Why did suburban development around Toronto reduce farmland in southern Ontario?

Suburban development around Toronto significantly reduced farmland in southern Ontario primarily due to the post-World War II economic boom and shifting social patterns. Following the war, several interconnected factors drove this expansion:

• Population and Housing Demand: The post-war baby boom and a rising demand for single-family dwellings encouraged the outward growth of the city.1
• Automobile Proliferation: The increased use of cars and trucks, supported by the construction of extensive road networks and freeways, allowed the city to spread far beyond its original core.12
• Suburban Sprawl: As new auto-oriented suburbs, shopping centers, and industrial parks were developed, the city expanded into surrounding areas, directly consuming some of the region's best agricultural land.12

While local government reorganizations, such as the creation of the Corporation of Metropolitan Toronto in 1953, attempted to control and coordinate development, the linear spread of the population along Lake Ontario continued to transform the landscape. This urbanization process effectively blurred the distinction between rural and urban areas, leading to the loss of productive agricultural acreage in southern Ontario.123