Preserving Our Farmland
Urban development has shaped Ontario’s landscape.
Here are a few snapshots that illustrate the far-reaching impacts that urban development has on our province’s ability to grow food.
We know urban development is important to our province. But if we want to ensure we’re feeding our people with local, fresh food grown here in Ontario, it’s time to start making smart decisions about how we develop our land.
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Expansion of suburban communities northward has seemingly doubled year over year since 1990. Major highway projects that now connect the GTA from east to west have spurred massive developments of subdivisions, malls, mega lots and more that you see below.
Perhaps the clearest example we can offer. As the GTA and Hamilton have become increasingly more unaffordable for families, developers are moving their mega-projects further and further north to attract new homebuyers.
Ottawa, in its current form, is best described as an interconnected highway of suburbs that stretch for kilometres and kilometres from east to west. Areas like Gloucester and Orléans to the east, and Kanata to the west, have seen explosive growth over the past two decades, resulting in hundreds of new subdivisions, strip malls and parking lots.
It’s both fascinating and shocking to see just how rapidly cities expand outward. Kingston is no exception.
Blink and you’ll miss it. As families across the GTA flock to remote areas of Ontario for some peace and quiet, developers have used these opportunities to vastly expand the footprint of (once) small towns.
Northern Ontario is a huge economic contributor to our province and deserves investment. However, growing cities like Sudbury provide an opportunity for us to build smart rather than create endless sprawl with no end in sight.
Hamilton has rapidly grown over the past decade stretching outward in all directions. The land just south of Hamilton was once used to grow market produce. Now, that same land is home to dozens of new subdivisions.
Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Cambridge have all vastly increased in size and population since 2000. What was once productive farmland for growing fruits, vegetables and livestock is now home to shopping centres, expansive roads and planned communities.
Everywhere you travel across southwestern Ontario, farmland and concrete are inches from one another. If you take a close look at London on this map, you’ll notice that no matter where you look, there’s a steady expansion of development happening outward year over year.
Stand with Our Farms and Food
Become a part of the Home Grown community to champion the local businesses, farms, and families that help put Ontario’s fresh, local food on our plates.