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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-08-10* Subject to Advisory Committee Approval * Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, August 10, 2023 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Microsoft Teams or Meeting Room 1 C, Municipal Administrative Centre 40 Temperance St., Bowmanville, Ontario Members Present: Tom Barrie, Ryan Cullen, Eric Bowman, Jordan McKay, Brenda Metcalf, John Cartwright, Craig Rickard, Henry Zekveld (Chair), Councillor Zwart Regrets: Richard Rekker, Jennifer Knox, Mitch Morawetz (DRFA) Staff Present: Amy Burke, Sylvia Jennings — Planning and Infrastructure Services Guests: Allison De Vos — Invest Durham 1. Welcome and Introductions Henry Zekveld welcomed all to the meeting, with introductions. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement Henry Zekveld recited Clarington's Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Declarations of Interest None 4. Approval of Minutes of June 8, 2023 Amendment to the June 8, 2023 minutes was identified. Tom Barrie volunteered for Vice -Chair. 023-012 Moved by Eric Bowman, Seconded by Tom Barrie That the minutes of the June 8, 2023 meeting, as amended, be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations 5a. Presentation by Ben Earle, CEO of Feed the Need Durham, Regarding Food Insecurity and Local Food Systems in Durham B. Earle presented to the Committee regarding Feed the Need in Durham, its evolving role throughout the pandemic, and potential opportunities for collaboration with Durham's agricultural sector. Feed the Need is a regional food hub supplying food to about 65 emergency food providers. B. Earle described Feed the Need's Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington August 10, 2023 role in the food supply system including its partnerships with food suppliers, donors, and food banks, soup kitchens, etc. The demand for Feed the Need's services is growing, with approximately 15% of Durham residents experiencing some form of food insecurity. There has been a 48% increase in the number of people accessing the organization's network of food banks in the last year. The organization is increasingly focusing on fresh food including meat, milk, eggs, and produce. Those experiencing food insecurity are often unable to access local food due to lack of means of access to farmers market, or unaffordability. Feed the Need in Durham is seeking increased residents' access while also supporting local producers. Partnerships with farmers and organizations like Egg Farmers of Canada and the Ontario Milk Program have been essential to this goal. The organization is continuing to look for mutually beneficial partnerships with food producers and residents, such as a recent launch of a CSA pilot project. Feed the Need is also launching a food innovation lab with local post -secondary institutions to find creative solutions to food insecurity that work with the local agriculture system. B. Earle answered various questions from the Committee. He explained that the organization is always looking to collaborate more with local farmers, and that the greatest need is fresh food or pantry staples. He noted that Feed the Need does purchase fresh food, particularly milk and eggs, and is not solely looking for donations, but that they can provide Food Donation Tax Credits to farmers. Clarington residents seeking food resources can seek out food banks in the urban areas within Feed the Need's network. He noted that the majority of funding is from corporate or personal donations, with the organization's budget expanding from less than $500,000 prior to the pandemic to now close to $2.5 million annually. Henry thanked Ben for his presentation. Following the presentation, Committee members discussed various opportunities for integrating agriculture into land use planning, local schools, and the urban environment. The Committee suggested greater integration would foster awareness, support food security, and create a stronger connection between the urban and rural parts of the community, ultimately strengthening Clarington's identity. The Committee will further explore these themes as part of Official Plan Review discussions. 6. Business Arising from Previous Meeting 6a. Bowmanville Farmers Market Update — Ryan Cullen R. Cullen provided an update on ongoing talks with organizers and vendors of the Bowmanville Farmers Market. In follow up to the previous discussion with the group, R. Cullen met with the organizers and spoke to vendors of the Market regarding the concerns heard by the Committee. He spoke about how organizers and vendors should ensure they're transparently communicating about the products that are sold at the farmers markets. He emphasized the need for more transparency and Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington August 10, 2023 education of market organizers and vendors to ensure there is mutual respect between food producers and vendors to ultimately support local agriculture in Ontario. 6b. Initiation of the Official Plan Review — release of Discussion Paper (www.clarington.net/OPReview) and Report PDS-048-23 — A. Burke A. Burke reported that the Official Plan Review was officially launched at a Special Meeting of Council on June 27, 2023. As part of the launch, a Discussion Paper and related Discussion Questions were released to start the conversation about what should be explored as part of the Official Plan Review. Next steps include the selection of a project consultant and development of consultation and engagement plan. Initial engagement with the Committee by the Project Team will follow, likely in early 2024. The Committee concluded that they would work through the Discussion Questions over the course of the remaining 2023 meetings, providing early input into the process. 7. Communications The following communications items were circulated as part of the meeting agenda and provided for information: • Municipal comments on the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement and Bill 97 (Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023) (Report PDS-037- 23) • Economic Development Initiatives (Report PDS-045-23) — June 27, 2023 • Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee Resolution Regarding City of Pickering — Backyard Chickens in Pickering — June 28, 2023 (Letter) • Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee Terms of Reference and 2023 Workplan — June 28, 2023 (Report #2023-P-16) • Bowmanville Avenue (Regional Road 57) and Regional Road 3/ Concession Road 8 in the Municipality of Clarington — Notice of Road Closure — July 10, 2023 • Invitation to DAAC 2023 Farm Tour 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee — T. Barrie T. Barrie shared updates. The DAAC farm tour is on September 21, 2023. Those interested are encouraged to sign up soon, as spots are filling up. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture — M. Morawetz No updates. 8c. Durham Farm Connections — B. Metcalf B. Metcalf shared updates. The All About Farming trailer will be at the Canadian National Exhibition. Most volunteering spots are now filled, but B. Metcalf can be Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington August 10, 2023 contacted if individuals are interested in future volunteering. A second trailer has been acquired through grant funding and will debut at the Blackstock Fair on August 26, 2023. 8d. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update — A. De Vos A. De Vos shared updates. Invest Durham is currently in the process of hiring a coordinator to support the Durham Farm Fresh and Durham Farm Connections programs. Invest Durham is also gathering information related to On Farm Diversified Uses to ensure area municipalities can incorporate best practices into their Official Plan reviews. They will also be helping with the DAAC farm tour. 9. New Business 9a. Discussion on Draft 2023 / 2024 Work Plan — C. Rickard The working group formed at the last meeting worked to create a one -page draft Work Plan for the Committee to consider. C. Rickard described the thought process and general goals of the Work Plan. The Committee discussed key topics that are included on the work plan including agricultural connections to the waterfront, On Farm Diversified Uses, and interaction between agriculture and active, urban uses. The Committee decided to create a shared document that they could comment on before the next meeting, and to ultimately finalize the Work Plan at the next meeting, or the following one. The work plan will form the basis for the annual Committee update to Council. Planning for the 2023 annual update will begin at the November Committee meeting. 9b. Rodenticides — C. Zwart C. Zwart discussed with the Committee a concern from a community member regarding rodenticides. The community member brought forward a resource regarding the issue which was shared with the Committee in advance of the meeting. The Committee discussed the comparative advantages and disadvantages of rodenticides and noted that rodenticides serve a valuable purpose, and there is a lack of effective, viable alternatives. They advised that rodenticides are sometimes a required component of inspections including the Egg Farmers of Canada audit. The Committee suggested that there may be some appropriate regulations such as expanding the types of rodenticides that require a license to obtain, or restricting access to older, potentially more dangerous technology. 10. Other Business 10a. Council Strategic Plan Survey A draft Council Strategic Plan has been released by the Municipality. A survey has recently been released to collect feedback from residents and businesses. More information and a link to the survey is available at the project webpage (Council Strategic Plan). The survey is open until September 30, 2023. 11. Date of Next Meeting October 12, 2023 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington August 10, 2023 12. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington August 10, 2023