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Two 'major threats' to our way of life In the second half of the 20th century Ontario lost 49% of its farmland to development and today 53% of all vegetables consumed by people are imported. For every apple produced in Ontario five come from other countries. Should this continue into the future the wealth derived from food production will all be enjoyed by people other than those who labour 24/7 to produce food here. The Places to Grow Act and the Highland , Melancthon disaster in-the-making are two of the major threats to a way of life chosen by the ratepayers of Dufferin County and to the arable productive food producing soils of this section of Ontario. The former threatens the farming community as productive farms are sold to developers intent on constructing new homes to sell to people prepared to accept the long commute to their places of employment rather than continue living in the City of Toronto where prices, congestion, crime and diminishing services are the result of a council lacking vision or ability. Then there is the issue of the Highland group which has paid big dollars to acquire the 2400 acres+- of rich farmland from farmers, many of whom have reached retirement age and need the biggest dollar possible for their land in order to ensure their retirement years. Thus only the deep pockets win and the young farmers interested in the lifestyle and the production of food cannot afford the prices the land commands and make a living. The price the product brings and the cost of the land combined becomes a simple arithmetical negative and a losing proposition. Now Melancthon and the county face the possibility of losing that fertile soil to a quarrying operation for the limestone that lies beneath. A quarry expected to be 200 feet deep or more destroying the water table and aquifers in the process and ruining the lives of many people in proximity to this destructive money pit. In addition to the destruction of the aquifers and filtration provided by the limestone the fertile top soil will, in all probability, be sold because storage and protection of such huge volumes of soil will present a major headache, and a costly one too. The idea that this will be an economic stimulus for Dufferin is not so; It might offer a few labouring jobs for the time it takes to extract most of the limestone but what will remain will be a huge hole in the ground that will never be returned to its pristine cultivating capability. Is the loss to the people of that community and the upheaval in a way of life really worth the destruction that is inevitable? As oil becomes increasingly costly more and more we will become dependent on domestically produce foods. The cost of transporting food products from other countries will drive the prices to levels that will be beyond the reach of most people. It must be obvious to those who reason that oil, the life blood of all of today's societies, at one time $3.00 per barrel and now hovering precariously around $70.00 and with but one way to go, will inevitably change the manner in which we live today. Our elected leaders must begin to think long-term and not in four year segments. Unless a revolutionary fuel is discovered our future is unalterable, we must secure our food producing soils or those who follow us will pay a heavy price and even see the unraveling of our social structure. It is suggested that one way to preserve and protect out farmlands from exploitation by profiteers is to introduce a farmland insurance program into which farmers could pay a given premium which, upon retirement would provide sufficient income to the retiree to ensure comfort and security. Farmland should be identifies and quantified and price controlled to ensure its continued use for food production and at a market price within the reach of young farmers. This would ensure that farm land would remain at a fair price and its food producing capacity maintained for future generations.
If we do nothing but continue to permit the exploitation of our fertile soils to those who only worship the buck we are doomed. Our fertile soils are not unlimited and here they halt at the foot of the Shield. Granite is an indigestible substance. |
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