Severance decision provokes appeals Thursday, June 16, 2011 by SUSAN MANNThree groups are appealing a Huron County council committee of the whole severance decision that created a non-farm rural residence in a prime agricultural area.The groups are: the ministry of municipal affairs and housing, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Frieshaven Farms Ltd. They’re appealing the decision the committee made to approve the application of Robert Vodden and Joanne Palmer to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Scott Tousaw, director of the Huron County planning department, says in an email it typically takes four to six months for the OMB to schedule a hearing.The committee of the whole approved the severance in May. The parcel is located in East Ward (Hullett) in Central Huron. Central Huron Council recommended the application be approved with conditions.The county’s planning department recommended denying the application because it didn’t conform to the Provincial Policy Statement, the county’s Official Plan or the Central Huron Official Plan. None of those planning documents permit the creation of a non-farm residential lot, Huron County planner Susanna Reid said in an earlier interview. But the committee approved the severance application with conditions.There weren’t any objections to the severance application either from surrounding landowners or anyone else prior to the committee’s decision to approve the application, Reid said in an earlier interview. BF Investors in Arlan Galbraith's alleged pigeon Ponzi scheme fail to show for prosecutor's meeting How to optimize your solar yield
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 13, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
Senators examine Canada’s food system firsthand during southwestern Ontario fact finding mission Thursday, March 12, 2026 A delegation of Canadian senators conducted a full day fact finding mission on Friday, March 6, 2026, visiting several major food system organizations and research facilities across Southwestern Ontario. The tour supported the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry’s ongoing... Read this article online
Middle East conflict pushes fertilizer costs higher, forcing Ontario growers to rethink corn acres Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Ontario farmers are bracing for a turbulent spring as fertilizer and fuel prices surge in response to the escalating conflict involving Iran, a development that analysts say could reshape planting decisions across North America. The spike in nitrogen costs—the most critical and... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online