County committee supports farmland preservation

By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland County's Economic Development, Tourism and Land Use Planning Committee took a stand at Wednesday's meeting to support farmland preservation through support for a piece of correspondence from the Township of North Dumfries.

While the usual protocol is to accept correspondence for information, the motion shared in a letter from the township on the Private Members Bill 21 Protect Our Food Act had a different outcome.

The motion declared that arable land is “a critical finite resource,” providing “food, fiber and fuel to all of Ontario and beyond.” At the same time, it went on, Ontario loses as much as 319 acres of farmland a day.

The motion “strongly urges the provincial government to support this and every measure to protect our farmland, to aggressively prevent further losses and to ensure the future of agriculture in Ontario for future generations.”

“Should we be supporting this?” acting chair Brian Ostrander asked.

“I would agree,” Warden Bob Crate said.

The motion simply to accept the correspondence was changed to a motion recommending the county support the correspondence.