Ontario is planning to introduce legislation that would restrict foreign acquisition of provincial farmland much as has already been done by Alberta and Quebec.
But Agriculture Minister Trevor Jones provided no details about the restrictions when he spoke recently at King City.
He did have more to say about plans to offer government-owned land in the Northern Ontario Clay Belt for rent to farmers.
He said the two measures will provide good-paying jobs and drive economic growth by keeping Ontario farmlands under
local ownership and unlocking the full agricultural potential of the Clay Belt region.
The Clay Belt has about 180,000 square kilometres on both sides of the Ontario–Quebec border and contains extensive areas of potentially fertile soils that are well-suited to agriculture, including forage, field crops, and livestock production, with appropriate drainage and management, the government said in a news release.
While land on the Quebec side of the border has seen substantial development for agricultural purposes, land on the Ontario side remains comparatively less utilized for agriculture, it said.
These changes would make it easier for Ontario farmers to lease or access arable land on the Clay Belt, unlock new opportunities for the province’s agriculture sector, create jobs, protect provincial food security and grow Ontario food production, it said.
Much of the land needs drainage and it’s not clear whether the province will do that or leave it to tenants.
Concerns have been raised in some parts of Ontario when Chinese investors purchased farms and related businesses.
The United States farming communities have expressed similar concerns.
