Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: The CFFO’s thoughts on the Aggregate Resources Act Review

By Nathan Stevens

May 18, 2012
 
The provincial government is conducting a review of the Aggregate Resources Act. This is an important piece of legislation for the agriculture sector due to competition for land within the rural countryside. The Christian Farmers submitted comments reflecting the long-term balance needed between aggregates and farmland.
 
In the big picture, the CFFO recognizes that aggregate extraction is essential for infrastructure development, and that municipalities are significant users of these resources. As a bulk resource, transportation is a significant cost factor, which has made a “close to home” extraction strategy a priority over time. However, the availability of significant “close to home” resources for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is diminishing, leading to broader considerations in the long-term.
 
Balanced against the economic aggregate extraction priority is the long-term strategic priority for Ontario to maintain its best farmland for the purpose of farming. Ontario is blessed with significant regions of high quality land, a moderate climate and tremendous access to fresh water. Secondly, Ontario is home to the second largest food processing hub in North America. Ensuring that the raw product for this hub remains “close to home” should be strategically significant for this province as it struggles economically and seeks strengths to build upon.
 
The CFFO has identified a number of land use concerns. The first is that that in Specialty Crop Areas, no aggregate extraction be allowed under any circumstance. Second, areas of class 1-3 farmland, including “rural” land that was considered to be of Class 1-3 quality at some point in the past, that no extraction be allowed below the water table. Finally, that aggregate operators be required to surrender their licenses in a timely manner following extraction to expedite rehabilitation of the site to an appropriate land use, preferably for agricultural uses.
 
There are also a number of broad strategic and policy directions that should be considered that relate to aggregate resource use in Ontario. First, recycling and re-use of aggregate resources on redevelopment sites must become a priority. Secondly, transportation infrastructure will need to be re-evaluated as the “close to home” aggregate strategy becomes less feasible over time.
 
The Aggregate Resources Act plays an important role in the rural landscape. From the CFFO perspective, the review needs to be sure it properly weighs the value of agriculture and the agri-food sector, and the land that serves as its foundation, when considering new possibilities for the rules surrounding aggregate use in Ontario.


 

Nathan Stevens is the Interim Manager and Director of Policy Development for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston and in Brantford and Woodstock. It is also found on the CFFO website:www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 77

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

OFCAF Producer Perspective on Virtual Fencing – Cody Claypool

On a cold Alberta night, few jobs are less appealing than heading out to move polywire so cattle can keep making the most of a swath-grazing field. For producer Cody Claypool, virtual fencing offered a way to reduce that winter labour while still controlling how his herd accessed feed and helping capture the full value of swath grazing. Instead of bundling up in the dark to shift electric fence, Cody could check his cattle’s movements from the comfort of home — even in the middle of the night — and make management decisions from his phone. That practical fit is what made the technology worth trying on the Claypool operation, where Cody manages a herd of approximately 400 cattle and is always looking for ways to make grazing more efficient without adding more hours to already full winter days. Cody’s parents first learned about virtual fencing at an Alberta Stockgrowers meeting, where RDAR CEO Mark Redmond and Olds Researcher Briana Elliot gave presentations. Their interest was piqued

British Columbia organizations coming together to boost skills and talent training in Canadian food and ingredient ecosystem

As Canada works to reach its full opportunity to do more with what it grows, there’s an increasing need to train and produce skilled workers across the food production and value-added agriculture value-chain. Today, to help address this need, Protein Industries Canada is announcing a new project with BC Food & Beverage (BCFB), the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Cultivated Food Labs (CFL), to develop and deliver a new coordinated skills training program. Canada’s ability to Make More Here presents an opportunity to unlock $25 billion in GDP and upwards of 17,000 new innovation-based jobs. BCFB, UBC and CFL are combining their expertise to ensure enough skilled talent is ready to fill these jobs, providing companies across Canada with the workforce needed to help reach new growth potential and new markets. “A strong and resilient agri-food sector depends on a highly skilled workforce,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada

Barn Boards and Baling Wire

One morning when we still lived on the farm, I looked out the front window and saw the barn door was open. A horse was standing by the corn crib not 10 feet from the road. It wasn’t my horse, but still I had that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. We had rented out a stall to an Amish neighbor to board his horses for a month while he was doing some logging nearby. He paid the rent with several loads of firewood. As a bonus he spread some of that high-octane Percheron exhaust on the garden, so it was a good deal all around. The neighbor arrived within a few minutes to tend to the wayward horse, so it all ended well. But that sinking feeling brought back memories of all those times in my youth when somebody left a door or a gate unlocked and the cows got out – usually onto the road and almost always at the most inconvenient time. Chasing cows at three o’clock in the morning is not fun, especially when your school bus is due to arrive at 7 a.m. We came home recently after being

Grain Safety is Literally a Matter of Life and Death

BeGrainSafe Week encourages safe grain handling practices through education, rescue training, and awareness programs aimed at reducing preventable farm accidents across Canada.

Pre Harvest Glyphosate Timing Protects Crop Markets

Growers are encouraged to follow proper glyphosate application timing to reduce residue risks, protect grain quality, and maintain market access for canola, cereal, and pulse crops.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service