Proposed provincial planning changes concern Caldwell
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Dr. Wayne Caldwell, arguably the province’s foremost expert in rural planning policy, is concerned that Premier Doug Ford’s proposed changes to the Provincial Policy Statement could negatively impact communities like Huron County for generations, if not forever.
Alarm bells have been sounding for weeks now. Here, first, it was the Huron County Planning and Development Department, which, after consulting with Caldwell, spoke to Huron County Council and its lower-tier municipal councils about the proposal. While there are many changes being proposed in a new Provincial Policy Statement that could be released as early as this fall, one in particular has caught the eye of those in communities with a large inventory of farms. The change would allow for up to three residential lots to be created on every farm parcel, allowing, at its worst-case scenario, rural blocks to become de facto urban settlements, taking thousands of acres of farmland out of production and restricting agriculture drastically.
Earlier this week, every farm and commodity group in the province co-signed a joint statement asking the provincial government to reconsider the proposed change, citing many of the same concerns, desperate to preserve the ability of those in Ontario to farm.
Immediately upon hearing about the proposed changes, Caldwell, who has dedicated his life to meaningful and thoughtful rural planning in the province, sprang into action, doing what he could to spread the word and mobilize those who might be affected before it was too late.
The commenting period for the changes ends on June 5, so municipal councils, farm groups and rural planners have been working diligently to ensure their voices are heard and to implore the provincial government to reverse course on changes that could affect Ontario for generations to come.
In a presentation he has given to numerous county councils, Caldwell worked to put the change into perspective, demonstrating what it could mean for the entire province.
He estimated that, with over 48,000 farms in Ontario (according to Statistics Canada in 2022) and approximately 3.5 parcels per farm, 510,000 acres of farmland could be taken out of production based on an average lot size of one acre, which he admits is likely a low estimate.
“The overall impact is much, much larger, with virtually all prime agricultural land exposed to many residents and related [minimum distance separation (MDS)] impacts,” he said in his presentation. “Not only will this policy lead to the loss of farmland, it will impact farms in many ways (ranging from impacts on land values, to trespass, to road safety, to concerns over manure application, etc.).”
This, he said, is in addition to the 319 acres of Ontario farmland being lost every day, according to the Ontario Farmland Trust.
In an interview with The Citizen, Caldwell said he was shocked when he first heard what was being proposed by the provincial government. “Oh my goodness,” he said in response to his first thoughts upon hearing the proposal.
As someone who has dedicated his life to rural planning, he said it felt like “a kick in the stomach” to what has been “so much work by so many people over so many years” to preserve farmland and the right to farm in rural portions of the province. He said he hoped he’s wrong, but, at the moment, it feels like an “attack on farming” by the provincial government.
Furthermore, he said, the protection of farmland has been a non-partisan issue for generations. Governments of all stripes have upheld work done in the 1970s to protect farmland, which is all based on a pilot study from Huron County that led to much of today’s rural planning policies and the foundation of protecting farmland. And, while there have been ill-fated proposals or minor erosions of rules here or there, he said he’s never seen something this final proposed in his time working in the field.
According to his estimations, Caldwell thinks Huron County could be the biggest loser if this proposal is passed. In tracking 12 of the most agricultural regions in the province, Huron ranked first in his projection of potential new residential lots created on agricultural lands with 24,900. Middlesex County was second with 21,000, followed by Essex County at 18,700, Oxford County at 17,000 and down the list it goes.
And while farmland preservation is the headline, Caldwell says there are a number of secondary implications that it’s unlikely anyone has considered, like how the changes would affect aggregate extraction, water availability and safety, natural heritage, small towns and villages that will miss out on development, school boards, servicing and more. He said, for example, on a rural road with a rapidly-increasing base of homes, there could be a push to lower speed limits in rural areas.
In addition to the effect the changes would have on minimum distance separation, it could also lead to an increase in conflict between those in residential-style homes and their farming neighbours.
There are many assumptions being made about how bad the changes could be for the area, but, in reality, Caldwell says it’s hard to know just how bad it can get.
Furthermore, he said there are ways to increase housing stock in places like Huron County without digging into farmland.
Years ago, Caldwell said he drove through Ohio near Columbus, where similar changes had been made and he saw, firsthand, the fragmenting of the rural landscape, and it hadn’t served that area well and now he doesn’t want to see the same thing happen to his home of Huron County.