Bill 109, Protecting Ontario’s Food Independence Act, 2026
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill restricts foreign farmland purchases, updates food safety rules, and modernizes agricultural governance across nine related laws.
Key Changes
- Creates the new Farmland Security Act, 2026, which prohibits 'designated persons' (including foreign nationals) from buying Ontario farmland without ministerial permission
- Requires disclosure of buyer information for all farmland sales; land registrars must refuse to register transfers if this information is missing
- Brings milk and dairy products under the Food Safety and Quality Act, removing quality regulation from the Milk Act
- Creates a new 'delegated authority' system allowing outside organizations to enforce food safety rules on behalf of the province
- Renames and expands the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Protection Tribunal, absorbing the Normal Farm Practices Protection Board
- Adds new rules for beef cattle custom processing, including licence requirements and a reimbursement option for up to two cattle processed for personal use
Gotchas
- The definition of 'designated person' — the category of people banned from buying farmland — is largely left to future regulations, meaning the full scope of the restriction is not defined in the bill itself and could be broadened or narrowed later without a new vote in the legislature.
- No compensation is available to anyone who loses the ability to buy or hold farmland as a result of this law, including people who may have already been in the process of purchasing.
- The bill includes broad liability shields for government officials, delegated authorities, and their employees acting in good faith, and explicitly bars most lawsuits (including for damages or lost profits) against these parties — with limited exceptions for judicial review or constitutional challenges.
- Delegated authorities (outside organizations given enforcement powers) are explicitly stated to not be Crown agencies and their funds are not public money, yet they can collect fees, impose penalties, and enforce regulations — reducing direct government accountability and Auditor General oversight compared to a standard government body.
- The bill allows the Minister to unilaterally amend administrative agreements with delegated authorities without the delegated authority's consent, as long as reasonable notice is given.
- Persons collecting information under the Farmland Security Act cannot generally be compelled to testify about that information in legal proceedings, except in criminal cases or proceedings directly related to the Act itself.
Who's Affected
- Foreign nationals and foreign-connected entities seeking to buy Ontario farmland
- All buyers and sellers of farmland in Ontario (new disclosure requirements)
- Dairy farmers and milk processors (regulatory shift from Milk Act to Food Safety and Quality Act)
- Beef cattle producers (new custom processing rules and licence fees)
- Agricultural dealers and storage operators (stronger financial accountability rules)
- Veterinary professionals in Ontario (updated inspection and licensing rules)
- Ontario Food Terminal Board and its tenants
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The definition of 'designated person' — the category of people banned from buying farmland — is largely left to future regulations, meaning the full scope of the restriction is not defined in the bill itself and could be broadened or narrowed later without a new vote in the legislature.
- No compensation is available to anyone who loses the ability to buy or hold farmland as a result of this law, including people who may have already been in the process of purchasing.
- The bill includes broad liability shields for government officials, delegated authorities, and their employees acting in good faith, and explicitly bars most lawsuits (including for damages or lost profits) against these parties — with limited exceptions for judicial review or constitutional challenges.
- Delegated authorities (outside organizations given enforcement powers) are explicitly stated to not be Crown agencies and their funds are not public money, yet they can collect fees, impose penalties, and enforce regulations — reducing direct government accountability and Auditor General oversight compared to a standard government body.
- The bill allows the Minister to unilaterally amend administrative agreements with delegated authorities without the delegated authority's consent, as long as reasonable notice is given.
- Persons collecting information under the Farmland Security Act cannot generally be compelled to testify about that information in legal proceedings, except in criminal cases or proceedings directly related to the Act itself.
Summary
Bill 109 is a large omnibus bill that makes changes to nine different Ontario laws related to farming and food. Its biggest new piece is the Farmland Security Act, 2026, which bans certain people — including foreign nationals and other 'designated persons' defined by regulation — from buying Ontario farmland without government permission. Anyone selling or transferring farmland must now provide information to the Minister, and land registrars must refuse to register a sale if that information is missing. The bill also updates how food safety is regulated in Ontario. It brings milk and dairy products under the Food Safety and Quality Act for the first time, and transfers quality-control responsibilities away from the Milk Act. It creates a new system of 'delegated authorities' — outside organizations that can be given power to enforce food safety rules on behalf of the government. The existing Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal is renamed the Agriculture and Agri-Food Protection Tribunal and takes on new responsibilities, including handling farm practice disputes previously handled by a separate board. Other changes include new rules for beef cattle custom processing (having your own cattle slaughtered for personal use), stronger financial protections for farmers dealing with dealers and storage operators, updates to veterinary professional rules, and liability protections for the Ontario Food Terminal Board.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses