In partnership with King Township, Bradford is hoping to help simplify regulations for farmers in the Holland Marsh.
Based on a report from growth services director Jennifer Best, council has approved a draft plan with King to better align the zoning bylaws of the two municipalities, who share large portions of the marsh.
That’s intended to alleviate concerns for farmers, some of whom have properties straddling both municipalities, and as a result need to navigate two separate sets of regulations in order to make changes, such as adding housing for temporary workers, greenhouses or other on-farm uses like markets, restaurants, wineries and bakeries.
“This is what it means to cut red tape and support the people who grow the food that we all eat. If we can find ways to make life and business easier for our farmers, we should do it,” Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott said.
That was echoed by Jody Mott, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association (HMGA), who said they’ve been asking for these changes for “years and years,” and noted how difficult two sets of rules can be for those producing food locally — something she said is even more important in the face of American tariffs.
In order to ensure regulations align on both sides of the West Holland River — including definitions, permitted uses and performances standards — councils from both municipalities need to direct staff to perform detailed comparisons of the respective zoning bylaws, before engaging in public consultations and public meetings for the necessary amendments.
In her report, Best estimated that work could take three or four years, and as planning staff are already working at or near capacity, she expects the town may need to hire planning co-op students to help.
The current cost for a four-month term is about $15,000, with no such funding currently included in the 2025 budget, according to the report.
While he supports easing burdens on farmers and hopes to see those efforts extend north to the highland farms, Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik also stressed the importance of keeping red tape in other areas to protect farmland.
Mayor James Leduc confirmed that the town plans a more comprehensive update to its zoning bylaw, following ongoing work to update its official plan, and called the harmonization efforts a “great base” for the “foundation” of future changes in town.
Meanwhile, a committee including councillors and planning staff from both municipalities, the Holland Marsh drainage superintendent and members of the HMGA met in both January and March of this year to create the draft plan for harmonization.
That follows council’s decision from Sept. 6, 2022, to work with the HMGA on addressing the issue and building the plan.