The Guelph Mercury newspaper has posted an article about a presentation I made to the Ontario Convention of the National Farmers Union on Saturday. The message that I wanted to convey to the audience was that there is a right way to develop energy projects on farmland and a wrong way to do so. As stewards of the land, farmers must do their best to ensure that energy projects do not remove land from production forever, as is the case with most urban development. In the absence of strong provincial or municipal protections for farmland, preservation of the land for future generations is left to farmers. They must resist the pressure to allow energy development to take place in a haphazard and destructive fashion.
Read the article at:
guelphmercury.com.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteMy mother owns 23 acres near rural Kingston. Her property is largely wooded, and not suited to agriculture, but her neighbours do have horse and cattle farms.
She, along with her neighbours, has been approached to rent her land to Samsung to build solar farms. Before she commits or declines their offer, what is fair to expect per acre for a 20 year lease? And how would the lease affect her ability to renovate her home, build out buildings, or even sell her property should she wish to move? Would Samsung be responsible should this affect her water table? Increase insurance premiums and property taxes? Could she offer to sell her property to them instead of leasing it so she could move away from the project completely?
Any guidance is appreciated.
Thank you for your questions, Karina. Prices paid to lease land depend in large part on the market value of the land involved. I would suggest that you consult a lawyer or other real estate professional in the area to see what solar companies, including Samsung, have been paying.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other questions you have, the answers depend on the wording of the lease. Again, I would suggest that you consult with someone knowledgeable about leases who can explain the meaning of the contractual terms to you.
It would always be open to your mother to offer to sell her property to Samsung rather than leasing it. There is no guarantee, though, that the offer would be accepted.