Ontario has backed off a housing proposal that farmers say would have had a "catastrophic" impact on farmland and livestock operations.with a billBut farmers expressed concerns about a proposed move to allow up to three new lots on parcels of farmland, saying it would hamper growth of livestock farming, fragment the agricultural land base, and risk inflating farmland prices, shutting out prospective new farmers.
Clark has now told farmers in a letter that he has heard their concerns, and the government will not be moving forward on the lot severance proposal. The government originally suggested the severances as a way to support multigenerational farm families, but Clark says he is now extending the public comment period for the other regulations, to give him more time to consider alternative ways to do that.