OFA comments on the proposed updated Statement of Environmental Values (SEV) for the Ministry of Health. The Ministry’s draft SEV states the Ministry’s commitment to “contribute to a collaborative process to recognize the need for society to become a conserver of diminishing non-renewable natural resources and to reverse trends and practices whose final disposition has been harmful to the natural environment”. OFA notes that society should also focus on the wise use of renewable resources, such as agricultural soils, as well. the lands we depend upon for locally produced food and key to underpinning our food security, have been in a steady decline for over a quarter of a century. Land capable of supporting agricultural activity is a strategic resource worthy of preserving as it ensures a safe, sustainable supply of food, fibre and fuel for Ontario, Canada, and the world. OFA recommends that the Ministry’s updated SEV also include the Ministry’s commitment “to consider all aspects of the environment, including natural, social, economic, cultural and built conditions”. This addition would ensure the Ministry’s updated SEV is aligned with a core principle of Ontario’s environmental assessment program.