Clarington farming by the numbers
down from 390 in 2011.*
of farmland.
in farm revenue.
of farms are under 70 acres.
Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture 2011 and 2021.
*Statistics Canada updated its definition of a farm in 2021.
A farm stand is allowed. Almost anything else needs a rezoning.
Many Clarington farms stay in business by adding something on the side. Examples are a butcher shop, a bakery, a cidery, equipment repair, or boat and trailer storage in a barn that already stands empty half the year.
Under Clarington’s zoning by-law, farmland is limited to farming, produce stands, bed and breakfasts and home businesses. Anything else needs a zoning by-law amendment. That means applications, studies, fees, public meetings and months of waiting, often followed by site plan approval.
Clarington removed this rezoning requirement from its Official Plan in 2016. The zoning by-law that actually governs farms never caught up. Council first asked for more flexibility in 2012. Farmers are still waiting.
What Ontario already says
The province calls these businesses on-farm diversified uses. Its guidelines, OMAFRA Publication 851, already tell municipalities to adopt “as-of-right” zoning for uses that fit on a farm.
The same guidelines also protect the land:
These uses are limited to 2% of the farm, to a maximum of 1 hectare.
Farming stays the main use.
Our neighbours are moving. Brock Township approved new on-farm business policies in January 2026.
Tom’s plan
01. As of right permissions for farm businesses.
On-farm businesses that meet the provincial size limits will be permitted in the zoning by-law, with no approval application. As of right means the zoning by-law already permits the use, so there is nothing to apply for. The rules will be clear and written down in advance, not negotiated one farm at a time.
02. Small business, small rules.
Today a farm that adds a business can face the same site plan review as a commercial development, and that review can include handing over a strip of road frontage for future road widening. Tom will set lighter rules for small farm businesses, so a farmer adding a storage barn or a farm shop isn’t treated like a strip plaza.
03. No new charges on farm buildings.
Farm buildings in Clarington and Durham Region are exempt from development charges today. Tom will oppose any attempt to change that. A new barn should not come with a development charge bill.
Tom Dingwall
Sources
Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture 2011 and 2021
OMAFRA Publication 851 (2016)
Clarington Zoning By-laws 84-63 and 2005-109
Official Plan Amendment 107 (2016)
Council resolutions C-095-12 and C-096-12 (2012)
Clarington Development Charges By-law 2025-070
Durham Region By-law 42-2023
Township of Brock Council highlights, January 26, 2026
