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Bill 62, Farmland and Arable Land Strategy Act, 2023

Brady, Bobbi Ann

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Bill 62 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill enacts the Farmland and Arable Land Strategy Act,

2023 .

The

Act requires the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to develop a

strategic action plan that aims to protect Ontario’s farmland and arable land

from development, aggregate mining and the effects of fluctuating commodity

prices and the availability of vacant land. The Minister is required to engage

in consultations when developing the strategy and must prepare a report setting

out the strategy within nine months after the Act receives Royal Assent.

The

Act also establishes the Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee whose

mandate is to provide advice and recommendations to the Minister that aim to

prevent further land degradation in order to protect farmland and arable land

for generations to come and ensure short-term and long-term food security for

Ontario. The Act provides for the composition of the Committee. Members of the

Committee are to be selected by a committee of members of the Legislative

Assembly. The Committee is required to provide a report of its findings, advice

and recommendations to the Minister at least every six months. The Minister is

required to, in turn, table each report in the Legislative Assembly.

Bill 62 2023

Act to provide for the development of a farmland and arable land strategy and

an advisory committee on farmland and arable land

Preamble

Land

use planning affects our daily lives. Ontario’s farmland and arable land is an

essential resource for the sustainability and security of our food systems,

environment and local economies. The sustainability of farmland, arable land

and the agricultural industry depends on the availability and quality of land.

Over half (52 per cent) of Canada’s prime soils (Type 1 soils) are in Ontario.

At the same time, less than five per cent of Ontario’s landscape is arable land,

with the best of it often located next to large cities.

Farmland

and arable land is productive, valuable and essential but most importantly it

is finite and non-renewable. This is an important consideration in the face of

increasing pressure to develop housing in Ontario.

According

to the most recent census data, Ontario is losing more than 319 acres of arable

land each day. While there are various reasons for this, including the

development of power grid battery storage sites and solar farms, the principal

cause is development and aggregate mining.

the Government of Ontario continues with its target to create 1.5 million new

homes in Ontario, it is vital to put in place policies that will protect

Ontario’s farmers and their land, as well as Ontario’s food security, both now

and in the future.

Therefore,

His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of

the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Definitions

this Act,

“arable

land” means land that is or is capable of being cultivated, including pasture

land and cropland; (“terres arables”)

“Committee”

means the Farmland and Arable Land Advisory Committee established under

section

3; (“Comité”)

“Minister”

means the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs or such other member

of the executive council to whom the responsibility for the administration of

this Act is assigned under the Executive Council Act .

(“ministre”)

Farmland

and Arable Land Strategy

(1) The

Minister shall develop a strategic action plan that aims to protect Ontario’s farmland

and arable land from development, aggregate mining and the effects of

fluctuating commodity prices and the availability of vacant land.

Consultation

(2) When

developing the strategy, the Minister shall consult with relevant stakeholders

including the farming community, land use planners, municipal partners and the

outdoors community.

Timeline

for development

(3) No

later than nine months after the day this Act receives Royal Assent, the

Minister shall ensure that,

(

a) a

report is prepared that sets out the strategic action plan; and

(

b) the

report is published on a website of the Government of Ontario and a copy

provided to the Committee.

Committee

(1) An

Land Advisory Committee” and in French as the “Comité consultatif des terres

agricoles et des terres arables”.

Mandate

of the Committee

(2) The

Committee shall provide advice and recommendations to the Minister that aim to prevent

further land degradation in order to protect farmland and arable land for

generations to come and ensure short-term and long-term food security for

Ontario.

Same

(3) In

fulfilling its mandate, the Committee shall,

(

a) review

Ontario land use policy, current and past legislation and municipal by-laws

respecting land use, farming best practices and tax policies that relate to

Ontario’s farmland and arable land; and

(

b) take

into account the strategic action plan prepared by the Minister in preparing

its advice and recommendations.

Selection

committee

(4) The

members of the Committee shall be selected by a selection committee composed of

up to seven members of the Legislative Assembly, of whom two must be government

members, two must be opposition members, one must be a member of another party,

if applicable, and up to two may be independent members, if applicable.

Composition

(5) The

Committee shall be composed of an odd number of members that is no more than 11,

and the members of the Committee must be representative of the farming

community, the real estate industry, the outdoors community and any other

community or industry that the selection commit thinks appropriate.

Reporting

(6) The

Committee shall, at least every six months, prepare a report of its findings,

advice and recommendations and provide it to the Minister.

Report

to Assembly

(7) The

Minister shall, as soon as reasonably possible after receiving a report from

the Committee, table the report in the Legislative Assembly.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Farmland and Arable Land Strategy Act, 2023 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

March 9, 2023

Second Reading

Vote

Lost on division

March 8, 2023

Second Reading

Question put

Vote deferred

March 8, 2023

Second Reading

Debated

February 21, 2023

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

February 21, 2023

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

February 21, 2023

Carried

Second Reading

March 8, 2023

Brady, Bobbi Ann

Haldimand—Norfolk

Flack, Rob

Elgin—Middlesex—London

Jones, Trevor

Chatham-Kent—Leamington

McMahon, Mary-Margaret

Beaches—East York

Schreiner, Mike

Guelph

Vanthof, John

Timiskaming—Cochrane

March 9, 2023

Lost on division

Vote on second reading - Lost (March 9, 2023)

Ayes

(29) Jill Andrew

Teresa J. Armstrong

Doly Begum

Jessica Bell

Stephanie Bowman

Bobbi Ann Brady

Jeff Burch

Lucille Collard

Catherine Fife

John Fraser

Jennifer K. French

Wayne Gates

France Gélinas

Chris Glover

Joel Harden

Ted Hsu

Bhutila Karpoche

Mary-Margaret McMahon

Peggy Sattler

Mike Schreiner

Adil Shamji

Sandy Shaw

Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens

Peter Tabuns

Monique Taylor

John Vanthof

Lise Vaugeois

Jamie West

Kristyn Wong-Tam

Nays

(68) Deepak Anand

Aris Babikian

Robert Bailey

Patrice Barnes

Will Bouma

Ric Bresee

Hon. Paul Calandra

Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho

Hon. Stan Cho

Hon. Steve Clark

Lorne Coe

Hon. Stephen Crawford

Rudy Cuzzetto

Jess Dixon

Hon. Doug Downey

Hon. Jill Dunlop

Hon. Victor Fedeli

Hon. Rob Flack

Michael D. Ford

Dawn Gallagher Murphy

Goldie Ghamari

Parm Gill

Hardeep Singh Grewal

Hon. Ernie Hardeman

Hon. Mike Harris

Hon. Kevin Holland

Hon. Trevor Jones

John Jordan

Logan Kanapathi

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner

Hon. Andrea Khanjin

Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta

Anthony Leardi

Hon. Stephen Lecce

Hon. Neil Lumsden

Robin Martin

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy

Hon. Graham McGregor

Hon. Caroline Mulroney

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff

Billy Pang

Hon. Michael Parsa

Hon. David Piccini

Natalie Pierre

Hon. George Pirie

Hon. Nolan Quinn

Matthew Rae

Kaleed Rasheed

Hon. Greg Rickford

Brian Riddell

Ross Romano

Sheref Sabawy

Amarjot Sandhu

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria

Stéphane Sarrazin

Brian Saunderson

Hon. Laurie Scott

Hon. Donna Skelly

David Smith

Hon. Graydon Smith

Hon. Kinga Surma

Hon. Nina Tangri

Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo

Effie J. Triantafilopoulos

Daisy Wai

Hon. Charmaine A. Williams

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