions or wish to be put on a mailing list for updates and notices of meetings, please contact the staff member noted below under "Contact Us". Please be advised that all comments received form part of the public record for this study. |
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| Stages of the Study | ||||||
The study will progress through three main stages, with broad public and stakeholder participation during each step.
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| What are prime Agricultural Areas? | ||||||
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Prime agricultural areas means areas where prime agricultural lands (which means specialty crop areas and/or Canada Land Inventory Class 1, 2, and 3 lands, as amended from time to time, in this order of priority for protection) predominate. This includes areas of prime agricultural lands and associated Canada Land Inventory Class 4 through 7 lands, and additional areas where there is a local concentration of farms which exhibit characteristics of ongoing agriculture. 2
1 http://omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/permitteduses.htm 2 Source: PPS, 2020 |
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| Why are Agricultural Areas Important? | ||||||
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Ontario makes up 7.7 per cent of this total farm area, but accounts for over a quarter (25.5 percent) of total farms in Canada, having a significant economic impact.2 In 2021, Canada exported nearly $82.2 billion in agriculture and food products.3 It is clear Agricultural Areas in Ontario are the foundation of local food production, agri-food exports and the growing bio economy, and make a significant contribution to Canada and Ontario's jobs and economic prosperity. However, Ontario loses 319 acres of farmland every day, and is losing its best, most productive agricultural soils the fastest. Between 1976 and 2021 Ontario lost over 20% of its farmland.4 Agricultural land is finite and non-renewable - great care must be taken to make sure we have this resource for generations of farmers to come. 5 In addition to a wide number of challenges faced by the agriculture industry, threats to agriculture land include encroaching residential uses (severances, rural subdivision development), settlement area expansion and covering of prime soils with non-agricultural uses and buildings. With such pressure from these threats increasing, it is important to ensure that Agricultural Areas are identified for protection. Some facts about our local farming community can be found at: https://invest.leedsgrenville.com/en/business-profile/agriculture-and-food-processing.aspx .
1 Agriculture in Canada, The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/agriculture-in-canada 2 https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/96-325-x/2021001/article/00006-eng.htm 4 Farmland Policy, Ontario Farmland Trust, https://ontariofarmlandtrust.ca/what-we-do/farmland-policy/ 5 http://omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/permitteduses.html |
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| Resources | ||||||
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Current Agricultural Areas in the Counties Official Plan Schedule A OFA (Ontario Federation of Agriculture) Consolidated Agricultural Land Use Policy Statement |
In Ontario, prime Agriculture Areas are the province's most fertile areas where most of our crops are produced.1
Only about 7 per cent of Canada’s land can be farmed.1
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