On December 16, 2003, the provincial government introduced the Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003.
The Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003 imposes a 1-year freeze on the conversion of rural and agriculturally zoned lands to residential, commercial or industrial land use designations. During the 1-year freeze, the government intends to establish a permanent greenbelt in the Golden Horseshoe region; the urban arc extending from Oshawa in the east, through Toronto and Hamilton to Niagara.
The legislation also establishes a study area for the implementation of a permanent freeze. That study area is described in the legislation as including the Regions of Durham, Halton, Peel and York, the City of Hamilton and portions of Niagara Region. In addition, the study area also encompasses the Niagara Escarpment Planning Area north of Peel as well as Oak Ridges Moraine lands in Northumberland and Simcoe Counties.
The intention of the government is to use the creation of a “greenbelt” around the Golden Horseshoe to contain urban sprawl, the spreading of urban development (residential, commercial or industrial) onto adjacent rural and agriculturally zoned lands.
One reason cited as the need to somehow control urban sprawl is the fact that the Golden Horseshoe area is growing by 115,000 people every year. As these people move into the area, they require housing. And along with the added housing goes associated new commercial and industrial developments.
This proposal has already had significant impacts on farmland within the greenbelt study area. The establishment of a permanent greenbelt in the Golden Horseshoe region will have long-term implications for both farmers whose lands are within the greenbelt area as well as those farmers whose lands are adjacent to the greenbelt.
Among the issues for which we have yet to receive any clarification are;
- compensation for loss of equity,
- the ability of farmers to expand their operations,
- the degree to which farm practices will be dictated,
- the degree to which day-to-day activities will be dictated,
- the public expectation that they will have access to farmland for recreation,
- the need for expanded transportation corridors across the greenbelt, and
- the reality that urban development will leap frog the greenbelt.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has begun work on the development of a response to the government’s Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003. Last month, representatives from the county federations in the study area and commodity organizations met with the Chair of OFA’s Land Use Committee and staff from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. The OFA Land Use Committee has set up an ad hoc committee to assist it in the development of an OFA response to the Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003.
The OFA Land Use Committee would like to hear what County Federations, Commodity Organizations and individual farmers think of the government’s greenbelt proposal. A questionnaire on the Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003 is on the OFA website; www.ofa.on.ca. Look for “Greenbelt Protection Act Survey” under “Hot Topics”.