Protecting agricultural land is food security, says Ontario farm family backing private member's bill
2 MPPs' Protect Our Food Act, which passed 1st reading, aims to preserve arable land
Too often, vegetable farmer George Deleebeeck sees good farmland getting turned into housing.
"Some of the best lands are places where lots are going into," Deleebeeck said of his southwestern Ontario community. Meanwhile, sites that aren't arable get left as is, he added.
"If you get rid of all the best farmland, what's left? They're not making any new land as far as I know."
In 2022, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture said the province is losing 129 hectares of farmland every day — the equivalent of nine family farms each week.
It's an issue that two Ontario politicians are working to address.
Bill 21, Protect Our Food Act, 2025, is a private member's bill by Independent Haldimand—Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner. The bill, which has undergone first reading and has been ordered for second reading, proposes the province establish a farmer-led committee that would identify agricultural land to be included in a "Foodbelt" for preservation.
Hamilton councillors to consider supporting bill
On Wednesday, Brady and Schreiner are scheduled to tell Hamilton city council's general issues committee about the bill. Ward 15 Coun. Ted McMeekin moved a motion calling on the city to support the MPPs and farmers' groups in their efforts.
"We have to save our most productive land in Ontario or our farmers suffer, our small towns suffer, rural communities will dry up," Brady told CBC Hamilton at her Simcoe office in June.
She said prime farmland throughout Ontario is being bought up for development. Undeveloped or agricultural lots are attractive to housing developers, for example, because it's easier to build on than urban land, Brady said.
"Government needs to do everything in its power to get out of the way, allow [farmers] to farm, and make it easier to farm and protect the land that gives us the best product."
Brady spoke with CBC Hamilton alongside Deleebeeck and his son, Andrew. The Deleebeecks' farm is near Spooky Hollow Nature Sanctuary in Norfolk, where they grow food including peppers, soy beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins and squash.
The difference between good and bad farmland is significant, George said, adding you can't make a profit if soil is bad for growing. "It's a matter of dollars and cents."
George and Andrew are third- and fourth-generation farmers. Andrew said their ancestors came to Ontario from Belgium after the Second World War and understood the value of growing their own food.
"My generation, we've never had to starve," Andrew said.
Today, however, many people take agriculture for granted, George said.
"People don't realize that things grow in fields. Believe it or not, you'll get people that order stuff and they think it's on a shelf."
George argues that farmland is food security. (Generally, food security refers to the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food.)
Early in the pandemic, he said, people paid more attention to local farmers and made them feel appreciated as the country struggled with international supply chain issues.
Brady stressed that preserving farmland is also good protection against tariffs, since more local farming means fewer potential trade barriers on some goods.
"In the face of global trade instability, we must tariff-proof our economy. That starts with protecting Ontario's farmland to defend our food sovereignty, our food and farming economy, and our future so we can feed ourselves," Schreiner said in a news release in May.
Bill would appoint 'farmer-led' panel
If it becomes law, Bill 21 would empower a committee of farmers, agricultural experts, soil scientists and professional planners to develop recommendations for preserving and adding to the agricultural land base. The committee would have a year to publish a report to be given to Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Minister Trevor Jones.
Brady emphasized the importance of having farmers at the forefront of decision-making when it comes to the use of agricultural land, saying they shouldn't all be made by people in Toronto towers.
"No disrespect, but I'm not sure too many in those towers would know which end of a tobacco leaf to stick where."
The bill would also amend the Planning Act so that agricultural land cannot be rezoned for other uses unless an agricultural impact assessment is first carried out.
The province maintains it has the tools it needs to protect farmland, Brady said, but "they don't open the toolbox" and are making matters worse with legislation like Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, which she argues will make it easier to pave over arable land.
CBC Hamilton asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness to respond to Brady's comments and whether the government intends to support the private member's bill.
"Our government will always stand up for Ontario's world-class farmers and protect our farmlands," ministry spokesperson Dino Alic said in an email. "Each year, our agri-food sector generates nearly $51 billion in annual GDP, and our agri-food exports have increased by 65 per cent since 2018. We will continue to work with our partners to strengthen and enhance farmland protection while ensuring the growth and long-term success of our agri-food sector."
George said he'd like to see urban areas grow by taking over the least-desired farmland first.
"In my view, if you have a committee, they could say, 'Well, no, the town should go this way because we need this good farmland to produce food, and why should we be building houses there?'"
Brady said she'd also like to see more infill development, and urban areas building up rather than out.
Bill 21 had its first reading in May, but Brady said it could be about a year before MPPs vote on it in the Legislature.
"We would love to see immediate action, but what it does give us is an opportunity to go across the province … and talk to as many people as we can."
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