OntarioBill 21First Reading

Bill 21: Protect Our Food Act, 2025

Sponsor: Schreiner, MikeIntroduced May 13, 2025Last checked August 30, 2026

Read the official text on ola.orgOfficial version — Legislative Assembly of Ontario

What this bill does

This Ontario bill creates an advisory committee to develop a 'Foodbelt Protection Plan' preserving a continuous agricultural land base, and amends the Planning Act to require an Agricultural Impact Assessment before any agriculturally zoned land can be rezoned or have its permitted uses changed, including by Minister's Zoning Order.

Plain-language summary by Legisail.

Business impact

Compliance

This bill most directly affects farmers and agricultural operators across Ontario whose land is currently zoned for agricultural uses — they would gain stronger protections against their farmland being converted to residential or commercial development, but may also face new constraints on diversifying their own land use. Real estate developers and land speculators who purchase farmland with the intention of seeking rezoning for housing subdivisions, commercial projects, or aggregate extraction would face significant new barriers, as any rezoning would require completion of an Agricultural Impact Assessment. Municipalities and their planning departments would need to incorporate the new assessment process before approving any zoning changes on agricultural land. The bill's measures to reduce land speculation and restrict aggregate extraction could also impact quarry operators and mining companies working in agricultural areas.

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Where this bill is

First ReadingMay 13, 2025