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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-04-12 MinutesI -2 CLARINGTON AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 12TH, 2012 MEMBERS PRESENT: Brenda Metcalf Don Rickard Tom Barrie Mary Ann Found John Cartwright Les Caswell Gary Jeffery Delegation: Anne Greentree, Deputy Clerk was in attendance to obtain information from the committee on the Exotic Pet By -law. Specifically she was requesting information on pot belly pigs and baby -doll sheep. The committee provided information on the nature of pigs which are_ well suited as pets and can live as individuals whereas sheep are flock animals and do not do well as individuals. The manure from sheep and /or pigs will be much the same as that of a large dog, the smell from either will depend on the food they are consuming. Generally animals in an urban setting should not be allowed to roam, they should be contained and licensed much the same as dogs have to be. There are local vets that could attend to pigs and sheep. The issue is with the definition of the breed, from the information that has been collected the sheep are not a specific breed and it is questionable whether the pot bellied pigs are either. If they are not a specific breed and are to be allowed in urban areas what implications does that have for Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 12th 2012 other forms of livestock? It was suggested that Mary Ann Found who has both pigs and sheep be consulted. Guest: Leslie Benson, Engineering Services was in attendance on the Site Alteration By -law and the recent revisions to it that have been approved by Council. Leslie reviewed the history of the by -law, which was originally passed in 2008 as a result of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and to control the dumping of fill, removal of fill and altering of grades. At that time the Municipality was concerned about the concentration of heavy truck traffic, volume of fill on a property and in natural areas, noise, mud, dust, erosion control and drainage patterns.- Much has changed since 2008 with large commercial fill operations. Specifically, the By -law was reviewed with respect to: • Requirement for a public meeting • Fees • Standards and protocols to regulate fill quality • Permit duration • Source restrictions • Large fill operations • Regulating hours of operation Leslie reviewed how each of these items had been addressed as part of the Staff Report (copies of the staff Report are available on the website it is EGD- 010 -12). Leslie addressed questions from committee members with regard to the importing of fill and topsoil, fees, the number of applications she has awaiting approval. The committee complimented Leslie on her clear presentation. There was general agreement that there were issues with some of the practices that have occurred. All agreed better enforcement was necessary. Leslie encouraged members of committee if they have any questions to contact her. Guest: Rick Pigeon, Chief Building Official (CBO) reviewed the requirements for building permits for Farm Buildings, Rick distributed the information sheet that Clarington has for Farm Buildings. Depending on the size of the building the Ontario Building Code (OBC) prescribes the structural requirements for low human occupancy Farm Buildings. A professional engineer must seal drawing for structures beyond the scope of Section SB -11 of the OBC. Pre - engineered buildings (e.g. from a manufacturer, such as hoop barns, etc.) will have a professional engineers seal. Additional information is available on the municipal website at http://www.clarington.net/htdocs/En.gineering-building.html Rick reviewed the building permit fees for Farm Buildings. The building permit fees are set in relation to the requirements set out by the Province. The Building Division of any Municipality has to be operated as a cost recovery centre. The Municipality had a study prepared by Hemson Consulting which examined the Building Division as if it was a private enterprise paying rent for its office space and recovering all of the costs for its administration, computer systems, inspectors, plans examiners, an including all involved in the building permit process. The fees for the different types of building permits vary greatly on a square metre basis (e.g. farms are $2.72 while Nursing homes are over $20 per square metre). This is based on the complexity of the building. The building division cannot waive the fees for one type of building without impacting all other building types as they still must be a cost recovery operation. Rick reviewed the Development Charges for Residential, bunk houses and farm buildings. There are four development charges, Clarington, public and catholic school board and Region of Durham, all must be paid. The first residential dwelling unit regardless of whether they are Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 12th, 2012 farm residences or for the land owner has to pay Development Charges. Living accommodation (Bunk houses) for employees of the operation of the land devoted to the practice of farming and which are occupied for fewer than 8 months during each calendar year and are a secondary residence are exempt from development charges under the Clarington by -law. The School board exempts bunk houses if they are occupied for less than 6 months. Rick does not interpret the Region of Durham Development Charges but it appears they have the same exemptions that Clarington has for farm buildings. During the last review of Development Charges, Agri- tourism operations were also included as a secondary use for farm operations and are exempt providing they meet the definition in the By -law. The development charge rates increase annually (as set out in the study), the Region and Clarington off -set their increases by 6 months. The development charges rates and by -laws are available on the municipal website at http://www.clarington.net/htdocs/bus-deveIop.chaLqe,htmI Business Arising Broadband Resolution- at the last meeting Mayor Foster recommended a resolution regarding the issues the Region is having with Broadband implementation. Marlene provided background information on the issue and a resolution has been drafted. The resolution has been reviewed and improved by Marlene and Maureen O'Higgins the Project Manager for the Broadband'at the Region. Marlene provided additional comment at the meeting about the unfair playing field that has been created for Durham by the way the band width has been bundled for auction. There also has-been band width purchased by rival companies and withheld from the market place which has in Durham's case meant the contract that had been let could not be completed by the provider as they were unable to successfully negotiate to purchase the band width. 012 -09 Moved by Brenda Metcalf, Seconded by Les Caswell Whereas the Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington supports the initiative by the Municipality of Clarington, Region of Durham and Industry Canada to ensure equitable access to the digital economy by all citizens including rural residents; and Whereas the "bundling" of urban and rural geographic areas into licensing blocks for the 700MHz spectrum auction may not create a level playing field; and Whereas the 700MHz spectrum is particularly valuable for rural areas, because in contrast to other frequencies, it can more easily reach remote areas, penetrates through obstructions such as building or heavy foliage and requires fewer cell towers to deploy; and Whereas the OMAFRA Rural Connections Broadband Program was to ensure that rural residents would be connected, able to take advantage of affordable high speed internet service for the development of business and participation in the global digital economy, but was hindered by inclusion of 3.5GHz Spectrum for Durham Region under the Toronto license; Now therefore, the Municipality of Clarington Council supports the division of urban and rural areas into separate licensing blocks for the 70OMHZ spectrum in the upcoming public auction; Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 12th, 2012 and further, that all the other rural municipalities in the Region be encouraged to pass a similar resolution. -- o The Resolution is intended to go to the other local municipalities in Durham for endorsement and to the Minister for Industry Canada, with copy to John O'Toole, MPP and Bev Oda, MP. It will be sent to Council in advance of the minutes as a Resolution of adoption. Correspondence and Council Referrals — At the March meeting it had been determined that Mary Ann, Councillor Partner and Faye would meet with representatives of the Horseracing industry to work on a Resolution in response to the recommendation from the Drummond Report regarding the Ontario Slots at Racetracks program (10 -15% of revenue went to the purse for the races). A resolution was drafted and circulated by e -mail, because the program Was to be cut by March 31st, the resolution went directly to Council rather than coming back to the committee for endorsement. Resolution #C- 119 -11 was approved by Council on March 26th and was distributed at the meeting. Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program Council referred the resolution passed by the Township of Havelock - Belmont- Methuen to the committee. Copies were distributed and after some discussion the committee received it as information but did not recommend that it be endorsed by Clarington Council. Liaison Reports DAAC — Eric updated the committee on the discussion of site alteration by the Regional Solicitors. The Region is not involved in the issue and Leslie's presentation provided better insight than the discussion at the DAAC meeting, since each Municipalities by -law is slightly different. DAAC is worried that whichever Municipality has the weakest by -law will become the target for large commercial fill operations. DRFA —April 3, 4, 5 is Farm Connections at Vipond Arena in Brooklin, there are 27 classes registered and a waiting list of that many, over 1400 students attended. Open House is on April 4th 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. has 900 attendees and some 50 volunteers. There was an appreciation night at O'cala and thanks, to all for volunteering, and attending. Mary Ann is at the OSPCA meeting this evening and will have information on that for the next meeting. CBOT —AGM for CBOT is April 19th, speaker will be from Tim Horton's, Donald has been asked to continue in his role as agriculture advisor. The .issues from the discussion with Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Ted McMeekin MPP, have been submitted by CBOT (e.g. ditching, dog strangling vine and site alteration) awaiting a response. Other Business Port Granby Funds- Committee members inquired whether the funds received as compensation for this project can be used for economic development and if the Municipality will be seeking ideas on how it should be used. The Municipality has had the funds since 2001 when the legal agreement was signed and the interest on the funds has been used to hold the tax rate down. Now that the EA is complete, the license has been issued by the CNSC and the lands have Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 12 th 2012 been transferred from Cameco to the Federal government the $10,000,000 that the Municipality received as compensation can be used. The Director of Finance will be providing a report to Council on what the funds could be used for. On Trace- At the March meeting 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 Traceability will be a major issue facing producers in the future. Newcastle Farmers Market Representative — Brenda and Faye provided an overview of the history, issues and current Board membership for the Farmer's Market. The terms of reference are meant to guide the Board and the market manager. There has been some deviation from the terms of reference which is partially why Brenda resigned. The Board has not met in over a year and currently there are few active board members. Previously Henk Mulders had been the AACC rep and then Brenda carried on as AACC rep after she left the Newcastle BIA (when Steamer's was sold). None of the current members of the AACC have volunteered to serve on the Farmer's Market. Hazmat Article — Sent to members from the Mayor, the author appeared to be misinformed on a number of items. Committee members determined to take on action, education of others through other means was determined to be more beneficial than a letter to the editor. Trees for Rural Roads — Due date for application is April 15th, to date there are over 750 trees on order. Future Agendas July Meeting, Susan Todd and Don Lovisa from Durham College will be in attendance. Tom Barrie moved to adjourn. CARRIED Next Meeting May 10th, 2012 URS /MTO has requested to attend May meeting regarding the interchanges along the 401. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 12th, 2012