Environmental Farm Plan Program

“How will you work to establish a fair system that recognizes agriculture's contribution to ecological services that all Ontarians enjoy, thereby reducing costs to farmers for their investment in best management practices that provide these services? And, will you commit to ensuring, where needed
that ecological services are paid for by public funds?"

The Family Coalition Party understands that Ontario farms are critical to nourishment of Ontario’s people. We support the family farm, and want to keep farmers free of any irrelevant regulation and red tape. We endorse regulatory tiering (i.e., irrelevant regulation should not apply) and self-management of farm ecological practices. Our Party also understands that there is a public benefit from good ecological management, and so farmers should not be expected to absorb all the costs of their environmental efforts.

This candidate endorses the current Environmental Farm Plan Program (EFP) administered jointly by the federal and provincial governments under the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program. The EFP provides educational tools, and pays back to farmers some of the costs of developing and implementing a Best Practices Management Plan (BMP).

However, currently not all farmers who apply can gain access to the payment plan because these funds are administered annually on a first come first served basis until they run out. I would work with the federal government to expand the program so that more farmers have access each year, and so that the amounts available increase.


Farmers have demonstrated that they are willing and able to keep up with ecological Best Management Practices. By last year, 70% of farmers had completed an ecological plan to ensure that safe and healthy environmental practices are implemented on their farms. I commend their efforts and would advocate strongly for further expansion of the program and further benefits to farmers for their participation.