Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
tubing, clay and concrete drain tile are installed beneath the surface of agricultural land to drain
excess water from the crop root zone.
During focus group sessions, local farmers indicated that access to farm funding has been
challenging in the past. In Ontario, landowners planning to install a tile drainage system can
access the Tile Loan Program through the local municipality. The municipality must ensure that it
has a valid borrowing bylaw under the Tile Drainage Act and that it is aware of the details of the
current provincial Tile Loan Program policies. The municipal council reviews each application for
loan and approves or rejects it.
To help increase local farm productivity, the Town of Cochrane’s EDO (see Project 7.1.1) should
continue to offer this program as part of the Town’s responsibilities under OMAFRA’s Tile Loan
Program. The EDO should foster community awareness of this funding program, and other
programs (see project 7.2.1) to help improve local farm productivity.
OMAFRA is responsible for ensuring that municipalities are aware of the loan policies and
program details. OMAFRA also p rocesses the loan documents received from the municipality and
arranges the transfer of the loan funds to the municipality. The Financial Service Delivery Branch
of Ontario Shared Services is responsible for collecting the annual repayments from municipalities,
as well as any tile loan redemptions. Under the Agricultural Tile Drainage Installation Act, a
contractor installing tile drainage systems must be licensed by OMAFRA. For more information on
this
program
see
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
Agriculture
and
Food
website:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/07-061.htm.
Potential Community Leaders
Town of Cochrane EDO (See Project 7.1.1).
Potential Funding Sources
OMAFRA, page 104.
7.2.1.2 Create a local resource to assist the agri-food producers with access to funding and
information sources
Local farmers, as do all businesses, require assistance with funding applications or sourcing
information. Ideally, the EDO (see Project 7.1.1) will assist local farmers and agri-food producers
in accessing financial or information resources required to increase their productivity, as well as
conduct research and analysis on high value northern suitable crops. The EDO should be well
versed in regional initiatives, such as the NeCN project, and be aware of other regional resources
such as the New Liskeard Agricultural Research Station, and the programs offered by the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
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