Do we have a "right" to build ourselves a single family home?

I have a close relative who has opinions on everything. When we chat, especially online, we get into long, tedious discussions that lead nowhere. You see, I, too, have opinions on everything and my opinions do not agree with hers. Oops!

She is big on personal freedom. Don't infringe on my space. Period. Governments pass rules and regulations setting the rules we live under and thus governments infringe on her personal freedom. She had an example.

In a small community where she lived, a percentage of homes had to be town houses, a percentage semi-detached and single family homes could only use X amount of land. These rules were not enacted by the town but forced upon the town by the provincial government. She felt a small village should be allowed to plan its own approach to urban expansion and not be forced to adhere to urban-use guidelines devised by the Provincial government.

This sounds reasonable but is it?According to the Ontario Farmland Trust, in the past 35 years, Ontario has lost 2.8 million acres (18%) of its farmland to non-agricultural land uses like urbanization and aggregate mining.

And the rate of farmland loss is increasing rapidly. The loss was 319 acres per day according to the 2021 Census of Agriculture, and may well be more today. 

I was raised by an ex-farmer living in Essex County, Ontario. It was the early '50s, 70 years ago, and he and my mother complained about urbanization way back then. They saw the agricultural land of Essex County as some of the best in Canada. Today, when I drive around Essex County, the substantial loss envisioned by my parents is obvious.

My relative does not understand that when she hates government for infringing on her right to build a single family home on as large a chunk of land as she can afford, she is hating me. The government should be, but all too often isn't, the voice of the people. In this case, it is. It represents my voice and the voice of others who feel as I do. If it were left to me to write the regulations, even my home, which I love, would never have been built. (Don't tell my grandchildren.)

I live on a finite planet and I hope my descendants will be able to eke out a good life on this planet for thousands of years to come. Sadly, I don't believe the planet I am leaving my granddaughters is in good shape. It is an indisputable fact that the earth is not as healthy a planet as when I was born. And the planet then was nowhere near as healthy as it was when my grandparents were born in the mid 1870's. Now, jump ahead and I ask you, "How healthy will our planet be in a millennium?)

_________________________________________________

The idea of losing farmland frightens me. On the other hand there are folk investigating alternatives. Greenhouses immediately come to mind. The following is from the Lufa Farms Internet page.

"Growing vegetables hydroponically on rooftops is an efficient way to feed cities sustainably. Learn about the ins and outs of urban agriculture."

"The Marché Central, Montreal, greenhouse shown in the post was completed in 2024. Using advanced design elements, including high-intensity LED lights, insulated double-paned perimeter glass, a diffused glass roof, and double curtains, this greenhouse is our most technologically advanced site yet and is anticipated to generate up to 20% more produce than conventional greenhouses of similar size."