According to an analysis of census data by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the province lost 175 acres of arable land a day between 2011 and 2016. That’s equivalent to 224 city blocks each week, or enough for five family farms.
Sarah Epp, assistant professor in the Department of Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph, says most of the land is lost on the outer edge of cities when it is repurposed for development. “Across Ontario, particularly within the Greater Golden Horseshoe, farmland loss is occurring due to expanding urban land uses,” she says.
“Prime agricultural land is a finite resource, and while southern Ontario contains the majority of Canada’s best soil and may appear abundant to some, it simply can’t be replaced elsewhere. We won’t understand the true cost of this until we reach a crisis point.”
“The thing about farmland is, once it’s paved over, it will never again be productive to produce food for human consumption,” says Phil Mount, a farmer near Ottawa and board chair of Sustain Ontario.
“Once it goes under suburban development, it’s gone.”
The issue
The agriculture and food sector employs some 720,000 Ontarians and contributes $46 billion to the provincial economy, according to agricultural consulting agency Wilson Group. Less farmland means less opportunity for farmers. “That makes it tougher for new entrants to get into the business,” says OFA vice-president and farmer Drew Spoelstra. “It also makes it tougher for larger operators that are trying to maintain a land base and ensure that they have some stability going forward.”
Experts say the loss of land also carries significant environmental costs, as animals, including endangered species, lose habitat. According to Ministry of Agriculture data, the province’s arable land provides up to 1.5 million acres of valuable woodland and wetland habitat space for plants and animals, including pollinators such as bees.
The land also stores carbon dioxide that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. A 2008 report from the David Suzuki Foundation estimated that “Greenbelt agricultural soils store 40 million tonnes of carbon” — equivalent to what 13 million households produce in a year.
As farmland gets scarcer, it may become more difficult for farmers to respond to changes in demand for locally produced food. These fluctuations increased during the pandemic, according to a 2021 report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
“Having strong regional food-production systems is only ever going to be a benefit to your region,” Mount says. “And, certainly, in the event of disruption, those regional food systems can step in and take over the feeding of folks at a very basic level.”
What the experts say
Epp, who has researched agricultural legislation such as the Greenbelt Act, says land protection works. “Our research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Greenbelt Plan in stopping development of prime agricultural land. Those areas protected under the Greenbelt were facing significant development pressures before the Greenbelt was created, and the pre-Greenbelt data supports this. Post-Greenbelt, these landscapes were protected.”
In her view, the Greenbelt should not be altered: “The Greenbelt does a good job protecting some of the best soil and sensitive landscapes in southern Ontario … If we want to reduce farmland loss, maintaining the Greenbelt is important, as are policies that support intensification, higher densities, and redevelopment of existing land uses, for example, brownfields.”
The OFA argues that governments should be wary of using ministerial zoning orders to override local planning and fast-track development. On its website, the OFA claims recent MZOs have created “added pressure Ontario farms simply don’t need.”
Wayne Caldwell, also with the University of Guelph, says that “MZOs are an example of a tool that undermines important and successful provincial initiatives” such as the Greenbelt.
Epp says that “if an MZO is going to be used, it should be a last resort and seriously consider the local planning context, the opinions of all stakeholders, and what the long-term implications of the development will be.”
For her, consultation is the most important step to preserving farmland in a smart way. “Any new policies should properly engage with stakeholders and consider all opinions,” she says. “Public engagement, when done properly, is meaningful, improves transparency and accountability, and leads to better policy development.”
What the four major parties say
TVO.org asked the four major parties to answer written questions about how they would protect Ontario's farmland and what that means for climate change, food security, and future development.
Progressive Conservatives
“Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs are getting it done for farmers, including expanding the Ontario Risk Management Program, saving the Ontario Food Terminal, reducing the gas and fuel tax. Since the day we were sworn in, we’ve only ever appointed farmers as full-time Ministers of Agriculture, in order to ensure our farmers have a seat at the table.
“Our PC Government is not only protecting the Greenbelt, but growing it — making the largest expansion of the Greenbelt since its creation.
“Only Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs will get it done and build 1.5 million homes to make the dream of homeownership a reality for Ontario families.”
Ontario Liberals
“Ontario Liberals know that our farmlands are essential to our economy and our food security. We’re committed to protecting farmland and other greenspaces by restoring urban intensification requirements that the Ford Conservatives weakened, expanding the Greenbelt, and supporting farmers for long-term, sustainable operations.
“Ontario Liberals created the Greenbelt, which includes 2 million acres of protected farmland and greenspace.
“Ontario Liberals will protect and expand the Greenbelt, in consultation with farmers, local neighbourhoods, and Indigenous communities. We will kill Highway 413, the Ford Conservatives’ project that would pave over wetlands and farmland to save an average commuter 30 seconds. We’ll also designate 30 per cent of our land as protected areas by 2030 — up from 10 per cent. We’ll strengthen the powers of Ontario’s conservation authorities to prevent flooding and protect farmland.
“We will also work with Ontario farmers to achieve our waste reduction and sustainability goals — including requiring green bin programs to work with farmers and fuel producers to harness organic waste for renewable natural gas and to reduce methane emissions. We’ll promote sustainable farming techniques and develop a made-for-rural climate action plan.”
Ontario NDP
“The Ontario NDP is committed to preserving farmland, preventing further farmland loss, and ensuring Ontario’s farmers thrive. Farmland is critical to feeding Ontario; farmland loss threatens Ontario’s resilience and our ability to feed our communities.
“An NDP government will protect prime farmland and water from land speculators and unsustainable urban development. We’ll expand Ontario’s Greenbelt while increasing economic opportunities for farmers and agricultural operations. We will ensure that before a project takes place on agricultural land, it is subject to a mandatory agricultural impact assessment.”
Green Party
“Ontario Greens are the leading party on protecting farmland. We are fully committed to protecting farmland to increase food security, support local farmers and the food economy, and protect us from the impacts of the climate emergency. We have a plan to increase housing supply while stopping the sprawl that paves over the farmland that feeds us.
“If elected, we will:
• Freeze urban boundaries
• Permanently protect prime farmland from being lost to non-agricultural use, such as urban sprawl, highways, and gravel mining.
• Move Class 1 and 2 soils from the Whitebelt to the Greenbelt.
• Pay farmers and other land holders for verified ecosystem services.
• Keep farmland as food land that farmers can afford to buy.”
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