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This toolkit has been developed to support Ontario beef farmers and industry representatives in engaging with municipal election candidates on issues that matter to agriculture and rural communities.
As Ontario prepares for the 2026 municipal elections, Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) is encouraging beef farmers and local associations to help raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges facing Ontario’s beef sector.
Every conversation with a local candidate helps build awareness of the beef sector’s economic, environmental and social contributions, while highlighting the important role municipal governments play in supporting a strong and sustainable agricultural industry.
Producers are encouraged to connect with candidates by attending all-candidate meetings, arranging one-on-one discussions, participating in local community events, or reaching out through social media, email, letters or phone calls. Building relationships with future municipal leaders provides an opportunity to discuss local priorities, better understand candidates’ positions on agriculture, and encourage policies that support farming and rural communities.
The next municipal election will be held on Monday, October 26, 2026.
Top Municipal Priorities for Ontario's Beef Sector
- Grow Ontario’s agri-food land base through investments in community pastures and greater policy flexibility to allow municipal land and Crown land to be accessed by farmers for food production.
- Prioritize the protection of Ontario’s finite agricultural land base, recognizing its fundamental role in supporting farm families, rural economies, domestic food security and long-term agricultural competitiveness. Cities and towns need to grow up not out.
- Ensure that major infrastructure and development projects affecting agricultural land, including initiatives such as the Alto High-Speed Rail and Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar projects, involve transparent consultation with the agricultural sector and incorporate strong farmland protection measures, meaningful mitigation strategies, and fair compensation for impacted farm businesses.
- Encourage municipalities to utilize Canadian science, data, and production practices when developing climate action plans, sustainability initiatives, and food procurement policies to
ensure decisions reflect local agricultural realities and outcomes. - Promote recognition of livestock production and cattle grazing as important contributors to environmental sustainability, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, grassland preservation, carbon sequestration, and the protection of species at risk.
- Address Ontario’s critical veterinary shortages by improving access to veterinary services in rural communities, enhancing the Veterinary Incentive Program (VIP) and continuing to modernize the Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP) to reflect current costs and on-farm needs.
- Increase investments in meat processing capacity while reducing regulatory and taxation burdens for small and medium-sized abattoirs to strengthen local processing resilience.
- Improve and modernize the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program (OWDCP) by increasing compensation values for calves, reducing claim processing and payment timelines, and aligning the Protection of Livestock and Poultry from Dogs Act compensation rates with the OWDCP to ensure timely and consistent support for livestock farmers.