In 2018, the NFU-O was awarded a grant through the Greenbelt Expansion Consultation Fund to help us promote engagement with the Government of Ontario’s current public consultations on the Greenbelt. You can read the 2018 NFU-O submission to the public consultation here.
These consultations were about the potential expansion of Ontario’s Greenbelt to protect more farmland and natural features and especially to protect critical water sources from development and climate change.
In 2021, the NFU-O was awarded a grant of the same nature to consult with farmers across the province, mobilize them to participate in the provincial consultation process as farmers (and via groups and organizations), and to produce a high-quality and well-researched public response to proposed Greenbelt Expansion (ERO-019-3136). You can read the 2021 NFU-O submission to the public consultation here.
The NFU-O, regionally and at the Local level, has made a number of statements supporting the Greenbelt and appropriate farmland protection in the past.
Our specific approach to policy on this issue will—as always—be based on input from our Locals and our grassroots membership.
The NFU-O collected input from our membership via Local meetings, direct conversations, surveys, and discussions at Regional Convention, and we prepared a province-level submission to the government, advocating for specific outcomes based on your input. We also continue to advocate for sustainable farmer-friendly policy on the Greenbelt (and in general!).
Our previous discussions have identified some general positions to guide our approach to this consultation process, including:
Greenbelt protections can also help to address other issues like skyrocketing farmland prices.