In order to ensure that this is the case, all second houses will require approval from the Agricultural Land Commission under a non-farm use application. Additionally, the following minimum standards will also apply:
- The farm operation 8 ha or more in total area, and all of the lots comprising the farm operation are next to one another.
- The property is classified as a “farm” under the Assessment Act. The owner of the farm must live on the property and the owner or another immediate family member works full-time on the farm.
- The owner of the property must grant restrictive covenants to the City, one restricting the occupancy of the additional farm house to full-time farm employees and another limiting the total number of farm houses and additional farm houses to two for those farms that consist of more than one property.
- The property owner is required to provide a statutory declaration to the City verifying that the additional farm house is occupied only by a full-time farm employee.