Centre Wellington council endorses Schreiner/Brady bill

ELORA – Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner and Haldimand–Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady were preaching to the choir as they delegated to Centre Wellington council on Oct. 14.

Schreiner and Brady jointly introduced Bill 21: Protect Our Food Act in the Ontario Legislature and have been delegating to councils to drum up support from municipalities before the bill gets second reading.

“We’re doing the rounds,” Schreiner told council.“We want to create a food belt to protect farmland in the province.”

Schreiner said the agri-food sector adds $52 billion to the economy and employs some 875,000 people in Ontario.

But at the same time the province is losing 319 acres of farmland a day to other uses, like residential development, aggregate extraction and highways.

“Now, as we see threats to our sovereignty and our economy, it’s more important than ever to protect farmland,” Schreiner said.

Bill 21 seeks to create a Foodbelt, similar to the Greenbelt, that would permanently protect agricultural land from development.

The bill would establish a task force of farmers, agricultural experts and land-use planners to develop recommendations for a Foodbelt Protection Plan to address key priorities like reducing land speculation, improving soil health and enabling prime agricultural land to continue producing food.

Schreiner said he and Brady have received support from the Ontario and Canadian federations of agriculture and many commodity organizations.

Hamilton was the first municipality to endorse the bill. Brady said her riding is home to numerous crops and livestock farming.

“If we don’t protect food-producing land, it will send shock waves across the economy,” she said.

“Once farmland is gone, it’s gone. We need a clear path forward. Bill 21 provides that baseline.”

Mayor Shawn Watters noted Centre Wellington council and staff have been working to intensify within the current urban boundary and protect agricultural land as the township grows.

“We need to demonstrate to the province that we can help with the housing component but have to protect the agricultural piece,” Watters said.

Councillor Bronwynne Wilton proposed a motion endorsing Bill 21, which was unanimously supported by council.