QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Stephanie Bowman, Ontario Liberal Party Critic for Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, released the following statement today in response to the Conservative government’s attack on farmland by lessening municipal density goals and requiring them to sprawl outward:
“News reports from last week reveal how this Conservative government is forcing municipalities to destroy more and more farmland for sprawl development, undermining their attempt at a food supply-chain strategy.
“The government claims they have a plan to increase agricultural production in Ontario and a strategy to protect our food supply chain, yet they are forcing regions and municipalities to destroy nearby farmland against the wishes of both the farmers and local councils. Their government’s own housing task force said to build within city boundaries and to leave farmland to our farmers.
“The Minister of Agriculture needs to explain the real reason the government is taking this action. It is not needed for housing and it hurts our food supply. Farmers need a government who will stand up for their interests, not one that will bulldoze Ontario’s critical farmland.”
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