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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-13Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, March 13th, 2025 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), John Cartwright, Mitch Morawetz (DRFA), Councillor Zwart, Eric Bowman, Lloyd Vandergaast, Brad Found, Craig Rickard, Richard Rekker Regrets: Tom Barrie, Jennifer Knox, Chris Ennis Staff Present: Sylvia Jennings, Alicia da Silva — Planning and Infrastructure Services Guests: Allison De Vos — Invest Durham 1. Welcome and Introductions H. Zekveld welcomed everyone to the meeting. Committee members, staff, and attendees made self -introductions. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement H. Zekveld recited the Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Declarations of Interest None. 4. Approval of Minutes of February 13, 2025 025-008 Moved by E. Bowman, Seconded by B. Found. That the Minutes of the February 13, 2025 meeting be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations 5a. Committee Procedures — S. Jennings S. Jennings presented to the Committee on Agricultural Advisory Committee procedures. She described the Municipality's policies regarding agriculture, including the strategic plan, and the Official Plan Countryside policies. She described Clarington advisory committees in general and noted that they are governed by the Municipality's Procedural By-law. She reviewed the Agricultural Advisory Committee's history and purpose. The Committee's Terms of Reference describes the Committee's procedures and responsibilities. The Committee's scope Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 13, 2024 of activities include making recommendations to council, raising awareness of agricultural issues, educating the public on agricultural issues, and staying informed about any changes in the industry. General procedures were reviewed. S. Jennings answered questions from the Committee. She noted that the Municipality does not keep specific metrics regarding its agricultural objectives but that that could be reviewed during the Official Plan Review. The Committee will be consulted in this work. 6. Business Arising from the Minutes 6a. AACC Council Updates Councillor Zwart suggested that Henry could share the Committee's ideas for supporting the AACC at his upcoming delegation to Council. Committee members discussed how they can summarize their ideas, bringing forward constructive feedback to help maximize the effectiveness of the AACC. 6b. Farm Tour Planning Committee members discussed the idea of a farm tour, as raised at the previous meeting, to increase awareness of the unique issues and importance of supporting farms. They suggested senior staff, specific departments, and Council could attend, with a maximum of 50 attendees. They discussed which type of agricultural operation should be used and the format of the tour. They suggested tours could be held regularly to showcase different operations and provide more opportunities for attendance. A working group was formed to continue planning. 7. Correspondence, Council Items and Referrals 7a. Trees for Rural Roads now accepting applications Trees for Rural Roads program is now accepting applications, with trees to be handed out in April. There are various tree species available which work in wet and dry soil. 7b. Hydro One Notice of Preferred Route for Durham Kawartha Power Line Project The Durham Kawartha Power Line Project Notice of Preferred Route and Community project is hosting two open houses on the selected route that's been chosen for the project. 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee — T. Barrie No report. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture — M. Morawetz M. Morawetz provided the update. The Durham Region Federation of Agriculture is hosting a joint meeting next week with the Kawartha and Peterborough Federations to discuss shared issues. There are ongoing discussions regarding farm worker housing at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. They have limited expertise on the matter but will continue to discuss it. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 13, 2025 M. Morawetz attended an Economic Forum in Oshawa where representatives from various organizations were invited to provide feedback to Durham MP Jamil Jivani on opportunities to strengthen the Durham economy. 8c. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update — A. De Vos A. De Vos provided the update. The Agricultural Leadership Training is continuing, with two more modules. The North Durham Agriculture -related and On -farm Diversified Uses Study has released a survey to gather feedback on its draft recommendations before a revised version is presented to the North Durham Councils. Tours of agricultural equipment operations are being held for high school students in auto, tech, and transportation programs to promote future employment in the field. 9. New Business 9a. Stormwater Management Fee Presentation Committee members suggested presentations be given related to stormwater management fees and drainage. Councillor Zwart noted that there is no intention to implement the fee in rural areas. Staff will confirm this approach. Committee members noted that they would like to be kept informed on the issue, either through a presentation from the Municipality's consultant, or from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. C. Rickard suggested a presentation from Bryan Fairfield to discuss tile drainage systems and recent restrictions on their use. Committee members also suggested a discussion with local conservation authorities would be helpful to understand how environmental features are determined. 9b. Workplan Committee members discussed topics to be added to the 2025-2026 workplan. Existing items on the workplan from last year which committee members expressed interest in carrying forward are participating in the review of the Clarington Official Plan and the Clarington Waterfront Strategy. The Countryside Objectives of the Official Plan will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Farm tour planning, stormwater management, and rural capital infrastructure were added. A need to provide ongoing recommendations on land use issues was discussed with a potential opportunity for Conservation Authorities to provide a presentation. Staying on top of agricultural issues was added as a workplan item, being achieved through ongoing co-operation with other agricultural organisations including the Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee (DAAC) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Promotion of agriculture through T.H.E.E. Farmer's Parade of Lights, self -pick farms, and other markets was added, with an opportunity to work with Clarington Economic Development. Expanding on -farm diversified uses tied into this discussion, helping to bridge the gap between development and agriculture. 10. Date of Next Meeting April 10th, 2025 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 13, 2025 11. Adjournment 025-009 Moved by J. Cartwright, Seconded by R. Rekker That the meeting adjourn at 9:34 p.m. Carried Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington March 13, 2025