The Jesuits
of Upper Canada have agreed to lock in part of their 92-acre farm north of Guelph in the
Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT).
It ensures
the land can never be developed.
It's an example that could be copied by Christian organizations which own a lot of farmland as part of campgrounds and retreat centres.
Ignatius
Jesuit Centre is famous for its adoption of organic standards on the farm and
for protecting an old-growth forest.
It is
situated on Highway 6 next to residential and commercial development as Guelph
expands. To the north is Guelph Lake Conservation Area.
The 92
acres is part of Ignatius Centre’s 230-acre farm, and 270 acres that is home to
the Centre’s spiritual retreat house and additional natural lands.
OFT’s
Farmland Protection Easements are landowner-initiated ‘forever agreements’ that
are registered on property title to prohibit any non-agricultural development
on the land in the future.
OFT has
piloted the use of agricultural easements in Ontario since 2009. Other farms
protected by OFT are located in Halton, Peel, Simcoe County and Huron County.
The
Ignatius Jesuit agreement is OFT’s first land protection project in the
organization’s home community of Guelph-Wellington.
“This
project is important for the Ontario Farmland Trust, as it demonstrates the
value of communities coming together to protect significant agricultural and
ecological lands in the urban fringe, says OFT Board Chair Norman Ragetlie.
“It also
marks a major milestone for our growing organization and Ontario’s land trust
community as a whole.”
The
easement is the first of its kind in Canada that sees a Catholic Order
partnering with a land trust to make a commitment to permanent land protection.
Ragetlie
says the Ontario Farmland Trust hopes that the Ignatius Jesuit Centre easement
“opens doors for additional land conservation initiatives to take root in other
communities throughout Ontario where there are religious institutional land
holdings and willing land trust partners.”