Brenda O’Farrell
The Advocate

The final phase of the provincial government’s year-long consultation as it prepares to overhaul the laws that govern the protection of farmland in the province continues, with the last public input period extended until Feb. 16.

The focus of this phase of the consultation will be the ownership of agricultural land and who should have access to it. The aim of the exercise is to solicit opinions on the increasing value of farmland and the consequences in terms of taxation and the ability of young producers’ to buy it, as well as the question of imposing limits on non-residents owning farmland.

There are two ways to participate in the consultation: responding to an online questionnaire and/or submitting written comments by email.

Announced at the end of last June, the consultation is expected wrap up later this year and will result in the biggest reform of the rules and regulations administered by the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec since the agency was created in 1978.

Although focused on farmland and the activities carried out in the agricultural sector, the general population has been invited to participate in the process.

The first two phases of the consultation dealt with the agricultural territory in general, followed by a look at the activities permitted in agricultural zones.

The final phase, which focuses on ownership of farmland, will delve into topics that include the purchase of farmland by those who do not plan to farm, ensuring that young farmers can access and buy farmland, and restrictions to prevent non-citizens from acquiring farmland in the province.

According to documents made available for the public consultation and compiled using data from the federal census of agriculture and Statistics Canada, in 2021, 64 per cent of agricultural land in Canada was owned by the producers who use them, with 36 per cent rented by farmers.

In Quebec, the figures are higher, with the amount of farmland owned by the farmers who work it at 83 per cent, and farmers renting another 15 per cent.

In Ontario, only 72 of the agricultural land is owned by the farmers who work the land themselves. That figure drops to 62 per cent in the Prairies and 55 per cent in British Columbia.

Once the final phase of the consultation is completed, officials with the provincial Agriculture Ministry will tour some of the regions of the province to host group discussions with stakeholders in the agricultural sector and at the municipal level on the topics raised in the consultations. This will be followed by a day-long public consultation session.

A final report is expected later this year.

The Union des producteurs agricoles has been very clear, it is against any loosening of protections for all farmland, advocating for a zero-net loss policy across the board.

To participate in the consultation, go to https://consultation.quebec.ca/

Click on “Consultations,” then scroll down to the third option, which outlines the process for the consultation on farmland use.

You can also watch webinars on the previous phases of the consultations at the same website. Click on the “Webinaires” tab to find a link to the videos, which are in French only.