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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-02-28Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Microsoft Teams or Meeting Room 1 C, Municipal Administrative Centre 40 Temperance St., Bowmanville, Ontario Members Present: Henry Zekveld (Chair), Tom Barrie, Eric Bowman, Brenda Metcalf, John Cartwright, Councillor Zwart, Jordan McKay, Mitch Morawetz (DRFA) Regrets: Craig Rickard, Jennifer Knox, Ryan Cullen, Richard Rekker Staff Present: Sarah Allin — Planning and Infrastructure Services, Amy Burke — Administration Guests: Allison De Vos — Invest Durham, Todd Brown — Monteith Brown Planning Consultants 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 January 11, 2024 024-003 Moved by Tom Barrie, seconded by Eric Bowman That the minutes of the January 11, 2024, meeting be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations 5a. Presentation on Clarington Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan — Todd Brown, Montieth Brown Planning Consultants Todd Brown presented to the Committee on the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan that is currently under development. He described how the project will create a strategy to meet the current and future needs of residents based on current resources, consultation with the community, best practices, and future demographics. He reviewed consultation to date, including public information Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 8, 2024 centres and an online survey, and interviews with staff, Council, and community stakeholders. He is presenting to the Committee to gain rural and agricultural insights. The draft plan will be released in July, with a final plan presented in early fall. Committee members asked questions about the project and parks and recreation resources. T. Brown described how some new facilities can be funded through development charges on new development. He described how potential partnerships with schools and places of worship could be created to share recreation resources. The online survey for the plan had approximately 3200 responses, and more comments from the public were shared at public information centres. T. Brown asked several discussion questions to the group to gather insight into the opportunities to meet the recreational needs of the rural and agricultural communities. The Committee noted community halls as places for culture and recreation, including pickleball and yoga, but that there could be more programming in halls throughout the week. Community halls are largely volunteer -run and may have difficulties accommodating more activities. The volunteer community has also shrunk in recent years. Marketing and getting the word out about activities was raised as an issue. Paper resources were previously relied on. The Committee noted that resources are often available online, but many people don't know where to find a consolidated list of activities or opportunities. An engaging, magazine -like document with activities that would be available online was supported. In parks and trails, the Committee noted issues with dogs off -leash in non - designated areas and a lack of connectivity in the current trail network. Winter trail maintenance should be prioritized. Litter was noted in some parks. A performance venue for theatre, music, and dance productions was requested, similar to West Bend or Fourth Line. A book mobile concept was not strongly supported by the Committee. The Committee noted that while there are not typically many events in the rural areas, the urban areas are accessible enough for gatherings like Canada Day and Maple Fest. H. Zekveld thanked T. Brown for joining the Committee and gathering their feedback. 6. Business Arising from Previous Meeting None. 7. Correspondence, Council Items and Referrals None. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 8, 2024 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee — T. Barrie T. Barrie provided the update. At the previous meeting, Lia Van Wees from Ontario Tech's Windfields Farm presented. She is seeking a farmer who can farm a recently donated parcel. Durham Workforce Authority presented and discussed skilled trades and their relation to agriculture. Durham Economic Development provided an update to the Committee. Colebrook Farms was suggested for the DAAC tour. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture — M. Morawetz M. Morawetz provided the update. The Executive Committee planned for the year ahead including filling vacant board positions. The DRFA also plans to participate in the Touch a Truck event in Oshawa and will continue to provide comments on items they're circulated. They received correspondence from Zoo Share, which operates a biodigester with the Toronto Zoo to create a commercial fertilizer product. They have a stockpile of fertilizer available for free. March 1st is the deadline to renew your FBR number. Reminder to register farm entrances with the Farm 911 Emily project. 8c. Durham Farm Connections — B. Metcalf B. Metcalf reported that there was no update. In response to a Committee member's question, B. Metcalf explained that Durham Farm Connections is under the umbrella of Durham Region Federation of Agriculture, but is typically funded through the Celebrate Ag Gala and sponsorships. 8d. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update — A. De Vos A. De Vos provided an update. They are supporting DAAC with Ag 101 training. Half of the municipalities have had the training so far, with Tom Barrie presenting to Clarington Council February 12. February 13t" is Canadian Agriculture Day. Invest Durham is supporting the Agri -Food Gateway program, a pilot project run by Durham College to train technology companies in agriculture with the goal of developing technology for the agriculture industry. A farm tour is being organized for municipal staff in economic development, planning and building in March. The tour will feature three different agri-businesses in Uxbridge. 9. New Business 9a. Now Accepting Applications for the 2024 Trees for Rural Roads Program A. Burke shared that the 2024 Trees for Rural Roads Program is now accepting applications (www.clarington.net/TreesForRuralRoads). 9b. Consultation on New Traffic Lights on Enfield Road at Concession 7 and Concession 8 The Committee discussed new lights installed in the rural area and noted that the Committee and DAAC were not consulted prior to their installation. DRFA is typically consulted on all new roundabouts. Committee members noted that at these new signalized intersections there is a lack of space between the light poles to accommodate farm equipment and through traffic, creating a potentially dangerous Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 8, 2024 situation. The Committee noted that it would be helpful if they were circulated on these items. Staff will determine if the Municipality was consulted. 10. Date of Next Meeting March 14, 2024 11. Adjournment 024-004 Moved by John Cartwright, Seconded by Eric Bowman That the meeting adjourn at 9:07 p.m. Carried Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 8, 2024