Farm organizations and planning officials are pleased the Ontario government has backed down on a controversial part of its effort to accelerate residential development across the province.
The new Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) and Bill 97, the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act proposes a series of amendments to the Planning Act, including allowing up to three lots to be severed from designated agricultural properties for residential development. Ontario’s three main farm organizations, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), the National Farmers Union-Ontario (NFU-O), and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) had formed a united opposition to the proposals.
On May 30, the provincial government announced it was removing the three-lot severance provision from the new PPS and would be extending the public consultation period on the new document, which will serve as the guiding policy for municipal and regional planners across the province for land use planning and development.
A joint statement from the OFA, NFU-O, CFFO, and several commodity organizations welcomed the government’s decision.
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