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My Delegation to Guelph City Council on The Protect our Food Act
Council members, Staff, fellow Guelphites, we all know, Farmers Feed Cities. Bill 21 - Protect our Food Act is designed to protect the land from which farmers feed us, because once land is converted away from agriculture, it is extremely difficult to get prime crop fields restored. Every body needs to eat and Farmers Feed Cities. Even though you can't say it with me, you can think it, because I believe you all agree, YES - Farmers Feed Cities!
A City of Guelph document titled, Agri-Innovation Sector Profile, lists many reasons why I found it curious that Guelph had not yet given formal acknowledgement or support of Bill 21 - Protect our Food Act, 2025. From jobs, to businesses and research, without protecting the land where our food is grown, in one of the most fertile agriculture areas in Canada, we jeopardise the agrifood industry right here in Guelph. Protecting jobs, business and research, right here in Guelph is why I sent an email to all of you after reading the information package. Thank you to Councillor Goller for pulling the report and putting forward a motion of support.
It only takes a quick Google search to learn of the importance of agriculture and agrifood industries in Guelph and surrounding Wellington County. A June 2023 County of Wellington report "Wellington County Emerges as an Agri-Food Powerhouse: Leading the Way in Crop and Livestock Production" states "While Wellington County covers only 0.2% of total land area in Ontario, it supports 5% (418,296 acres) of the province’s field crops." With Guelph being in the middle of a doughnut, food means jobs - jobs in the fields, jobs in food processing, jobs in research, jobs in retail, jobs in culinary, and most importantly, the job of keeping our population healthy.
Three quotes from the 2025 Canada Job Bank Trend Analysis, Job Market Report for the Ontario sectoral profile agriculture:
Approximately 71,700 people were directly employed in Ontario's agriculture industry in 2024
The broader agri-food system—including food manufacturing, processing, and retail—supports 861,000 to 871,000 jobs in Ontario, accounting for about 1 in 9 jobs in the province
The Ontario agriculture sector is a significant contributor to Canadian agriculture as a whole. According to Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census of Agriculture, the province had the largest share of farms and farm operators nationwide, ranked second in farm operating revenues"
I believe, that like our MPP, this Council understands the importance of having a continuous band of agriculture to support a growing population.
I believe this Council understands the importance of agriculture - we are, after all, in a converted building where agriculture was the focus, and just down the road is the University of Guelph's Ontario Agricultural College. Did you know that the OAC website landing page announces "Founded in Agriculture. Connected to Life. For over 150 years we've worked across disciplines to connect communities, help feed the world and Improve Life."
I believe this Council will join other agriculturally minded municipalities and send their unanimous support to Protect our Food today and in the future, because we all know, think it with me, Farmers Feed Cities.