OFA provided comments to the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade regarding the proposed Special Economic Zones Act.
OFA believe that the proposed Special Economic Zones Act (SEZA) should be amended to protect Ontario agriculture and rural communities and be limited in scope to natural resources and nation-building projects.
Ontario’s agricultural sector is an economic powerhouse, and it is critical that farmland preservation be a provincial priority. Therefore, Special economic zones must be designated strategically to avoid negative impacts on agricultural land and systems (especially prime agricultural areas). Additionally, SEZA should make use of the agricultural impact assessments guidelines to guide these protections.