Food and Water First
Food Water FirstWarm greeting but no commitment to pledge 'Food and Water First'
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- Published on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 15:01
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Fresh off its successful fight to kill the mega quarry application in Melancthon Township, the North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT) is now focused on "ensuring protection of prime farmland and source water," what it calls Phase 2, and the activist group is approaching municipalities to "pledge" their support.
Shirley Boxem of NDACT asked New Tecumseth councillors Monday night to sign on as a "Food and Water First Community."
It would involve "sending a message to investors to know, to understand that the priorities in New Tecumseth would be prime agricultural land and clean source water would be primary considerations when considering rezoning applications for the purpose of development," said Ms. Boxem. "Those benefits should be weighed against over all others."
She explained that making "the pledge" will "increase people's level of commitment." As well, it provides NDACT with "the numbers" and infrastucture of support to draw on while lobbying the senior levels of government to implement changes to protect farmland.
"Food and Water First is not anti-aggregate or anti development, It's about planning, It's about knowing in advance if you want to develop, if you want to build homes, if you want to make a change we ask that you not do it here, or not do it there but maybe put it over there," said Ms. Boxem. "We think that prime agricultural land should be preserved. It is disappearing across Ontario and we should do our best to preserve it."
Mayor Mike MacEachern told Ms. Boxem that he "personally" supported the group's cause, but noted that there were many planning applications in the queue in New Tecumseth on agricultural land.
"We're already in the mode of trying to protect prime agricultural land in certain areas," said the mayor.
"It's not about current ones," she replied. "It would be too much of an ask to address current applications. This would be moving forward."
Ms. Boxem said the pledge would fit well with the 40th anniversary of the Alliston Potato Festival.
"Please consider protecting the land that actually grows them."
The Walton Group has spent the past few years buying up thousands of acres of rural and agricultural land in New Tecumseth for future development opportunities. Currently the land bank speculator is working through the planning approvals process to develop an industrial subdivision on potato fields along Industrial Parkway in Alliston. Additionally, Cappuccitti (ODPDI) and Mattamy Homes have plans to develop about 15,000 new homes between Alliston and Beeton. They have threatened to appeal the Town's non-decision to the OMB.
New Tecumseth's farming community has also lobbied extensively over the past decade in opposition to the County Official Plan splitting up rural and agricultural land designations, with the latter being the most restrictive. New Tecumseth council did not commit to the Food and Water First program.
On Saturday, AWARE Simcoe is hosting a public awareness meeting at the Circle Theatre in Alliston, from 9:30 am to noon. It will include representatives from NDACT, Ontario Farmland Preservation, radio host consumer advocate Dale Goldhawk, and emceed by Donna Tranquada.
Posted May 1, 2013, on the New Tecumseth Free Press Online