It’s always a privilege and a honour to take my seat on behalf of the good people of Algoma–Manitoulin, I’m going to try to bring a little bit more of a positive outlook, particularly from the lens of northern Ontario and the approach that I’ve received from individuals across my riding.

I like to always give credit where credit is due, and I want to start by giving credit to Bill Orford and Mike Johnston, who are both from the Manitoulin-North Shore federation of agriculture. They approached me in regard to Bill 97, which is a comprehensive bill with seven particular schedules. I’m going to be focusing my discussions today on one or two of these particular schedules. When they approached me, there was some grave concern in regard to some of the changes that this government was looking at and the impacts it was going to have on the agricultural sector. Their major concerns were the severance of the farm parcels that will increase conflicts with non-farming neighbours and limit future farm business growth and expansion. They also had some concerns with loss of protection of specialty crop lands, particularly with livestock, and also urban boundary expansion without community demonstrating needs. These were very well highlighted. And I want to give credit to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, National Farmers Union of Ontario, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, Beef Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Pork, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Sheep Farmers, Veal Farmers of Ontario, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Farmland Trust, Turkey Farmers of Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance. These are the individuals who deserve a lot of the credit as to why certain changes that we hope—that we hear the government is going to be bringing forward.

Again, I’m one who likes to look at things in a positive way, and I’ve heard on a couple of occasions over the course of this week that the Premier is prepared to listen to these organizations and move in a direction that will start answering some of their questions and really addressing their concerns. It’s one thing saying it; it’s another thing doing it. So I will, as well as these organizations, watch what the government will be doing over the course of the next few days or weeks to make sure that these changes actually happen so that there is no negative impacts on the farming community.

At the same time, when I met with Bill and Mike on Manitoulin Island—and I think it’s important that you here in the House understand the contributions that come directly from Manitoulin Island and that snapshot, and along the North Shore. On the island and on the North Shore, there are 189 farms; there’s 112,315 acres of farmland—they are over 280 acres, which is an average-sized farm. They provide, as far as local farm sales—24% sell farm products directly to the consumer. Three farms operate with community-supported agriculture. Eight farms sell at farmers’ markets, and 38 farms sell directly from their farms at stands or pick-your-own. As far as their contribution, based on numbers, to the economy in 2021, the local agri-food sector employed 650 people through 178 local agri-food business establishments, with $20 million in farm cash receipts, and they were placed top three in cattle, dairy, and grain and oilseed.

Across the province, you are looking at farm cash receipts generated by local farms—supported by $44 million in the GDP and 655 employees in the agri-food sector, from farm to fork across Ontario. Just in my riding of Algoma–Manitoulin—and this was just the North Shore in Manitoulin Island—they are providing some significant contributions to the GDP of this province. So when they come to the table—again, I am one who likes to look at the positives and hope that the government is actually listening to them—it begs me to ask a different question. I am happy that they listened to the farming and agricultural sector, but there are many other occasions when this government should have been listening to people from this province. There were many other opportunities and many other pieces of legislation that weren’t given the same attention as this group was.

It’s important for the farming community to know that, banding together, doing the efforts that they have done, they have caught the ear of this government. It sets a very good example for other organizations and affected individuals across this province of how to approach issues that affect them negatively.

The one thing I do want to say is, based on this—the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force said that there were plenty of lands that were already existing, to build up areas on undeveloped land outside of the greenbelt. The government recently approved more than 14,000 hectares of land for urban development and municipalities in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area that are not farmland and protected lands. We heard from students who came to the committee and actually demonstrated to this government that there were plenty of available lands ready to develop.

I am looking at this government. There are plenty of opportunities for development across this province. Do not touch the greenbelt. Do not put our food security for this province—because not only are we being affected by this, but the global world, people across this country are looking at what Ontario is doing. They are really looking at the decisions we are making with this pristine basket of land that we have in this province, because if we tamper with it, if we build on it, that land is gone forever. It’s not just housing that is going to go there. There is going to be some further development that is going to be there. We’re going to lose more lands to roads. These are things that will really hinder our food security, going forward, in this province.

Again, on behalf of the good people of Algoma–Manitoulin, it is always an honour and a privilege to stand here and voice their concerns on the floor of the Legislature.