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Essa defers decision on request for ‘Food and Water First’ decision

May 2, 2013   ·   0 Comments

Essa council has deferred supporting a request from the North Dufferin Agricultural And Community Taskforce to join its latest campaign to protect prime agricultural land and source water in the province.

Township council heard from the organization at its last council meeting, which stopped a proposal for a large gravel pit in Dufferin County in 2012.

Shirley Boxem of the organization made the presentation which emphasized the need to protect the best agricultural land in the province from future development. She noted that 13% of the province’s economy is derived from the agricultural sector and that only 5 percent of the township’s area is prime agriculture.

Mayor Terry Dowdall congratulated the group on its success on stopping the mega-quarry project and noted that Essa township has long supported a slow and consistent approach to growth.

“You look at our project population figures for 2031 and we are not planning on excessive growth,” he said. “It has been slow and steady in Essa for a long time.”

Dowdall said that much of the problem is that the best farmland is adjacent to urban centres.

“The question is it better to establish a new urban centre on poor agricultural land with all the costs of providing services or to use the land adjacent to an urban centre which can use existing services,” he said.

He also added  that the province allows proponents of a development to go to the Ontario Municipal Board if they are turned down for a development proposal.

Sandie Macdonald said that she hoped the organization would put pressure on the provincial government to restrict the use of prime agricultural land for development.

“I think that is key,” she said.

The North Dufferin Agricultural And Community Taskforce is encouraging area residents to place “Food & Water First” on their properties as part of its campaign.

A website on the campaign is now online at www.foodandwaterfirst.com

By Richard Blanchard

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