Latest news with #BobbiAnnBrady
CBC
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Protecting agricultural land is food security, says Ontario farm family backing private member's bill
Social Sharing Too often, vegetable farmer George Deleebeeck sees good farmland getting turned into housing. "Some of the best lands are places where lots are going into," Deleebeeck said of his southwestern Ontario community. Meanwhile, sites that aren't arable get left as is, he added. "If you get rid of all the best farmland, what's left? They're not making any new land as far as I know." In 2022, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture said the province is losing 129 hectares of farmland every day — the equivalent of nine family farms each week. It's an issue that two Ontario politicians are working to address. Bill 21, Protect Our Food Act, 2025, is a private member's bill by Independent Haldimand—Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner. The bill, which has undergone first reading and has been ordered for second reading, proposes the province establish a farmer-led committee that would identify agricultural land to be included in a "Foodbelt" for preservation. WATCH | Farmer says producing local food is key to ensuring food security: Norfolk County farmer says preserving farm land is 'food security' 2 hours ago Duration 1:16 Speaking alongside his son Andrew and Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, vegetable farmer George Deleebeeck says preserving farm land is essential to ensuring food security. Hamilton councillors to consider supporting bill On Wednesday, Brady and Schreiner are scheduled to tell Hamilton city council's general issues committee about the bill. Ward 15 Coun. Ted McMeekin moved a motion calling on the city to support the MPPs and farmers' groups in their efforts. "We have to save our most productive land in Ontario or our farmers suffer, our small towns suffer, rural communities will dry up," Brady told CBC Hamilton at her Simcoe office in June. She said prime farmland throughout Ontario is being bought up for development. Undeveloped or agricultural lots are attractive to housing developers, for example, because it's easier to build on than urban land, Brady said. "Government needs to do everything in its power to get out of the way, allow [farmers] to farm, and make it easier to farm and protect the land that gives us the best product." Brady spoke with CBC Hamilton alongside Deleebeeck and his son, Andrew. The Deleebeecks' farm is near Spooky Hollow Nature Sanctuary in Norfolk, where they grow food including peppers, soy beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins and squash. The difference between good and bad farmland is significant, George said, adding you can't make a profit if soil is bad for growing. "It's a matter of dollars and cents." George and Andrew are third- and fourth-generation farmers. Andrew said their ancestors came to Ontario from Belgium after the Second World War and understood the value of growing their own food. "My generation, we've never had to starve," Andrew said. Today, however, many people take agriculture for granted, George said. "People don't realize that things grow in fields. Believe it or not, you'll get people that order stuff and they think it's on a shelf." George argues that farmland is food security. (Generally, food security refers to the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food.) Early in the pandemic, he said, people paid more attention to local farmers and made them feel appreciated as the country struggled with international supply chain issues. Brady stressed that preserving farmland is also good protection against tariffs, since more local farming means fewer potential trade barriers on some goods. "In the face of global trade instability, we must tariff-proof our economy. That starts with protecting Ontario's farmland to defend our food sovereignty, our food and farming economy, and our future so we can feed ourselves," Schreiner said in a news release in May. Bill would appoint 'farmer-led' panel If it becomes law, Bill 21 would empower a committee of farmers, agricultural experts, soil scientists and professional planners to develop recommendations for preserving and adding to the agricultural land base. The committee would have a year to publish a report to be given to Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Minister Trevor Jones. Brady emphasized the importance of having farmers at the forefront of decision-making when it comes to the use of agricultural land, saying they shouldn't all be made by people in Toronto towers. "No disrespect, but I'm not sure too many in those towers would know which end of a tobacco leaf to stick where." The bill would also amend the Planning Act so that agricultural land cannot be rezoned for other uses unless an agricultural impact assessment is first carried out. The province maintains it has the tools it needs to protect farmland, Brady said, but "they don't open the toolbox" and are making matters worse with legislation like Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, which she argues will make it easier to pave over arable land. CBC Hamilton asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness to respond to Brady's comments and whether the government intends to support the private member's bill. "Our government will always stand up for Ontario's world-class farmers and protect our farmlands," ministry spokesperson Dino Alic said in an email. "Each year, our agri-food sector generates nearly $51 billion in annual GDP, and our agri-food exports have increased by 65 per cent since 2018. We will continue to work with our partners to strengthen and enhance farmland protection while ensuring the growth and long-term success of our agri-food sector." George said he'd like to see urban areas grow by taking over the least-desired farmland first. "In my view, if you have a committee, they could say, 'Well, no, the town should go this way because we need this good farmland to produce food, and why should we be building houses there?'" Brady said she'd also like to see more infill development, and urban areas building up rather than out. Bill 21 had its first reading in May, but Brady said it could be about a year before MPPs vote on it in the Legislature. "We would love to see immediate action, but what it does give us is an opportunity to go across the province … and talk to as many people as we can."
CBC
19-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
2 MPPs have proposed an Ontario foodbelt. Could it help tariff-proof the ag sector?
Two MPPs have put forward the idea of creating a "foodbelt" in Ontario to protect farmland and help tariff-proof the agricultural sector in the province. The idea proposed by Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner and independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, who represents Haldimand-Norfolk, this week at Queen's Park would see a protected area, similar to how the Greenbelt works, but in this case it would be specifically for farmers' fields. Bill 21, Protect Our Food Act, passed first reading on Tuesday. It's an idea Erin Shapero and Valerie Burke applaud. The two women proposed a similar idea in 2009 when they were city councillors in Markham and they wanted to protect farmland from developers. "At the time we had Ontario's Greenbelt, which was very popular and very successful, protecting a lot of farmland, protecting a lot of naturally sensitive areas, but a lot of farmland was left out of that," Shapero told CBC News. Shapero, who was also a member of the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, says they spoke to academics and people in the agricultural community to develop their motion for the Markham foodbelt. "We proposed Canada's first foodbelt, that we actually have a protected area for growing food and ensuring that we have food for the future going forward," she said. After intensive public consultation on the idea, their motion was defeated 7-6. "It was quite devastating," Burke said, noting the farmland they wanted to save has been developed and used for housing and other buildings in the 15 years since then. Fast forward 15 years and Shapero and Burke say they were delighted to hear Schreiner and Brady bringing up the idea again. "We need more politicians like them. They have such foresight and I was really pleased to see they're doing it," Burke said. "Maybe we were ahead of our time in 2009 in Markham when we called for this and we called for Canada's first foodbelt to be created," Shapero added. "But today, looking at it from the lens of 2025, food security is critical for our economy and the agricultural sector is critical for our economy." 'We need to protect the farmland that feeds us': Schreiner Schreiner says the foodbelt is needed because Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland a day, a figure the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has also reported using data from the May 2022 census of agriculture completed by Statistics Canada. "At a time when [U.S. President Donald] Trump is attacking our sovereignty and our economy with these ridiculous trade threats, now more than ever we need to protect the farmland that feeds us," Schreiner said in an interview on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris. The private members' bill would create a task force led by farmers, agricultural experts and land planners to determine what lands need to be protected by a foodbelt. Brady's riding is largely agricultural, growing everything from berries to tobacco to peanuts to pumpkins. Haldimand County's website says the municipality has approximately 208,653 acres of farmland across 811 farms while a 2018 report from Norfolk County's Economic Development office says that municipality has 196,403 acres across 1,307 farms. Brady said during a press conference about the private members' bill that the issue of protecting farmland is "near and dear to my heart" and to the people she represents. "We have seen the response from governments when it comes to manufacturing as it stares down the threats from the south. It's time we do the same for agriculture," she said. Criteria to prioritize land needed, Guelph prof says Mike Von Massow is the Ontario Agricultural College chair in food system leadership and a professor of food agriculture and resource economics at the University of Guelph. He says in general, "the concept of land preservation is a good idea." "Whether we explicitly say this land can never be developed or we develop a set of criteria that says how we prioritize and at least evaluate more fulsomely whether this land should be developed, there are clearly trade-offs and we want as much as we can to maintain farmland," Von Massow said in an interview. "Perhaps we prioritize developing on less productive land because we can't just freeze everything." But he said when looking at the Greenbelt, the boundaries have been changed over the years and there are those who want to develop it. "There's always been this tension between development of land and some governments have been much more willing to say, well, we'll take this land out of production," he said from his farm near Elora, Ont. "I'm looking out my front window and the piece of land across the street from me for the last 30 years has been a farm field. It's now growing houses. But we need some development. So being clear on what the criteria is is probably the best path forward," Von Massow said. But can a foodbelt tariff-proof the ag sector? Schreiner has argued the foodbelt would also "tariff-proof" the province's farmers. "Now, more than ever, is the time to protect our farmland, support farmers and grow more food right here in Ontario. Because food security is national security, and without farmland there are no farms, no food, no future," Schreiner said in the news conference announcing the bill. "And I believe that tariff-proofing Ontario's economy starts with protecting the farmland that feeds us and the farmers who grow that food." But when asked if he agreed, Von Massow paused. "I'm not sure, frankly, that tariffs are going to be a significant threat to Canada to land use," he said. "I think this blanket statement that it will tariff proof agriculture is probably a little bit leveraging the issue of the moment," he added. "That's not to diminish the value of thinking about land preservation, but I'm not sure that unless we're talking about specific tariffs and specific issues that this will make a significant difference." Agriculture groups support bill The bill has received support from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the National Farmers Union for Ontario. Both groups has representatives who stood beside Schreiner and Brady at Tuesday's press conference. Mark Reusser, vice-president of Waterloo Federation of Agriculture and a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said the proposed bill is something farmers across the province have been calling for over the years. Specifically in southern Ontario, he noted it's a "very special place" with a climate that allows a large variety of items to be raised and grown. Dave Kranenburg, treasurer and director-at-large with the National Farmers Union for Ontario, said his organization was "ecstatic" to see the legislation. CBC News asked Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Minister Trevor Jones whether the foodbelt idea was one he would support. In an emailed response, Jones did not address the foodbelt bill directly, but said the provincial government "will always stand up for Ontario's world-class farmers and protect our farmlands." 'Once you destroy it, it's gone' Shapero and Burke say they know private members' bills from opposition parties don't always do well at Queen's Park, but they hope the provincial government will give the proposal another look. "You need to accommodate growth. That's a given, but not at the expense of Class A farmland. I mean, we have some of the best farmland in the whole world. We have the best soil conditions, the climatic conditions, all of that," Burke said. "Once you destroy it, it's gone." Shapero agrees soil should be given a lot more credit for its impact on Ontario's economy. "We talk about oil and critical minerals as key to our economy, but soils that can grow almost anything, that's a critical resource too," Shapero said. "It's something we need to shift our thinking around and see that food systems and food supply are key to making Canada work. Our ability to feed ourselves, this is something that's really, I think, top of mind for people and this is really an idea whose time has come."
CBC
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
2 MPPs want to create foodbelt to protect farmland, tariff-proof Ontario's agricultural industry
Two MPPs say Ontario needs to create a foodbelt to protect farmland and help the province's agricultural industry survive any U.S. tariffs. Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner and MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, the independent MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk, have co-written a private member's bill that they presented at Queen's Park on Tuesday. "Now, more than ever, is the time to protect our farmland, support farmers and grow more food right here in Ontario. Because food security is national security, and without farmland there are no farms, no food, no future," Schreiner said in a press conference. Brady said the issue is "near and dear to my heart" and to the people she represents. "Haldimand and Norfolk counties are home to numerous farm families who not only contribute significantly to the local economies, but the Canadian economy. This holds true for every agricultural region in this province," Brady said. If passed, the bill would create a task force of farmers, agricultural experts and land-use planners to develop recommendations to create a foodbelt protection plan. The report would address issues like improving soil health and protecting farmland. Schreiner said the province loses farmland to developments, mining and highway projects. He said legislation like Bill 5, the proposed Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, could encroach further onto farmers' fields. Bill 5 would allow the province to create special economic zones and would allow the province to make changes to several laws including the Endangered Species Act, Electricity Act, Environmental Assessment Act, Environmental Protection Act, Mining Act, Ontario Heritage Act, and Species Conservation Act. Critics have argued Bill 5 would give the government power to push through certain projects like a tunnel under Highway 401 or mineral mining in northern Ontario, with little resistance. Premier Doug Ford has said the new laws would help Ontario economically, in particular mentioning mining minerals. "We can be the wealthiest, richest, most prosperous sub-sovereign nation anywhere in the world if we get those critical minerals out of the ground," Ford said on May 6. CBC K-W reached out to Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Minister Trevor Jones' office for comment on Schreiner and Brady's bill but did not receive a response. Soil 'can't be made when you destroy it' Mark Reusser, vice-president of Waterloo Federation of Agriculture and a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said the proposed bill is something farmers across the province have been calling for over the years. Specifically in southern Ontario, he noted it's a "very special place" with a climate that allows a large variety of items to be raised and grown. "We can grow a longer list of fruits, vegetables, grains and livestock than anywhere else in North America, with the exception of California," he said. "Soils are a strategic resource that can't be made when you destroy it." Dave Kranenburg, treasurer and director-at-large with the National Farmers Union for Ontario, said his organization was "ecstatic" to see the legislation. "As I was leaving my farm this morning after planting in the front field and planting trees, one of the things that I'm constantly curious about and concerned about is whether or not these trees that are being planted, are they going to be there in 20 years?" he said. "Do I have to worry about the development encroaching on this farmland? We're investing a lot of our time, our energy, our resources and protecting the soil, the water around us and to grow food for our neighbours and I want to know that it's going to be there in 20 years at the hard work today is going to see fruition."
CBC
23-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ontario Votes 2025: Haldimand-Norfolk
Social Sharing The Haldimand-Norfolk riding made history last provincial election when it elected Ontario's first Independent MPP without a past win with a political party. Incumbent Bobbi Ann Brady is running again as an Independent candidate. Leading up to the 2022, Brady was supported by outgoing, longtime Progressive Conservative MPP Toby Barrett but the PC Party officially backed another candidate. Brady was considered an underdog at the time, but won as an Independent. This time, she is running against a different PC candidate — Amy Martin, mayor of Norfolk County. Haldimand-Norfolk borders Lake Erie to the south and encompasses several towns and communities including Delhi, Simcoe, Port Dover, Townsend, Cayuga and Caledonia. Over 116,700 people live in the riding. CBC Hamilton sent a survey to major party candidates, or their party representatives. Their responses, edited for length and clarity, are reflected below. Also running for MPP is Gary Tanchak for the New Blue Party. Bobbi Ann Brady, Independent Before running for office in 2022, Brady, 49, was executive assistant to former MPP Barrett for 23 years. She says she's "a true independent voice" not bound by "party overlords." "The common sense advice and opinion of my constituents is what guides my decision making," she said. "Democracy is in peril and many people in leadership positions are doing their best to silence us." The most worrisome issues she hears about from residents is health care and home care. Thousands of people in Haldimand-Norfolk don't have a family doctor, for example, a situation she said she will continue working to change. Erica Englert, NDP Erica Englert is a lifelong Dunnville resident and one of the NDP's youngest candidates at 19 years old, says a party news release. She has volunteered with Pride Haldimand-Norfolk, and is vice president for activism at the University of Ottawa, where she attends. "Navigating rural life (especially as a young person), I have noticed a lot of inequalities between our smaller communities and those in larger cities," Englert said. "Education, health care, housing, and basic public services are not commodities to be taken away at the whim of a politician." Amy Martin, PC Martin, 36, is mayor of Norfolk, and on administrative leave to run in this election, which she said is "the most important in recent memory." "With the continued threat of U.S. tariffs bringing uncertainty to our economy and our livelihoods, it has never been more important to have a strong, stable government fighting to protect Ontario," she said. She will bring the same energy as she has to municipal politics, she said, and help Party Leader Doug Ford protect Ontario from the "disastrous" tariffs." Tariffs are the most pressing issue for riding residents, Martin said. Vandan Patel, Liberal Vandan Patel did not fill out CBC Hamilton's questionnaire. He is on the board of directors for the Liberal Party of Canada, is a secretary at the Royal Canadian Legion in Cambridge and previously owned a local business, says his LinkedIn profile. "From supporting local businesses and farmers to strengthening healthcare and education, I'm committed to delivering real solutions that matter to you," Patel posted on his Facebook page. Also running
