The Rural Voice, 1988-03, Page 29Due notice and mandatory wait-
ings periods, however, says Milburn,
are "ordained by the Planning Act and
are seen as a safeguard." He adds that
he would advise farmers to expect a
severance application to take three or
four months to be approved or denied.
But Bruinsma and Boekee didn't
expect the township requirement for
rezoning, which arose out of the sev-
erance application. "After the sever-
ance came through they literally had
to start over again and go for the re-
zoning requirement," Milburn agrees.
"It's a toughy, and I can under-
stand Cecil's concern."
Another point of contention, says
Bruinsma, is that the official plan is
"self-defeating." On the 80 acres he
has now severed he could build a
house, or he could sell the property
to anybody he pleased. If the plan
allowed a farmer to sever 80 acres but
didn't allow him to build a house on
the property, he says, then it would be
serving its avowed purpose, which is
to prevent scattered urban develop-
ment in rural areas.
According to Gary Davidson,
however, a residence in a farm zone
is considered an accessory to a farm
operation, and a house can't be built
unless it's related to the agricultural
use of the property.
Yet this area is a gray one. Bruins -
ma could, it seems, build a house on
the property for farm workers or for a
family member involved in his farm
operation. And if the property were
sold, says Hudson Milburn, the muni-
cipality might not be able to prevent
the owner from building a residence.
But each case is unique, and in this
case 80 acres is a large parcel for a
buyer not intending to farm.
Cecil Bruinsma, nevertheless,
remains unconvinced of the benefits
of the planning regulations that exact-
ed so much time and money. "It's not
right," he says, "Now if I was going to
sell that land and turn it into a golf
course it would be a different story."
But it's this story that Bruinsma want-
ed other farmers to hear. As he puts it,
other farmers might not be as willing
to admit publicly how much a sale
cost them. For Bruinsma, telling his
story is the last step in the sale of his
farm, and one he felt obliged to take.0
Lise Gunby
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MARCH 1988 27