After one of the worst winters in 150 years, several farmers in Oro-Medonte are struggling to recover from widespread barn collapses.
Many, like Jennifer Moreau, have discovered insurance companies will not be stepping in to help.
Things went south on the Family Day long weekend, she said. Moreau described a frantic effort to clear snow off her buildings before it was too late. Despite those efforts, her family lost the roof of their calf shed, an entire barn, and, almost, their milking barn.
“We were trying to mitigate the snow load on all our buildings,” she explained. “We had been looking for someone to clear the snow off our barn roofs, but finding a qualified person was nearly impossible. We were looking at a four- to five-day wait.”
In the meantime, Moreau lost the roof to her calf shed and an entire barn. By Tuesday, the milking barn was showing signs of strain.
"Thank God for neighbours who helped clear off some of the snow, or we would have lost that, too,” she said.
But the landscape has changed.
"The big wooden barns that have stood for decades and have been the subject of many picturesque art pieces are gone," she lamented. "For farmers, these barns are more than an object of beauty or nostalgia, they are integral to their livelihood."
Despite the significant structural losses, Moreau and her family recently received unwelcome news from their insurance provider — none of it would be covered.
“Insurance (company officials have) been out, and they are not covering the barn collapse,” she said. “It’s over 20 years old, and they do not cover snow load. We’re not even sure if it was snow load or wind, but either way, they’re not covering it. It’s just a total loss for us.”
She is not alone in her struggle. Within about two-and-a-half square kilometres of her property, numerous farms have suffered catastrophic damage, she told OrilliaMatters. A neighbour lost a dry shed, a barn across the road collapsed, and others nearby reported roof and partial collapses.
While Moreau’s farm was fortunate not to lose livestock, she noted others in the region have not been as lucky.
In response to the crisis, Moreau has taken action, reaching out to local and provincial officials, including Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop and Premier Doug Ford, as well as agriculture ministries both provincial and federal.
“I’ve written letters, hoping for some sort of response,” she said. “The Ontario government has to be the one to contact the federal government to start the agri-recovery process.”
Moreau is advocating for government relief, whether in the form of loans, grants or other assistance, arguing without support, local farmers will struggle to recover.
“If you want Ontario producers to keep producing in Ontario, the government should be providing some sort of relief or at least acknowledging that farmers are in crisis,” she emphasized.
Many people outside the farming community may not realize the extent of the crisis, Moreau said.
“I don’t think people know that insurance doesn’t cover this,” she said. “I’ve seen comments like, ‘Well, didn’t they know there was a lot of snow?’ Of course we did — we were trying to mitigate it. But insurance companies simply don’t cover these collapses, and people need to understand that farmers are being left without support.”
Moreau expressed gratitude for the community, which has stepped up to help in whatever way it can. However, she believes government intervention is necessary to prevent long-term consequences for Ontario’s farming industry.
“Our community is wonderful, but there needs to be government support in this as well,” she said.
Dunlop did not respond in time for publication of this article.