Dr. Richard Vyn

Dr. Richard Vyn, a professor of agricultural economics in the Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics, spoke to the Reuters news agency about the demand for housing and how it’s squeezing farmers off arable land.

The article appeared in several publications including The Globe and Mail.

Vyn commented that local and provincial governments have to balance the demands of home-buyers with farmland protection.

“Do you want to make housing more affordable or protect farmland?” Vyn said. “It’s pretty challenging to do both.”

Vyn researches the impacts of policies, such as the Greenbelt, on farmland values and residential properties.