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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-03-08 Minutes CLARINGTON AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012 MEMBERS PRESENT: Jenni Knox Brenda Metcalf Don Rickard Tom Barrie Mary Ann Found John Cartwright Les Caswell Gary Jeffery Eric Bowman Ted Watson Mark Bragg Councillor Wendy Partner STAFF: Faye Langmaid GUESTS: Mayor Foster and Councillor Ron Hooper,,. Fred Horvath and Bob Genosko, Operations,-' Tom Vendrasco, Municipal Law Enforcement Ted Meszaros and Louie Speziale,"Commercial Fill Issues Marg Zwart, Orono Times REGRETS: Marlene Werry Gary:welcomed all to the meeting, everyone introduced themselves. Adoption of Agenda " 012.05 ;Moved by Ted Watson, seconded by Don:Rickard. "That the Agenda for March 8t", 2012 be adopted" CARRIED Approval of Minutes 012-06 Moved by John Cartwright, seconded by Eric Bowman "That the minutes of the February 9t", 2012 meeting be approved." CARRIED Delegation: Ted Meszaros on behalf of his wife Beth and the Clarington Citizens for Clean Water and Soil. Ted and Louie are neighbours to the fill operation on Morgan's Road. They have learned that there are many issues with trying to regulate fill operations. Fill is not just an issue for the Morgan's Road site it is occurring all over the Region. There are some unscrupulous dumpers/fillers that are willing to incur fines but keep dumping because of how profitable it is. In the case of Morgan's Road, GRCA issued a permit as it was within a Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 8th, 2012 regulated area (adjacent to a PSW). The soil being brought in,is Table 2 soil which means it can be contaminated and is not topsoil. There are impacts on the neighbours through dust, noise, traffic. Also impacts on the roads through wear and tear. No one can give the neighbours a guarantee that if their well becomes contaminated that it will be addressed....proving where the contamination in a well comes from is extremely difficult. Guest: Tom Vendrasco is in attendance because he is curious about what the committee members consider topsoil. There is an exemption in the Site Alteration By-law (distributed by Tom to members) for farming. Tom would like to know if 2" of soil is enough to grow a crop....in response, committee members indicated it depends on how long the soil has been there, and its structure. Soil is a living thing, when you alter it, it has to recover from the loss of soil structure and drainage, and topsoil only lives in the top 6". Farmers are willing to fill certain areas but it has to be done right and typically the farmer has to supervise the dumping and spreading to ensure it is done right. The definition of topsoil in the Site Alteration By-law was deemed adequate. The suggestion from the group was to contact OMAFRA, MOE and MNR. The name provided for OMAFRA was Christine Brown out of the Woodstock office who could indicate the soil specialist for this area. The Mayor provided some comments on how the approach will have to be unified across the Region and has requested Durham Region to take the lead and call together all the municipalities. The Municipality with the weakest by-.law will be targeted, Engineering Services has a report on the next GPA meeting for amendments to the Site Alteration By-.law and Leslie Benson will be invited to attend the next meeting to explain the updates. However, there will most likely need to be further updates to keep Clarington's by-law in parody with other municipalities. Guest: Fred Horvath and 'Bob Genosko are in attendance to discuss ditching, roadside cutting and maintenance and road conditions. Fred provided an overview about the changing conditions (weather) we are experiencing and also the higher level of diligence required by the Municipality because of liability cases in other jurisdictions. Operations have a Road Patrol System in place starting in November through April. They patrol all sectors of Clarington recognizing the different weather zones°'across the municipality. The method of combating today's conditions means there is more spreading of material, even though there is less snow. A typical winter will have 2 o 3 freeze thaw cycles. As an example in 1978 we had 7 freeze/thaw cycles for the entire winter. In December 2011 we had 14 freeze/thaws and in January 2012 we have had 13 freeze/thaws. This means while there is less snow ploughing there is more spreading slurry to avoid ice and that potholes are more likely due to the amount of rain. Clarington has 900 kilometres of roads, 600 of that is rural. The rural road system is challenging, some have not seen reconstruction for 15 years. There may be some low traffic roads we could move back to gravel. Ditching is a problem, 1200 kilometres of ditches, in a good year maintenance/renewal on 30-40 km, we are about 500 km behind. Staff is pulled off ditching to address illegal dumping, and other day-to-day issues. Operations are trying to extend the life of roads, grinding off the top and adding gravel and slurry. Result has been that our pot hole liability claims have decreased. Bob Genosko provided a handout on invasive species such as dog strangling vine, giant hogweed, etc. There is work being done in trying to have these species and others added to the noxious weed listing. Regardless there is no magic bullet to take care of the invasives. The Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 8t", 2012 ban on cosmetic pesticides has not been helpful and while public works has an exemption there is little that controls invasives. The Region employs the weed inspector. Question was asked about what happens with noxious weeds on municipal property? Roadside cutting; the first cut is not for weed control, rather it is for traffic visibility and drainage. The second cut is preparation for winter. The intent of the cuts is not for weed control. Comments from committee members on second cut being late and just spreading the seeds from the invasives throughout the roadside, if the intent of the cut was for weed control it would be better. It was noted that the Region and MTO only cut the roadsides once a year. There is dog strangling vine all along the 401 from the DVP to Port Hope and beyond. Discussion on contracting out; some aspects are contracted out such as parks, however other areas such as cemeteries and snowploughing where it has been tried have not been successful. If you get a less than careful contractor you spend the time in supervising them which really does not gain any efficiency. Operations are constantly setting targets and benchmarks to improve service but they are also responsible for many more items than in the past with growth, aging infrastructure and new standards. Gary thanked Fred, Bob, Tom, Ted and Louie for attending and invited them to stay for remainder of the meeting if they wished. Business Arising Clarington Wind Farm —few of the members attended the open house on Feb 22. To date, the committee has not been involved in the wind issue. There was a presentation a number of years ago about alternative energy. Some of the members have been approached by contractors to sign leases but none have. The Municipality has advised land-owners to ensure that they are aware of what they are entering into and to consult their lawyer in advance. The Ridgetown/Essex County windfarm is a co-operative between 47 different farmers in the area. They are the owners of the windfarm and therefore make the profits from it. There was very little opposition to the windfarm as many in the community are benefitting from it. Correspondence and Council Referrals — Secondary Uses, Councillor Traill at the last meeting discussed secondary uses, the resolution passed by Council was distributed. This committee's input will be important to this issue. The resolution requests the Planning Services Department to seek additional input during the public review portion of the Official Plan Review for the rural/countryside discussion paper. Faye explained that while a firm approach had not as of yet been determined, the options being discussed by Planning include something similar to the "preference" survey that accompanied the review of the Sign By-law. Members are encouraged to provide a listing of secondary uses (including examples of where they occur so that visuals can be provided)to Faye. There was concern expressed by some committee members that the resolution wording identifies "rural landowners" and that rural landowners may want secondary uses that are different from what is good for agriculture. Secondary use "preferences" that some rural landowners may want will impede "normal farm practices". There will have to be very careful consideration of the impacts of each suggested and preferred secondary use, the general consensus of the rural population should not outweigh what is best for agriculture and the protection of the resource (being Class 1, 2, 3 soils). There are secondary uses that some agricultural operations may employ to keep their business viable but again may not be best for the resources (agri-entertainment was cited as undesirable with regard to side effects). Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March,8'h, 2012 Volunteer Service Awards Ted Watson and Tom Barrie have both served on the committee since its inception in 2001 and their efforts will be recognized as part of the Volunteer Service Awards by Ontario Honour and Awards at a reception on April 17th in Oshawa. Liaison Reports DAAC — Eric invited the Mayor and Councillor's to make sure they attend the DAAC tour this year on September 12th near Scugog, the format will be different. One location with 3 stations, more of a technology basis and also invitations to suppliers, allowing people to get into the machinery, etc. Presentation at the DAAC meeting regarding the Environmental Farm Plan, requesting a new envelope of funding from Province; last time around Province supplied 94 million which saw spending of 318 million within province directly for improvement of agriculture. Eric and Tom were some of the first to do environmental farm plans some 15 years ago. All of the former EFP will have to be updated to meet the new targets established. DRFA—On Feb 28th held a program regarding Risk Management from horticulture through to livestock, this is in response to some of the legislative changes that have occurred. March 18th at Lindsay Exhibition there will be a workshop on the Endangered Species Act.April 3,4,5 is Farm Connections at Vipond Arena in Brooklin, there are 27 classes registered and a waiting list. Open House is on April 4th 4:30 to 8:30p.m. CBOT—A roundtable discussion with new Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Ted McMeekin MPP, will be held next week. He has agreed to 2 hours. It is an invitation only event, Don has worked with Sheila to try and get a cross-representation of all sectors/commodity groups in agriculture, and also targeted younger farmers. Tonight's discussion has certainly highlighted a couple of the areas for what questions should be asked. CBOT is looking for new office space. AGM for CBOT is April 19th, speaker will be from Tim Norton's.' Other Business Broadband- The Region was working on a broadband contract which had funding from Federal government, the successful company was unable to acquire the necessary broadband width. Rogers and Bell have joined forces as_a third company and acquired broadband width. The Mayor suggested that we have Marlene provide an update at a future meeting and that a resolution might be in order. Chinese Consul General- There is a new one and they are very interested in agriculture, so if there are events or tours that committee members are involved in that might be of interest let the Mayor's office know. Race Track Profits, Drummond Report—Councillor Partner has concerns about recommendation of the Drummond Report on the horse race industry. It was suggested that a small sub-committee of Faye, Mary Ann, Councillor Partner and a couple of individuals from the horse industry be put together to draft a resolution for committee's consideration. OnTrace- John Cartwright distributed information on the Agri-Food Premises Registry, all suppliers to the market should have to register for traceability of food products, some of members are already registered. OnTrace is an industry-led not-for-profit that will supply information about the source of food and food ingredients when emergencies arise "from farm gate to dinner plate". Website is www.ontrace.ca Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 8th, 2012 Farmland Preservation Forum at University of Guelph on Feb 17th, Faye was a speaker on the Land Use panel about competing priorities and how to balance. Faye addressed urban growth, other panel members addressed natural environment, aggregate resources, alternative energy, and economics. Faye gave the committee an overview of the presentation and how she had focused on the area between Bowmanville and Newcastle as a microcosm of the issues facing agriculture that is adjacent to urbanization. For the two questions that had been posed to the panel members that Faye had asked the committee to comment on at the last meeting being "If you could change one policy what would it be?" and "What trend gives you hope?" Faye responses were: "If you could change one policy what would it be?" Make Class 1,2,3 and endangered species, to give them as much significance as the other endangered species. Faye received a large cheer from the crowd at the conference for this response, "What trend gives you hope?" Technology in general, today we look after many things with our brains that used to be done with our hands and it will continue to create prosperity in the future. Faye's presentation and speaking notes have been issued as part of the proceedings of the conference, she has been contacted by numerous other municipalities that are all facing similar issues and looking at how to protect agricultural lands. Faye received some negative feedback from the organic industry on her comments about 100 acre farms being subsistence farming not viable profit units any longer and also for allowing Algoma packaging (some perceive as an industrial use) on Class 1 agriculture land. Newcastle Farmers Market Representative -deferred to next meeting. Future Agendas URS/MTO has requested to attend May meeting regarding the interchanges along the 401. John Cartwright moved to adjourn. CARRIED Next Meeting April;12th, 2012 Rick Pigeon will be requested to attend in April, to discuss building permit processes. Leslie Benson will be invited for an update on the Site Alteration By-law, Marlene will be asked to update on Broadband. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 8th, 2012