Centre Wellington mayoral candidates weigh in on farmland protection

CENTRE WELLINGTON – Farmland conservation may emerge as an issue in the Centre Wellington mayoral race, as a group of concerned citizens is asking candidates to commit to concrete measures to protect agricultural land.

Local advocates Tom Nudds, Peter McPhedran and Michael Ryan have written to candidates for mayor and councillor, arguing the township should take steps to conserve farmland, including exploring public funding to purchase agricultural land and permanently protect it.

The issue comes as Centre Wellington faces significant population growth and accompanying development pressure.

According to Wellington County growth projections, Centre Wellington is expected to grow from a population of 34,100 in 2021 to approximately 58,200 by 2051.

The advocates are asking candidates to commit to including farmland loss, community food production and food access in the township’s 2027-30 strategic plan.

Candidate Kelly Linton told the Advertiser housing needs can be met by building “up” rather than “out,” by finding opportunities to build within already developed areas and by converting brownfield sites into housing.

Linton added he plans to make “farmland protection and local food access a priority” in Centre Wellington’s strategic plan.

Incumbent mayor Shawn Watters said he supports the resolution put forward by the advocates and, if re-elected, would work with council, township staff, Wellington County, the province and the farming community to move it forward.

Watters also pointed to upcoming Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) hearings as an immediate concern.

“Developers are seeking to expand our urban boundary, potentially resulting in the loss of close to 1,000 acres of prime agricultural land,” Watters stated.

“I am deeply opposed to this. We cannot afford to lose this valuable farmland.”

Watters said he is committed to meeting intensification targets and directing growth within existing urban boundaries to limit sprawl.

“Our prime agricultural soils must be protected – not only for the farmers who depend on them, but also to safeguard our local food supply for future generations,” he stated.

Candidate Bronwynne Wilton has supported plans to use municipal funds to purchase farmland and place that farmland under permanent agricultural covenants.

Wilton read for a PhD in rural studies at the University of Guelph, where she learned about the use of conservation easements. She also co-edited a volume on farmland preservation, Land for Future Generations, published by University of Manitoba Press in 2017.

Wilton was also a founding board member of the Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT), a non-profit organization that protects farmland through permanent conservation agreements.

Wilton sees opportunities for collaboration between willing landowners and organizations like OFT to conserve farmland for food security. Like Linton and Watters, she more broadly supports maintaining the current urban boundary and building up rather than out.

Candidate Neil Dunsmore emphasized farmers’ property rights, saying farmers should be able to sell their acreage to whoever they want and the municipal government should not interfere if that is a developer.

However, where farmers opt to sell to the township, Dunsmore supports permanent covenants that would maintain the land as farmland.

Like Wilton, Dunsmore supports the principle of the township partnering with non-profits to preserve farmland. And like the other candidates, he supports maintaining current geographic boundaries rather than expanding outward in a way that contributes to urban sprawl.

Candidate Stephen Kitras has taken a different approach, arguing that farmland preservation should be considered alongside opportunities for rural housing and economic development.

Kitras, a farmer himself, said there are significant barriers to people who want to move into rural areas and agriculture, particularly young people without family connections to existing farms.

“I support some of it, but I live in the rural setting and I believe extending more business opportunities and small footprint residential opportunities for people is also desired,” Kitras said.

He also supports expanding opportunities for rural food production and processing, including businesses such as abattoirs, creameries, cheesemakers and greenhouse operations.

Kitras said he has discussed the farmland proposal with Nudds and Ryan and suggested using Centre Wellington’s existing cultural heritage landscape designation as one possible mechanism to protect farmland for cultural and environmental reasons.

Why it matters

Nudds, McPhedran and Ryan argue preserving farmland can protect local food production while maintaining environmental benefits provided by agricultural landscapes.

The group argues farmland provides “environmental goods and services,” which are benefits from functioning ecosystems that are not necessarily reflected in the market value of the land.

Their proposal builds on an earlier call for the township to consider purchasing farmland that might otherwise be sold for development and protecting it for agricultural use.