As there is interest in the Greenbelt I am providing here an update to a post I made earlier about my motion on the Greenbelt. In that motion I said that my motion would be discussed at the Oct. 14 Council. Rather than discussing it I announced at the Council meeting that I was withdrawing the motion and that it was my intent to bring a new motion at a later date. When asked why I was withdrawing it I said that after further review I had decided that it did not achieve the objective I had which was to have a motion which would protect and strengthen the Greenbelt Plan. My new motion will be on the Oct. Council and will be published in the agenda for that meeting.
Thank you for the update, Councillor Schaefer. It’s encouraging to see this conversation continue as we look toward a stronger, clearer Greenbelt motion.
We need farms and farmers to thrive, not just survive. The strength of Canada begins in its soil and water, and the renewal of our nation must start at the local level – town by town, field by field.
Real renewal will not come from Ottawa… it will come from communities that choose to protect, produce, and prosper at the same time. King can lead by proving that stewardship and prosperity go hand-in-hand.
The same soil that feeds our crops also anchors our future. Every choice we make now, in how we farm, build, and protect will decide what kind of Canada our children inherit. Let’s begin that renewal here in King, and show the country what rebuilding Canada from the ground up truly looks like.
The intentions are proper, the impulse has momentum, the issues are great. One of the largest is how to make it possible for the next generation to engage in this desirable lifestyle and also farm profitably. The business itself demands a huge initial outlay and carries much risk. I can picture this done with the acquisition of public lands to bank then make those available for affordable lease to enterprising, committed young farmers. If too many farms are sold off by aged out farmers and left to speculators, their production value is lost for years. Coming up with enough money to compete with speculators is the greatest challenge, especially on a purely local level. So maybe such a plan does need to broaden out to include provincial and national governments.