The Rural Voice, 1981-05, Page 9Jethro Crang
The agrominium developer grew up on a farm
Jethro 'Bub' Crane. the 5S -year-old Toronto developer who
wants to turn his 606 -acre farm into an agrominium, is an old
farm boy himself. He grew up in farming and says he was active
in agriculture until four years ago.
The first Crang farm was purchased by the developer's father,
Jethro Sr., in 1921 at what is now Jane and Wilson Streets in
north Toronto. Construction of highway 400 forced the family to
another farm a little further north. to what is now the corner of
Weston and Sheppard Streets. in 1950. When Eaton's store
decided the Crang farm would be an ideal location for a
warehouse five years later. it was time to move again.
Jethro Sr. bought another farm in Caledon East before buying
an 1800 acre spread at Alliston where he grew potatoes, along
with the 606 -acre Bradford farm in 1955. In 1972, like so many
other easterners looking west, the father 'retired' to a 1200 acre
ranch in Alberta.
Interested in retiring in a rural setting but not wishing to farm
any longer, the elder Crang attempted to establish an
agrominium on his Alberta spread, but the proposal was turned
down last year.
Jethro Jr. farmed at Bradford until 1977, when he moved to
Toronto, and he currently rents the land to farming interests.
Before leaving the farm for the city he said he had close to 300
head in a cow/calf operation.
Jethro Sr. died last year, just short of his 80th birthday.
again, because the current application by
Crang asks for new zoning for only eight
of the acres.
Handing the agrominium owners the
opportunity to alter the agricultural
project, in spite of the necessary 80 per
cent vote and further zoning changes,
worries Jones. "We see this one here as
perhaps multiplying on the same proper-
ty. What I can see happening, the least
optimistic view, a few years down the
road. but not too many, is these people
could subdivide the land and make money
like Crang did. That becomes much
easier for a group to do."
So, while the concerns of the agricul-
tural community which were warming up
prior to the OMB ruling can simmer for a
while, they can't be allowed to cool just
yet. "1'm definitely going to appeal to the
cabinet," explained Crang. "The basic
reason for the appeal is the OMB failed to
view the agrominium as an agricultural
project and relied too heavily on the
Ontario Food Lands guidelines. They
passed the responsibility along to the
cabinet. I don't know if I entirely disagree
with them, though. The agrominium is
unique. It's a new concept."
Still, the second rejection of Crang's
THE RURAL VOICE/ MAY 1981 PG. 7