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o â€"â€"â€"â€"fi 6 F I m m d b I m m ; farmers views mixed over Greenbelt expansion into Northumberland i Karen Longwell " petn h 3 klongwell@northumberlandnews.com ‘ fket _ f " c K ~ahas Nxz W ¢ z_ NORTHUMBERLAND â€"â€" As valuable farmland gets swalâ€" : ++ a wA i2 Tal € lowed by development, the Greenbelt expansion in Norâ€" | B s t 1 > yaxe * ( V : € thumberland offers agricultural and environmental land / 1 __Ih .m ts .3 ’ i b ) senuanip & protection. { i * ',:!"â€"‘wr"::‘,}j;g‘-eé- e uy | * § + § Butsome farmers arenot convinced expanding the Greenâ€" 4 % y$ 4 _ x ‘,_Eg‘i 9 * . W lag C + sip" _ z2. £ belt in Northumberland will benefit the land. * s Wiheen U Pniie., L we l â€" ap c= hk c . am _1 ~_> W Lo onE famiy history in Northumberland, local farmâ€" j . ae: 0. ce t i d ; ... c er and Northumberland Federation of Agriculture presiâ€" 4 ‘T?"i_;‘fr:"“fi',*}\"m B 3 ’: § > ~§ah, 1 x2 3. dent Allan Carruthers supports protecting viable agriculturâ€" b o AkR fm}‘w\‘\\‘g ?&, J _ Whimite ns â€" al land but has concerns about expanding the Greenbelt in *‘\A_ gPl( 3/ «?fi P x _ s %fié;% Northumberland. e ‘“11 y 1&.‘%%*-:33*%;,}%‘:3 3 ,k%q.%%:% m The Greenbelt, a provincial land designation, extends , n f eseny Te x" 11â€" esy °"\.c:"::.¢ across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area in southern TK . fir cresss ,’“13&,;.’; s# £: Ontario but the protected countryside portion of the Greenâ€" A C 4 > i\"f’(g e > belt stops at the Durhamâ€"Northumberland border. The > * Pss _ 2o ht 4 ty Greenbelt was created in 2005 with a combination of techâ€" _ | Cl _ ~â€" l *~,. Lake Ontario _.s="~ Cl omnteriee *** nical science, recommendations from the Greenbelt Task | trn / s 6 ”\ Ns * The 2016 promied Coontmnite Force and land use planning policy analysis that identified _ |/ & Pete %fi‘ > ‘:‘\'“‘N L Tornneviee areas for permanent protection, said Conrad Spezowka, | i i cJ . Greenbelt Plan [E ho trsesetroahns spokesman for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. ’ PxF > Q “{%;* Area for [ZZ] on mges omine ies Northern parts of Northumberland County fall under the (@\â€" 4 ~ / o e T i pinntnentsee Greenbelt plan as part of the Oak Ridges Moraine while the _ |,\â€" .( c southern Ontario E] mm iaieantenges south part of Northumberland is not in the Greenbelt. _ (e. & l " * irloeigin t e While the Cobourg environmental organization, Sustainâ€" ’ C ALices § Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affars Ts able Cobourg, is advocating for the expansion of the Greenâ€" | \ _ *ma m * * e esc ® belt in Northumberland, local farmers are not so certain, | @& ho e en fee en # § O |rorrpnpmneenteyemrmng | Ailn l aleehest o5 o1 cmentuns ievled said Mr. Carruthers. He has concerns about restrictions put * C â€"omwe w $ "’*"’:“--‘*\E_ Tt ‘i}%:% es “T;W“"’E?jfifi_’f’f‘::ffâ€";fffi’ on development for those in the Greenbelt and has heard P ==L, i\’ tm S e o | [ e en [ rmmmmnmm m onnnas. other farmers express the same concerns. At the same time, |@~* _ /\ta in .ME‘E 1;?. ie memrenaiioie onwesumes 1 emnenn en B .0 .. he hates to see prime agricultural land paved over for develâ€" |/ «fz’:‘h}i}“‘ ‘3._.....» _ L Wl ED) Snmrgpmd e huthsnbe mopomse ’ TCy "a. =yz"~; ne";:;vne::f’::on;};lesl;l}:;‘ton( e Greenbelt) but I can see the /(/OKT’# '*(MééRLG‘#JD Dekos UVL\} 24/}4 While his roots are in agriculture with a family farm west of _ Moraine are filtered and released to more than 65 waterâ€" _ online at www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page14851.aspx .. Grafton, Mr. Carruthers has concerns about rural communiâ€" â€" courses flowing north and south into Georgian Bay and With a view to protectareas around the Oak Ridges Moraine ties such as Alnwick/Haldimand Township having the abilâ€" â€" lakes Simcoe, Scugog, Rice and Ontario, according to the in Northumberland, Sustainable Cobourg launched a petiâ€" ity to increase their tax base with housing. At the same time, _ Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust. tion in February to expand the Greenbelt into Northumberâ€" good agricultural land has been paved over in the developâ€" Jane Zednik, who owns about 25 acres of land in the Garâ€" _ land. As of early July, it had 120 signatures. The organization ment along the Hwy. 401 corridor, he noted. den Hill area on the Oak Ridges Moraine, has concerns organized a talk, titled Farming in the Greenbelt with Wayne "I don‘t like to see land paved over but on the other hand _ about protection of this water source. Caldwell, a professor in rural planning with the University where does progress go?" "The Oak Ridges Moraine is considered to be the rain barâ€" â€" of Guelph and coâ€"author of the study, Farming in Ontario‘s Farmland is disappearing in Ontario. In 1996, 13,879,565 _ rel of Ontario," she said. Greenbelt: Possibility Grows Here (www.greenbelt.ca/farmâ€" acres were farmed in the province but by 2011 that number _ The land in south Northumberland County is not protectâ€" _ ing in _ontario s greenbelt_possibility_grows_here). was down to 12,668,236 acres, according to statistics from ed, which means there is no buffer around the Oak Ridges Sustainable Cobourg encourages residents to voice opinâ€" the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Moraine, said Ms. Zednik. Having the protected countryside _ ions through a provinceâ€"wide movement to expand the Peter Jeffery, senior farm policy researcher for the Ontario _ border of the Greenbelt stop at Northumberland seems odd _ Greenbelt at www.growourgreenbelt.ca.. Bederation of Agriculture, estimates 350 acres of agricultural _ to Ms. Zednik. Tand are lost every day to development and urban sprawl. "There is absolutely no protection," she said. : FAST FACTS But Mr. Jeffery finds some of the restrictions for those in _ Asked. why the Greenbelt border stops at Northumberâ€" : the Greenbelt illogical. In particular, Mr. Jeffery points to _ land, Mr. Spezowka said the final Greenbelt area was decidâ€" i _ Proposed changes to the Greater Golden Horseshoe area restrictions on building. For example, if a farmer wants to _ ed after consultation and working with municipalities to ! in Ontario would: build near a woodlot, there must be a 100â€"metre buffer. On. _ confirm boundaries. The current expansion proposal from : _ + Require the Province, in collaboration with municipaliâ€" some farms this would mean putting a building in the midâ€" â€" the Province does not include Northumberland and Mr. ; ties, to identify an agriculture system for the entire Greater dle of a field, which is a waste of space, said Mr. Jeffery. A _ Spezowka said the proposed expansion, in the Niagara : Golden Horseshoe that builds on the Greenbelt. Municiâ€" sugar shack for a maple syrup producer could not be builtin _ region, focuses on areas of ecological and hydrologic signifiâ€" : palities would be required to plan to protect the agricultural the woods where it is traditionally built, he added. cance. ; system‘s longâ€"term viability. "It doesn‘t make any sense," he said. However the Province has begun to identify areas for : _ » Clarify the types of uses permitted in prime agricultural Instead of a Greenbelt designation, Mr. Jeffery said the . inclusion in the Greenbelt outside the Greater Toronto and i areas (e.g., onâ€"farm diversified uses such as home industries Ontario Federation of Agriculture pushed for fixed urban â€" Hamilton Area based on locations of important water feaâ€" | and agriâ€"tourism) to align with the Provincial Policy Stateâ€" ° boundaries and high density development to quell urban _ turesunder pressure from urban growth, said Mr. Spezowka. | ment. sprawl. The process of identifying lands for addition to the Greenâ€" i _ » Clarify how setbacks from natural features (e.g., streams) With the recent expansion of Hwy. 407 and Hwy. 412 in _ belt is expected by the end of this year, after provincial date : would apply to new or expanded buildings f9r agricultural neighbouring Durham Region, Jayne Sinn, viceâ€"president of _ is gathered and municipalities and conservation authorities : uses, agriculturalâ€"related uses and onâ€"farm diversified uses & Sustainable Cobourg, became concerned about area farmâ€" _ are consulted, he added. : on agricultural land. 8 land. The public will then be consulted on the lands that are Source: The Shaping Land Use In The Greater Golden Horseshoe report § "It (the expansion) cut right through the middle of farms;" _ identified prior to any changes being made. : from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Ministry of Housing 2 said Ms. Sinn. Members of the public are invited to share suggestions of : § ; i This summer‘s drought conditions also highlight the need _ possible areas outside the GTHA they feel should be considâ€" ; Websites: www.Ontario.ca/landuseplanningreview and § to protectthe area, she added. ered for future inclusion in the Greenbelt. Comments are ; www.sustainablecobourg.ca g Deep aquifers below the ground of the Oak Ridges being accepted on the Greenbelt expansion until Sept. 30, ; Page 8 â€" Today‘s ediforial / \ CR)