ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER SUSTAINABILITY 16 continued from page 15 more expensive to construct compared to standard V-shaped drains. While farmers have traditionally borne the cost of drain maintenance, a result of them benefitting from the drain moving water away from their land, Smith thinks biodiversity restoration goals and Species at Risk legislation make the question of who benefits more complex. In part for this reason, he believes Ontario’s Drainage Act, originally established in 1835, should be revised. “The costs of drainage are borne almost entirely by the farming community. If we’re going to start calling drains habitat — and they are habitat — it’s not just the farmers that benefit, it’s humanity in general,” says Smith. “It’s 2026, and the Drainage Act may need a good look given the body of knowledge we have beyond farming science.” “Let’s not tar and feather the Act, let's act wholesomely and say, ‘We understand humanity is part of the natural ecosystem.’ Not every farm should be turned back into a forest. We need the coexistence of food production and habitat. There should be a mechanism in the government, the legislation, that acknowledges the coexistence of competing interests for those resources.” The Beaver Creek drain immediately after excavation in 2011, and in the spring of 2014. Photos: Ian Smith
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4