The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2020-03-12Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Members Present: Thursday, March 12, 2020 Eric Bowman Ted Watson Richard Rekker Henry Zekveld John Cartwright Tom Barrie Brenda Metcalf Ben Eastman Jennifer Knox Don Rickard Les Caswell Councillor Zwart Regrets: None Staff: Amy Burke and Faye Langmaid - Planning Services; Anne Greentree and Duncan Anderson — Clerks / Municipal By-law Enforcement Guests: Stacey Jibb and Allison Brown, Region of Durham Planning and Economic Development; Alyson and Jordan McKay, Willowtree Farms; Sheila Hall, Clarington Board of Trade Eric welcomed all to the meeting, with introductions. Introduction of Allison Brown, the Region of Durham's new Agriculture Program Coordinator for Economic Development. No pecuniary interests declared. Adoption of Agenda 020-07 Moved by Don Rickard, seconded by Richard Rekker That the Agenda for March 12, 2020 be adopted. Carried Approval of Minutes 020-08 Moved by Tom Barrie, seconded by John Cartwright That the minutes of the February 13, 2020 meeting be approved. Carried Presentation MPP David Piccini (Northumberland — Peterborough South) — Postponed. Tentatively rescheduled for April 9, 2020. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 12, 2020 Delegations Jordan McKay — Mr. McKay appeared before the Committee regarding the matter of the Municipality's Proposed On -Farm Special Events By-law. He provided the Committee with an overview of his concerns, relating to the following: • The broadness of the definition of "on -farm special events" and potential restrictions it may place on farm education and appreciation opportunities (e.g. corn maze, pick your own, farm tours); • Potential discrepancy with the Provincial guidelines on permitted uses for prime agricultural lands; • The methodology used to determine the parameters for frequency, number of events and number of guests proposed in the by-law; • The length of the consultation and commenting period being too short; • A general unawareness or lack of understanding of the importance of farm diversification to farm viability and sustainability; • That the diversity of secondary on -farm uses cannot be captured by a single set of regulations, rather a site -specific approach to regulation is needed; and • That other tools available to municipalities, such as site plan control, Ontario Building Code and Fire Code provisions, and public health requirements must be looked at to mitigate potential impacts of on -farm activities. Mr. McKay was appreciative of Municipal efforts to support local agriculture. He emphasized the importance of farms being able to provide opportunities for the public to learn about the importance of agriculture and overcome the stigmas that exist about how food is grown and raised. Brenda circulated comments received from Sarah Found. Comments were previously forwarded to Municipal By-law Enforcement. Business Arising from Minutes On -farm Special Events By-law: Municipal Law Enforcement (MLE) explained that the by-law was focused on commercial event venues that would operate secondary to a farm, such as wedding event venues. Farm produce outlets, educational farm tours, hay rides, corn mazes, pick -your -own and other similar farm experience activities are currently permitted by Municipal zoning and will continue to be permitted. The current zoning by-laws and the new proposed zoning by-law require a zoning by-law amendment for commercial on - farm event venues, such as a wedding venue. MLE explained the reason for the development of the proposed by-law, which is a result of a decision of the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) on an application for an on - farm wedding event venue, was reviewed. The proposed by-law would provide an additional layer for the mitigation of potential impacts for on -farm special events that have been approved following a site -specific rezoning process and after having received Site Plan Approval. The elements proposed for regulation through the by-law cannot be regulated through the Zoning By-law or Site Plan Control. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 12, 2020 The Committee discussed the importance of balancing the concerns of neighbours who would potentially be exposed to the impacts of an on -farm event venue, if they occurred, and supporting agriculture and farm sustainability. The Committee also recommended broadened consultation with agricultural organizations, including Durham Farm Fresh and the Durham Region Federation of Agriculture, as well as existing diversified farm operators. The Committee established a sub -committee that would be available for the project team to consult with on matters including the definition of "on -farm special events", the various values stated in the proposed by-law, and public engagement. Sub -committee members include: • Eric Bowman, AACC Chair • Les Caswell, AACC member • Jennifer Knox, AACC CBOT representative • Richard Rekker AACC DRFA representative • Ted Watson, AACC member • Sheila Hall, CBOT • Jordan McKay, Community -at -large representative • Allison Brown, Agricultural Program Coordinator, Region of Durham • Amy Burke, AACC Staff Liaison MLE indicated that they will continue to accept comments on the proposed by-law beyond the March 20 comment deadline. Planning for additional communications and consultation is underway. Details will be circulated to all registered interested parties and posted on the project website. Comments received by March 20 will inform next steps. To learn more about the proposed rules, visit https://www.clarington.net/en/town- hall/proposed-on-farm-special-events-by-law.asp, email bylawenforcement(a-)clarington.net, or contact Duncan at 905-623-3379 ext. 2110. 2020 Trees for Rural Roads Program: 2020 application deadline is March 31. Applications available at www.clarington.net/treesforruralroads. ZONE Clarington: Staff report PSD-008-20 responding to correspondence from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, dated January 10, 2020, and the Minister's comments on proposed Environmental Protection zoning and "additional lands" was on the February 24 Planning and Development Committee agenda. Due to a procedural matter, the report was not adopted; however delegations were heard.. A letter from the Deputy Clerk explaining what occurred at the Committee meeting was sent to all ZONE Clarington Interested Parties, including the Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington, on February 28. The Rural Phase of ZONE Clarington continues to be tabled indefinitely. Corresaondence. Council Items and Referrals Bill 156 — Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2019: Letter sent to the Mayor by Mitch Morawetz, President, DRFA. On March 2, Council passed Resolution #PD-050-20 endorsing in principle the concerns expressed in DRFA's correspondence and that a similar letter be forwarded to the Honourable Ernie Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 12, 2020 Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Resolution passed by the Township of Scugog regarding Bill 156 was also endorsed by Council (Resolution #PD- 049-20). Liaison Reports Durham Agriculture Advisory Committee: Tom provided an update from the March 10 meeting. Presentation by Regional Staff on the proposed Regional Woodlands By- law. Components favourable for the agricultural sector include the avoidance of requirements for permitting from both the Region and the local Conservation Authority and exemption from permit requirements for normal farm practices. The Region is also looking at good forestry practices and their relationship to the By-law. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture: Richard provided an update in his e-mail to all prior to the meeting. With the feasibility study for the Agriculture Education Centre Project now complete, the project steering committee will be regrouping to determine a clear mandate / vision for the project, possibly with a revised, smaller scale, and next steps. Durham Farm Connections: Volunteer Appreciation Event to be held April 9 at the Nestleton Community Centre with guest speaker Kelly Daynard from Farm and Food Care. East Central Holstein Club 7 Farm Car Tour, including multiple farms in Clarington, scheduled for March 18, 10:OOam — 3:OOpm. The annual Celebrate Agriculture Gala will be held on October 29, 2020 at the Scugog Community Centre. For ticket information, email info(a)-durhamfarmconnections.ca. Clarington Board of Trade: CBOT is following the proposed On -Farm Special Events By-law and hearing from members about the potential implications of the proposal. Annual General Meeting and Awards Dinner will be held on April 16, 5:O0pm — 8:30pm at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. New Business Regional Anaerobic Digestion Facility: On February 27, the Region of Durham hosted a public open house on the new Mixed Waste Pre -Sorting and Anaerobic Digestion Facility. Six short-listed sites being considered were presented, including two in Clarington. On March 6, the Region of Durham released a detailed siting report for public comment. The report recommends a south Clarington site located next to the Durham York Energy Centre as the preferred location and details the methodology used and the factors considered to assess each site, including environmental impacts and estimated costs. The deadline for questions and comments on the siting report and the recommended site is March 20. Email adproject(a-_)durham.ca. Enbridge Gas Door -to -Door Survey: Enbridge Gas is considering the submission of a project proposal to the Province's Natural Gas Expansion Program for the possible expansion of natural gas services to North Clarington (Tyrone, Haydon and Enniskillen). Throughout March, Forum Research, on behalf of Enbridge Gas is conducting door-to- door surveys in northern Clarington to gauge interest and gather information. More information is available on the Municipality's website at Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 12, 2020 https://www.clarington.net/en/news/enbridge-gas-conducting-door-to-door-surveys-in- northern-clarington. asp, including Enbridge Gas' contact information for questions or concerns. Farms at Work - Local Food Networking Event: The 4t" year of this event is taking place on March 24 at the Douro Community Centre from 10:00 am — 1:00 pm. For information, email coordinator(a-)farmsatwork.ca. Next Meeting Thursday, April 9, 2020 @ 7:30 pm (TENTATIVE) MPP David Piccini (Northumberland — Peterborough South) Clarington Engineering Services, 2020 Capital Projects Future Agendas: (May 2020) Kathy Macpherson, Greenbelt Foundation re: vertical farming David Piccini, MPP, Northumberland — Peterborough South Philip Lawrence, MP, Northumberland -Peterborough South Hon. Erin O'Toole, MP, Durham Region of Durham Works re: 2020 capital projects Clarington Engineering Services (Building Division) re: National Building Code changes for farm structures anticipated for 2020 (once the changes have been confirmed) Brianna Ames of Fairlife (Coca-Cola) Simon Gill, Durham Region Economic Development & Tourism re: an update on the Durham Region Agricultural Strategy and Durham Region Broadband Strategy Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 12, 2020