OFA outlined key recommendations to the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, regarding the updated proposed changes to the draft Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) regulations. OFA recommended the draft CFS regulations for farmers consider adopting existing agricultural best management as sufficient to meet CFS Land Use and Biodiversity (LUB) compliance. OFA also recommended the CFS recognize that the Ontario provincial government has policy in place to sustain and expand agricultural production in the northern Ontario region. With respect to cropland expansions, OFA strongly recommended that draft CFS regulations not discourage biofuel feedstock production and not be at cross-purposes with other agriculture-related government policy objectives and initiatives established at the federal, provincial and/or regional level. OFA also strongly recommended that ECCC delay the start date for implementing LUB criteria, align the compliance baseline year with the delayed start date, and adjust CFS milestone dates, in order to allow ECCC adequate time to receive detailed stakeholder input about administration and verification burdens and costs. OFA offered to partner and work with ECCC and the federal government to create a set of attainable regulations for Ontario farmers based on farmers’ best management practices as environmental stewards.
Submissions & Correspondence
OFA letter to federal Environment and Climate Change Minister regarding Canada’s draft Clean Fuel Standard regulations
Updated: October 28, 2020