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ontario regulation 50/14

made under the

Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act, 1993

Made: March 5, 2014
Filed: March 6, 2014
Published on e-Laws: March 7, 2014
Printed in The Ontario Gazette: March 22, 2014

Amending O. Reg. 723/93

(GENERAL)

1. Section 1 of Ontario Regulation 723/93 is amended by adding the following subsection:

(3) For the purposes of clause 2 (1) (b) of the Act, the determination of the annual gross income of a farming business shall be made by the Ministry in accordance with subsection (2) based on financial, inventory and business information and records provided by the farming business upon request.

2. The Regulation is amended by adding the following section:

1.1 (1) The following two classes of farming business registration forms are established for the purpose of prescribing the information that must be included in the forms under subsection 2 (3) of the Act:

1. The long version of the farming business registration form which shall contain all the information required under subsection 2 (1).

2. The short version of the farming business registration form which shall contain the information required under subsection 2 (2).

(2) The long version of the farming business registration form shall be used by,

(a) any person who files a farming business registration form with the Minister in 2015, 2020, 2025 or in any year that is at five year intervals thereafter; and

(b) a person who files a farming business registration form with the Minister if the farming business was not assigned a registration number for the previous year.

(3) The short version of the form shall be used by a person who wishes to file a farming business registration form with the Minister in any year that the long version of the form is not required.

3. (1) Section 2 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

2. (1) The following information is prescribed as the information that must be contained in the long version of the farming business registration form for the purposes of subsection 2 (3) of the Act:

1. The following contact information:

i. The name, address, telephone number, fax number and email address of the farming business.

ii. The name of the individual who may be contacted regarding the farming business, and his or her address, telephone number, fax number and email address, if different from the information provided under sub-paragraph i.

iii. The main farming location of the farming business. 

2. The following information with respect to the business structure of the farming business:

i. Whether the farming business is a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a trust.

ii. If it is a partnership, the list of partners.

iii. If it is a business corporation that does not offer its shares to the public, the names of its shareholders.

iv. If it is a business corporation that offers its shares to the public, a co-operative corporation incorporated under the Co-operative Corporations Act or a non-profit corporation incorporated under Part III of the Corporations Act, the names of its officers.

v. If it is a trust, the names of its trustees.

3. The approximate age, with reference to the age ranges specified in the form, and the educational back ground of the following individuals:

i. If the farming business is a sole proprietorship, the sole proprietor.

ii. If the farming business is a partnership, the partner who is the most active in the management of the farming business.

iii. If the farming business is a business corporation that does not offer its shares to the public, the shareholder who is the most active in the management of the farming business.

iv. If the farming business is a business corporation that offers its shares to the public, a co-operative corporation incorporated under the Co-operative Corporations Act or a non-profit corporation incorporated under Part III of the Corporations Act, the officer who is the most active in the management of the farming business.

v. If the farming business is a trust, the trustee who is the most active in the management of the farming business.

4. The following information with respect to the farming income of the farm business:

i. The approximate annual gross income of the farming business, with reference to the income ranges specified in the form.

ii. The type of crops, livestock, poultry, other animals or other agricultural products produced in the farming business that contribute to the farming business’s income, as chosen from a list of agricultural products specified in the form. 

iii. Of the agricultural products specified under subparagraph ii, the top three sources of income of the farming business. 

5. The approximate number of individuals employed on a part-time, regular full-time and seasonal full-time basis, with reference to the ranges specified in the form.

6. The area of the land used in the farming business, the amount, if any, of that area that is cultivated, the amount, if any, that is owned and the amount, if any, that is rented.

7. The name and position within the farming business of the individual signing the form.

8. Any identification number that has been assigned to the farming business for purposes of the AgriStability program or any other similar or successor agricultural funding program that is operated by Ontario, either alone or jointly with the federal government, and is listed on the form.

(2) The following information is prescribed as the information that must be contained in the short version of the farming business registration form for the purposes of subsection 2 (3) of the Act:

1. The approximate annual gross income of the farming business, with reference to the income ranges specified in the form.

2. Any identification number that has been assigned to the farming business for purposes of the AgriStability program or any other similar or successor agricultural funding program that is operated by Ontario, either alone or jointly with the federal government, and is listed on the form.

(2) Subparagraph 2 iv of subsection 2 (1) of the Regulation, as remade by subsection (1), is further amended by striking out “a non-profit corporation incorporated under Part III of the Corporations Act” and substituting “a non-profit corporation without share capital incorporated under the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 or any predecessor of that Act”.

(3) Subparagraph 3 iv of subsection 2 (1) of the Regulation, as remade by subsection (1), is further amended by striking out “a non-profit corporation incorporated under Part III of the Corporations Act” and substituting “a non-profit corporation without share capital incorporated under the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 or any predecessor of that Act”.

4. The Regulation is amended by adding the following section:

2.1 For the purposes of section 3 of the Act, the purposes for which the Minister may use information received from farming business registration forms include validating eligibility for Ministry and other programs that require a registration number.

5. (1) Section 5 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

5. (1) In this section,

“supporter”, with respect to a farm organization, means,

(a) any farming business that has made a payment under section 21 (1) of the Act to the organization and has not requested a refund of the payment under subsection 21 (8) of the Act, whether or not the farming business is a member of the organization, and

(b) any person or entity that is not a farming business required to file a farming business registration form under section 2 of the Act and that is a member of the organization.

(2) A farm organization qualifies for accreditation if it meets the following criteria:

1. It is incorporated under a general or special Act of the Legislature.

2. Persons sitting on its board of directors have all been elected, except for persons who were appointed to fill a vacancy or in other exceptional circumstances.

3. Its purpose is to represent persons carrying on all types of farming businesses and it is willing to represent a farming business no matter what types of crops, livestock, poultry or other agricultural products may be produced by the farming business.

4. The fee required for membership in the farm organization, or for a class of membership in the organization, consists of the payment to the farm organization of the amount that is payable under subsection 21 (1) of the Act and prescribed under subsection 3 (2).

5. At least 250 farming businesses that hold registration numbers under the Act have,

i. become supporters of the farm organization, or

ii. in the case of a farm organization that is not accredited, paid a fee of at least $195 to the farm organization.

6. The majority of its supporters are farming businesses described in clause (a) of the definition of “supporter” in subsection (1).

7. It has at least 12 local branches located in Ontario and contributes to its local branches at least 10 percent of the part of its gross revenue for any given year that is received from payments made under section 21 of the Act and is determined before taxes, excluding any refunds that may be paid under subsection 21 (8) of the Act.

8. Each local branch of the farm organization meets the following requirements:

i. It represents at least 10 farming businesses described in paragraph 5.

ii. Persons sitting on its board of directors have all been elected, except for persons who were appointed to fill a vacancy or in other exceptional circumstances.

iii. It holds an annual general meeting.

iv. It is entitled to send a representative to any meeting of the farm organization to which local branches are invited to send representatives.

9. It has an established process that allows farming businesses that are supporters of the farm organization and have a registration number under the Act to make submissions to the farm organization on any relevant issue, and that requires the farm organization to consider the submissions and respond.

10. Subject to subsection (3), it has entered into a written agreement with the Minister and with other farm organizations to provide special funding to the francophone organization that is eligible for special funding under section 12 or 13 of the Act.

11. It prepares audited financial statements in accordance with subsection (4) and makes them available to the public within 30 days of its annual general meetings and, if the Tribunal has held any hearings under the Act, it submitted a copy of its most recent audited financial statements to the Tribunal before the hearing began.

12. In the case of an accredited farm organization, it has developed a written service standard setting out the rules applicable to applications for, and the timing and processing of, refunds under subsection 21 (8) of the Act and the service standard is available to the public upon request.

13. Provides education or training in agricultural matters.

14. Provides advice and analysis to governments, administrative tribunals or advisory bodies concerning agricultural issues and the development of programs or policies that are of interest to persons carrying on farming businesses.

(3) The requirement to enter into an agreement described in paragraph 10 of subsection (2) does not apply to a farm organization if,

(a) the farm organization is an accredited organization and has agreed in writing to enter into an agreement referred to in paragraph 10 of subsection (2) before July 1, 2015; or

(b) the farm organization is not an accredited organization at the time it applies to the Tribunal for accreditation and has agreed in writing to enter into an agreement referred to in paragraph 10 of subsection (2) promptly upon receiving its accreditation.

(4) An audited financial statement shall include:

1. The total amount received by the farm organization under subsection 21 (3) of the Act in the year.

2. The number of refunds paid by the farm organization under subsection 21 (8) of the Act and the total amount of those refunds.

3. The amount contributed by the farm organization to its local branches.

4. Financial statements and an auditor’s report prepared by an auditor in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.

(2) Subsection 5 (3) of the Regulation, as remade by subsection (1), is revoked and the following substituted:

(3) The requirement to enter into an agreement described in paragraph 10 of subsection (2) does not apply to a farm organization if that farm organization,

(a) is not accredited at the time it applies to the Tribunal for accreditation; and

(b) has agreed in writing to enter into an agreement described in paragraph 10 of subsection (2) promptly upon receiving its accreditation.

6. (1) Paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 of subsection 8 (1) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

6. Persons sitting on its board of directors have all been elected, except for persons who were appointed to fill a vacancy or in other exceptional circumstances.

7. It prepares audited financial statements annually in accordance with subsection (2) and makes them available to the public within 30 days of its annual general meetings and, if the Tribunal has held any hearings under the Act, it submitted a copy of its most recent audited financial statements to the Tribunal before the hearing began.

(2) Subsection 8 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) An audited financial statement shall include:

1. The total amount of special funding received by the francophone organization in the year.

2. Financial statements and an auditor’s report prepared by an auditor in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.

3. The number of members in the organization.

O. Reg. 363/12

7. Subsection 1 (2) of Ontario Regulation 363/12, which would remake section 5 of the Regulation, is revoked.

Commencement

8. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), this Regulation comes into force on the later of July 1, 2014 and the day it is filed.

(2) Subsections 3 (2) and (3) come into force on the later of the day this Regulation comes into force and the day subsection 4 (1) of the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 comes into force.

(3) Subsection 5 (2) comes into force on July 1, 2015. 

 

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