Agriculture

• Ontario Farmland Trust
• Farm Credit Canada
• Ontario Federation of Agriculture
• Cultivating Local - Resource Hub
• Simcoe County EDO Agriculture Resources
• Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture
• Mentorship Program - Simcoe County EDO
• Ontario Farm Finance and Loan Programs
• Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario's Prime Agricultural Areas

• Economic Development
• Business Guidance - Orillia Area CDC
• Entrepreneur Support - Start or Grow Your Small Business
• Agriculture Wellness Ontario

Local workshop opportunities and networking events may be offered from the following resources.

• Orillia Area CDC - Workshops
• Simcoe County Events
• Oro-Medonte Chamber of Commerce - Events

Planning policy at the local, County and provincial levels govern lot creation and consents. Lot creation in the Agricultural designation is discouraged and only permitted for the following, limited, cases: 

Agricultural Uses

• Lot creation for agricultural uses, provided the severed and retained lots are each not less than 40.0 hectares.

Agricultural-related Uses

• Lot creation for agricultural-related uses, provided that any new lot will be limited to a minimum size needed to accommodate the use and the appropriate sewage and water services.

Surplus Farm Dwelling

• Lot creation to sever a residence surplus to a farming operation as a result of farm consolidation, provided:
  • The surplus farm dwelling must be: a dwelling existing as of the date of adoption of the Official Plan, habitable, and located on a parcel -which is actively farmed;
  • The new lot will be limited to a minimum size needed to accommodate the use and appropriate servicing (water and sewage); and,
  • The new lot be rezoned to an appropriate residential zone category and the remnant parcel of the farmland be zoned to prohibit residential uses as a condition of any severance.

Minor or technical consents (such as minor boundary adjustments) may also be considered provided they do not result in new lot creation.

The Township’s Official Plan policies on lot creation in the Agricultural designation can be found in Section 2.5.5.

Please note, there are many factors that contribute to if a property would be eligible for severance (i.e. environment, location, proposal, etc.). The first step in seeing if you can sever a parcel in Oro-Medonte is inquiring and pre-consulting with Township Planning Staff.  

An additional residential unit (ARU) is a separate and self-contained dwelling unit that is subordinate to the primary dwelling and located within the same building or within a detached accessory building on the same lot as a primary dwelling.

An ARU within a primary dwelling is currently permitted provided the provisions of Section 5.4 of the Zoning By-law can be complied with. 

In order to allow an ARU within a detached accessory building, in the Agricultural/Rural (A/RU) Zone, a Zoning By-law Amendment is currently required. Should you be considering a detached ARU on your property, the Township’s Official Plan should be consulted for additional information; specifically Section 4.9. 

Please note, the Township is currently undertaking a Zoning By-law Review with Additional Residential Unit (ARU) provisions being considered. For additional information on the Zoning By-law Review process please visit www.oro-medonte.ca/zoningbylawreview.

Agriculture-Related Uses are those farm related commercial and farm-related industrial uses that are small in scale, directly related to the farm operation and required to be in close proximity to the farm operation.

On-farm Diversified Uses are uses that are secondary to the principal agricultural use of the property, and are limited in area. On-farm diversified uses include, but are not limited to, home occupations, home industries, agri-tourism uses and uses that produce value-added agricultural products.

• Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario's Prime Agricultural Areas

Outside those uses identified in Table A4 of the Zoning By-law, other agriculture-related and on-farm diversified uses are currently reviewed on a site-specific basis and require a planning process to establish the appropriate permissions. The Township’s Official Plan speaks to agriculture-related and on-farm diversified uses in Sections 2.5.7 and 2.5.8, respectively. 

Pre-consultation with Planning Staff to discuss your proposal is the first step in the process of wanting to establish an on-farm diversified or agriculture-related use, with a Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan, at minimum and depending on the site/use, being commonly required.

• Hobby Farms

A Hobby Farm refers to the keeping of no more than two horses and/or a limited number of domestic animals for personal use and enjoyment on the same lot as a single detached dwelling, but does not include an intensive agricultural use or a kennel. 

In Oro-Medonte, hobby farms are permitted on lots zoned A/RU, having a minimum lot area of 2 hectares (4.9 acres) and subject to Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) requirements.

• Backyard Chickens

Backyard chickens are a permitted use in the A/RU Zone as an accessory use to a single detached dwelling. 

Backyard Chickens in Oro-Medonte is defined as the keeping of a maximum of six (6) hens for the purposes of companionship as a pet or of providing food for personal consumption of occupants of the dwelling on the same lot; and does not include accessory livestock, or agricultural uses otherwise defined by the Township of Oro-Medonte’s Zoning By-law.

As per Section 5.39 of Zoning By-law 97-95:

• Chicken coops and chicken manure storage shall be considered accessory buildings or structures. 
• In addition, the following provisions also apply to the placement of the coop and manure storage structures:

1. 1. Coops and manure storage structures may be built together, separately, or within an existing building/structure.
   2. The coop and manure storage structure, exclusive of the outdoor enclosure, shall not cumulatively exceed an area of 10 square metres.
   3. Coop and manure storage structures shall not be located closer to a front lot line or exterior side lot line than the front or exterior side or wall of the single detached dwelling.
   4. Coops and manure storage structures shall be included within the maximum lot coverage calculations for accessory buildings or structures (Section 5.1.5).
   5. Coops shall be set back a minimum of 2 metres (6.5 feet) from the rear lot line or interior side lot line.
   6. Manure storage structures shall be set back a minimum of 3 metres (9.8 feet) from the rear lot line or interior side lot line.
   7. MDS shall not apply to backyard chicken uses.
   8. The keeping of roosters is prohibited.
   9. Sale of eggs, manure, or other products associated with the keeping of backyard chickens is prohibited.

Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) Information

The Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (PPS, 2024) and other land use plans require that new land uses, including the creation of lots and new or expanding livestock facilities, comply with the Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) formulae and guidelines.

MDS is comprised of two separate, but related, formulae that act reciprocally to help site either new development or new/expanding livestock facilities:

• MDS I formula determines the setbacks between proposed new development and existing livestock barns, manure storages and/or anaerobic digesters.

MDS I Data Collection Form

• MDS II formula determines setbacks between proposed new or altered livestock facilities and/or anaerobic digesters and existing or approved development, lot lines and road allowances.

MDS II Data Collection Form

Calculations are done through the AgriSuite program.

Additional Resources

• OMAFRA Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Prime Agricultural Areas