24 Like Us on Facebook: BetterFarmingON Better Farming | October 2024 “On April 1 the government placed the new regulation, and that’s around when things began ramping up.” The community meetings began in June. The initial meeting on June 5 was cancelled to continue to work out messaging and mapping and prepare more imagery. Cameron attended a June 13 presentation held by South Nation and Rideau Conservation Authorities for the local agriculture federations. “At the time it looked pretty tame. They were modest, and they came with their hat in hand. They said they had a mandate and don’t have all the answers, but they have to be compliant with provincial regulations and are willing to work with farmers,” explains Cameron. Cameron thought that the meeting went over reasonably well, but not everyone could access the mapping site. “They said, ‘We’ll get back to you in July, but take a look at the map when you get a chance,’” says Cameron. When the maps became accessible, dark green areas represented the previously determined provincially significant wetlands, while light green areas marked new locally significant wetlands which were mapped with four- to six-year-old maps and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology. Cameron believes the use of older maps and LIDAR created some of the largest gaps in the conflict. Many of the areas identified as locally significant wetlands in these maps were swaths of cleared land, high lands, and bush. Accusations of bad intentions and hidden agendas became rampant. “I pulled up the map and looked at the wetlands and went, ‘They’ve designated stuff that’s already cleared and stuff that’s clearly not wetlands.’ I was devastated, as most people would be,” says Cameron. He proceeded to reach out the South Nation Conservation Authority and his local MPP for clarification on June 24. He later received confirmation from his MPP that the process was paused and that the conservation authorities were disappointed with the reception. That same day, Cameron attended a local council meeting where local developers and farmers spoke about concerns. “That night it became apparent that they didn’t have a clear understanding of what was going on. It speaks to me that there was bigger gap if even the township doesn’t know what was going on,” says Cameron. Further public consultations were planned for June 25, 26 and 28. Those meetings were cancelled as the project was paused. The concerns Loss of farmland is a constant concern for Ontario farmers. The timing and rollout of the wetland mapping project left producers feeling confused, concerned, and suspicious of the intent. “In Dundas County, there’s some wetland, but nothing compared to the proposed update wetland mapping,” says Devries. “In the updated mapping, we would’ve had a significant amount of land considered locally significant wetland. It wasn’t all farmland but would be considered bush, and it was put in as wetland. It was more high ground. Some areas made sense, but in other areas we were unsure how it was classified as wetland. It was not low ground.” Some local farmers were concerned about what these designations meant for land use and future farm improvements. If land is designated as locally significant wetland, even if it doesn’t appear to be, would that limit future barn building, land clearing, or cropping? “That was where there were a lot of issues,” says Devries. “From my impression, once land is designated wetland, you can’t clear it and it handcuffs you in what you can do. People were upset with it and a lot of people were planning to show up to the public consultation.” Devries says he doesn’t believe the map was set in stone, but suggests there also wasn’t enough communication for farmers to feel comfortable with it. “I believe there was still an ability to change it,” he explains. “The challenge was that communication was not great, and it comes across badly when the change shows up during cropping time, when farmers are busiest. There were a lot of reasons for farmers to be concerned about it.” The outcome The wetland mapping project, as a part of the streamlining of wetland designation across the province, was paused at the end of June and is currently suspended. “As it sits right now, it’s on halt for those three conservation authorities,” says Cameron. “I believe it will be revisited in the future, and hopefully they will be more current with mapping and more comprehensive with information rollout. They were put in a position of a tight timeline and given a mandate that they may have been overwhelmed with, was my perception of the meeting.” The pace of the program rollout created challenges with map quality and communication, which confused some producers. Conservation authorities have an essential role to play in maintaining Ontario’s environment, but the agriculture community values clear communication. Devries points out that the suspension of this project does demonstrate that farmers still have a voice when it comes to policy and regulations. “As much as it scared a lot of people, farmers still have a push,” says Devries. “We made our point, and the government cancelled it.” BF WETLAND MAPPING CONCERNS EMILY MCKINLAY Emily lives on a beef farm, raising Red Angus and Simmental cattle. She holds a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences from University of Guelph, with a focus on ruminant nutrition.
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