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Home My WebLink About2017-11-02 Minutes Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington November 2, 2017 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Thursday, November 2, 2017 Members Present: John Cartwright Brenda Metcalf Don Rickard Tom Barrie Elgin Greenham Eric Bowman Ted Watson Les Caswell Richard Rekker Jennifer Knox Councillor Wendy Partner Regrets: Henry Zekveld; Faye Langmaid, Planning Services Guests: Hon. Jeff Leal, MPP, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Kassandra Cruciano, Senior Advisor, Minister’s Office, OMAFRA Andy Allison, CAO; Mayor Adrian Foster; Sheila Hall, CBOT; Councillor Ron Hooper; Justin MacLean, Office of MPP, Granville Anderson; Carolyn Puterbough, OMAFRA. Staff: Amy Burke, Planning Services Brenda welcomed all to the meeting, with introductions. Adoption of Agenda 017-21 Moved by Tom Barrie, seconded by John Cartwright “That the Agenda for November 2, 2017 be adopted” Carried Approval of Minutes 017-22 Moved by Eric Bowman, seconded by Ted Watson “That the minutes of the October 12, 2017 meeting be approved” Carried Responding to an invitation extended by the AACC, Hon. Jeff Leal, MPP, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs joined the AACC meeting to discuss agricultural issues facing Clarington farmers. Minister Leal provided opening remarks, touching upon a range of matters including: Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington November 2, 2017 The importance of agricultural committees to make recommendations to political leaders on agriculture and related issues; Size of Ontario’s agricultural sector and its economic contribution; The growing diversity of agricultural products; Growing urbanization and its impact on agriculture; Strategic investments, in Durham Region, provincially and internationally that Ontario is making to support agriculture; and The contribution of the North American Free Trade Agreement and an integrated agri-food processing supply chain for growth in agriculture in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Minister Leal received and responded to a range of questions from AACC members. Question topics included: Issues that challenge the need for increased agricultural yields resulting from global population growth; New financial tax burdens being faced by local organizations that support agriculture; Provincial SPCA inspectors training and experience with agriculture; The impacts of cap and trade regulations, minimum wage increases and rising energy costs on the agricultural sector; Support for youth who would like to be involved in agriculture; and Local food processing capacity. Brenda thanked the Minister for his attendance and willingness to discuss important agricultural sector issues. A letter summarizing the key concerns raised by members during the discussion will be prepared for submission to Minister Leal. Business Arising None. Correspondence and Committee Reports Rural Ontario Leaders Awards – Two nominations are being prepared. Applications for nomination must be submitted to OMAFRA before 5:00 pm on November 15. Ontario Farms 150 Commemorative Sign Program – The deadline for applying for the commemorative signs was October 31, 2017. All 138 farm families recognized at the 4th Annual Celebrate Agriculture Gala held on October 26 will receive a sign. Best Practices in Food Safety with Burnbrae Farms – A Food, Beverage and Bio Sector Initiative event. Best practices session on food safety being held November 14 from 8:30 – 11:30 am at Burnbrae Farms Ltd. Details were distributed via email to members. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington November 2, 2017 CCi BioEnergy Seminar & Tour – Cci BioEnergy is hosting an organics diversion and infrastructure seminar at their office in Newcastle, and including a tour of their anaerobic digestion pilot project at Algoma Orchards, on November 28 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Details were distributed via email to members. Durham Agriculture Advisory Committee: DAAC’s next meeting scheduled for November 7 at 7:30 pm. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture: Annual meeting held on October 27. Speaker and DRFA President, Steve Brackenridge, outlined challenges faced during the first year as DRFA president, including the increasing proportion of urban settlement in communities (now 70 – 80% of population residents in urban areas) and the importance of a strong voice for agriculture. Robin Brown provided a follow-up presentation about her international travel experiences prior to the annual review of financial statements and proposed budgets, and elections. Clarington Board of Trade: Inaugural Clarington Food Week event was celebrated from August 21 – 25. 17 participating restaurants contributed to the great success of the event, which will return in August 2018. CBOT is working with the members of the agricultural sector to determine the focus and messaging for the creation of a video about local agriculture. AACC members are invited to submit topics and speaker ideas to CBOT for the 2018 annual CBOT Agricultural Summit. Farm Connections: Celebrate Agriculture Gala held on October 26. 347 attendees and 138 farm families recognized for continuous and on-going farming in Durham Region dating back to 1867. An encore evening for the recognized Canada 150 Farm Families is scheduled for November 19 at Solina Hall. New Business Durham Food Policy Council – Carolyn Puterbough (OMAFRA) attended event held on November 2 at Region of Durham Headquarters focused on promoting and supporting urban agriculture. The connection between urban agriculture and the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan was raised for further exploration. Hwy 407 East Phase 2 Project Public Information Centre – Purpose of meeting is to present for comment the vegetation restoration plans, community value plan implementation aspects, landscaping plan and answer questions. PIC scheduled for November 8 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm at Garnet B. Rickard Complex in Bowmanville. Plans are also available for review online at www.407eastphase2.ca. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington November 2, 2017 Clarington Budget Online Interactive Tool – The Municipality is using an online interactive tool to engage the community and get input on key services that are funded by tax dollars. From October 20 to November 15, the online survey will be available at http://clarington2018budget.budgetallocator.com/. THEE Farmer’s Parade of Lights is confirmed for December 6 at 5:30 pm. Future Agendas (Not yet confirmed) Barry and Mark Bragg to speak about their operation and value- added initiatives – John Cartwright to follow up. (Not yet confirmed) Participation House - Jenni Knox to follow-up. (Proposed for Jan) Miller Waste to discuss their agricultural anaerobic digestion project – Amy Burke to follow up (Confirmed for Feb) Cci BioEnergy will discuss the small anaerobic digester pilot projects they are working on. John Cartwright moved to Adjourn. Next Meeting: Thursday, December 14, 2017 @ 7:30 pm Representatives of the Operations Department will be in attendance