Ontario farm groups are applauding a provincial regulatory change that will exempt eligible agricultural land from municipal stormwater fees, saying the move will ease costs and better reflect how farmland actually handles water.
The Ontario government has amended regulations under the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 so that land classified by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation as farmland or managed forest will generally not be subject to stormwater fees. The exemption does not apply to residential or commercial portions of those properties, and it is aimed at land that is not connected to municipal storm sewer systems.
Farm organizations, including Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said they had pushed for the change for some time, arguing that stormwater fee models used for urban properties were poorly suited to farm operations. Unlike paved or heavily developed land, farmland and managed forests are largely permeable and naturally absorb rainfall, reducing runoff and placing little demand on municipal stormwater infrastructure.
Farm leaders said the change will remove an unfair cost burden from producers and help improve the competitiveness of Ontario agriculture at a time when farm businesses continue to face rising input and operating costs.
The province said the new rules are intended to create more consistent treatment of farms and managed forest lands across Ontario.
