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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020 12 10 AACC Minutes FinalAgricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Members Present: Thursday, December 10, 2020 Eric Bowman Tom Barrie Richard Rekker John Cartwright Henry Zekveld Les Caswell Don Rickard Brenda Metcalf Councillor Zwart Regrets: Jennifer Knox, Ben Eastman, Ted Watson Staff: Amy Burke, Faye Langmaid — Planning and Development Services Guests: MP Philip Lawrence, Northumberland -Peterborough South; Ryan Cullen; Jordan McKay; Catherine Lokietek; Allison Brown, Region of Durham Planning and Economic Development Due to COVID 19 restrictions and to ensure social distancing, participation in the meeting was electronic (using Microsoft Teams) and by conference call. Eric welcomed all to the meeting, with introductions. Declarations of interest None. Adoption of Agenda 020-23 Moved by John Cartwright, seconded by Richard Rekker That the Agenda for December 10, 2020 be adopted. Carried Approval of Minutes 020-24 Moved by John Cartwright, seconded by Tom Barrie That the minutes of the November 12, 2020 meeting be approved. Carried Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 10, 2020 Presentation Philip Lawrence, MP (Northumberland -Peterborough South): MP Lawrence provided an overview and background on the private members bill that he introduced to the legislature and is now in Second Reading. Private Members Bill, Bill C-206, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, if passed, would extend the exemption to paying the Federal Carbon Tax for qualifying farming fuel to marketable natural gas and propane. These fuels are routinely used by farms for drying grain and heating barns. MP Lawrence indicated that these types of farm fuel uses cannot be reduced. As such, applying a Carbon Tax to these fuels would not incentivize an appreciable reduction in their use. MP Lawrence stated that when the Carbon Tax in its current format is fully escalated it will represent approximately 5% of the fuel cost that farmers pay. A timeline for a final decision on the bill is not known at this time. Delegations None. Business Arisina from Minutes "Share the Road" Signage: At the November Committee meeting a concern about the busy nature of new Share the Road signs that have been seen in Durham Region arose. With assistance from Allison Brown, it was clarified that these news signs are from the Township of Scugog. The Region of Durham's Share the Road signage has not changed. Request of Ministerial Zoning Order Resolution: Council has approved a reconsideration of Resolution #C-418-20 discussed at the November AACC meeting, and a resolution to revoke the following paragraph from that resolution: "That the Province commit to reviewing the lands south of Highway 2 between Hwy 418 and Maple Grove Road for inclusion in the Greenbelt based on their contributions to the systems of agriculture, natural heritage and water resources." The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has been advised of the revocation of this request. Special Study Area 2 in the Clarington Official Plan contains policies in relation to the rural land located between Courtice and Bowmanville and Bowmanville and Newcastle, north of Highway 401 and south of the Greenbelt Area. Policy direction to study the agricultural value of these lands and to consider seeking the addition of any identified high yielding agricultural lands to the Greenbelt stemmed from recommendation made by the AACC during the Official Plan Review. In light of the growing concern in the community about this policy direction, reconsideration may be needed. Committee members were asked to review the background information and Special Study Area 2 policies previously circulated by Staff in advance of the next meeting. This matter will be included on the January 2021 meeting agenda for discussion. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 10, 2020 Correspondence, Council Items and Referrals AACC 2021 — 2024 Member Appointments: On November 30, 2020 the General Government Committee of Council made four appointment to the AACC for the 2021 — 2024 term, including reappointment of Committee members Brenda Metcalf and Henry Zekveld. The appointments will be considered for ratification by Council on December 14, 2020. This meeting was the final Committee meeting for longstanding members Ted Watson and Les Caswell. Ted Watson was a founding member of the Committee. Sincere appreciation was extended by the Committee for his hard work over many years to help ensure that Council is informed on agriculture an agriculture -related issues. Great thanks were also extended to Les Caswell for his time spent contributing to the Committee and many of the Committee's working groups. Annual Update to Council: Annual AACC Report in development. Tentative dates for the AACC Chair's annual update are January 11 (Planning & Development Committee) or January 18 (Council). Liaison Reports Durham Agriculture Advisory Committee: Tom Barrie provided an update from the December 8 DAAC meeting in his email to all prior to the meeting. No further discussion by the Committee. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture: Rickard Rekker provided an update from the November 18 DRFA meeting in his email to all prior to the meeting. No further discussion by the Committee. Clarington Board of Trade: Staff provided an update on the recent official opening of the new Toyota warehouse in Bowmanville. The 350,000 square foot facility has achieved high design standards for both environmental sustainability and accessibility. New Business Proposed Study on Soil Health: Correspondence from Hon. Robert Black (Senator — Ontario) regarding this matter was forwarded to the Committee in advance of the meeting. Mr. Black is seeking feedback and support on a potential request to the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry for a new study to be undertaken on the importance of soil health. The correspondence from Mr. Black indicates that the last Federal report on soil health is 35 years old. Committee members discussed a number of agencies and organizations that are engaged in similar work, including OMAFRA / University of Guelph and the Soil & Crop Association. Zone Clarington — Rural Areas Phase: Procedural notice was given that on December 14, 2020, Council will consider "lifting" of the rural phase of the comprehensive zoning by-law review project. In October 2019, Clarington's Planning and Development Committee of Council tabled the Rural Areas Phase of the project indefinitely. This means that work on updating zoning for Clarington's rural areas was placed on hold. If a "lifting" motion is approved by Council on December 14, Council Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 10, 2020 may then give direction to Staff with respect to resuming work on reviewing zoning for Clarington's rural areas. COVID-19 and Local Economic Impact: Henry Zekveld brought forward concerns regarding the on -going economic / community impact of the restrictions placed on local businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Henry questioned whether the number of COVID cases locally warranted the level of restrictions in place and expressed concern about the social, mental and long-term financial implications. While many Committee members expressed agreement with concern for the community, it was acknowledged that the local agricultural sector has adapted and maintained viability. Next Meeting Thursday, January 14, 2021 @ 7:30 pm (Virtual Meeting) Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 10, 2020