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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-08 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington May 8, 2025 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Microsoft Teams or Meeting Room 1C, 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, Tom Barrie, Jennifer Knox, John Cartwright Regrets: Richard Rekker, Craig Rickard, Chris Ennis Staff Present: Lisa Backus, Alicia da Silva – Planning and Infrastructure Services Guests: Allison De Vos – Invest Durham 1. Welcome and Introductions H. Zekveld welcomed everyone to the meeting. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement H. Zekveld recited the Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Declarations of Interest None. 4. Approval of Minutes of April 10, 2025 025-010 Moved by E. Bowman, Seconded by B. Found. That the Minutes of the April 10, 2025 meeting be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations None. 6. Business Arising from the Minutes 6a. Farm Tour Planning A working group has been formed to plan the upcoming farm tour with a tentative date of July 17, 2025, from 9:30am-12pm at B. Found’s farm. Committee members expressed the need to communicate issues currently impacting the agricultural community to staff and councillors at the tour. An idea was brought up for stations at the tour to have attendees divided into smaller groups to better facilitate Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington May 8, 2025 discussions. Committee members suggested the tour should focus on topics that benefit from visuals on the farm, with the potential for follow-ups on specific issues after the tour. The farm tour can help staff and councillors better understand how they can support the agricultural community. A. De Vos suggested that higher-level agricultural topics had been successful at previous Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee farm tours. A tentative general agenda for the farm tour includes starting with an introduction outlining the events of the morning, dividing into two groups for more focused tours, then reconvening for discussions at the end of the morning. B. Found will bring a draft agenda for the farm tour to the June Committee meeting. 6b. 2025-2026 AACC Work Plan A. da Silva led a review of the 2025-2026 AACC Work Plan, which had been previously drafted at the March Committee meeting. This work plan gives staff assistance in allocating resources, as well as sets key themes and goals for future meetings. B. Found suggested that agenda items could be based on this Work Plan. Committee members discussed the benefits of referring to the work plan on an ongoing basis. Committee members suggested adding the Durham Soil and Crop Association, and the Durham Farm Fresh Marketing Association to the list of groups in the Emerging Agricultural Issues section of the Work Plan. Wetland delineation based on aerial surveys was discussed as an important issue to add to the Work Plan. Staff will invite speakers from appropriate agencies to discuss the topic in the future. This topic falls under Official Plan Review in the Work Plan. 6c. Future topics for discussion with Mayor Committee members brainstormed potential questions and topics ahead of inviting Mayor Foster to a future AACC meeting. The following questions and topics were discussed: • How can strong mayor powers affect farmers, food production, and land use? • Opportunity for Mayor Foster to provide a general update presentation on key initiatives and municipal progress in Clarington. • Councillor attendance at council meetings was discussed, with a potential for easier access to attendance records for the public. • Can the Committee be provided information on potential CCTV cameras in downtown Bowmanville? 7. Communications 7a. Wilmot Orchards put into Farmland Trust – first in Durham Region Wilmot Orchard has worked with the Ontario Farmland Trust to become the first farm in Durham to implement a farmland easement agreement which will ensure only agricultural uses can be permitted for the next 999 years. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington May 8, 2025 H. Zekveld will send a letter on behalf of the Committee to the Stevens family recognizing their outstanding contribution to the future of Ontario agriculture. Staff will provide support in drafting the letter. 025-011 Moved by J. Knox, Seconded by E. Bowman. That correspondence be issued by the Chair of the Committee recognizing the Stevens family for their outstanding contribution to Ontario's agricultural future. Carried Staff will follow-up by email to provide more information to the Committee on the Wilmot Orchards open house on May 31, 2025. 7b. OMAFA Information on Agricultural Systems OMAFA drafted a report regarding the Agricultural Systems implementation, as mentioned in the Provincial Planning Statement (2024). The two components of the Agricultural System approach are 1) the identification of the agricultural land base, and 2) the consideration of the agri-food network. OMAFA has resources available to support municipalities in their implementation of the approach. 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee – T. Barrie None. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture – M. Morawetz The last meeting was April 15, 2025. The DRFA has received funding through the Canada Summer Jobs program to hire summer students to provide general assistance. 8c. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update – A. De Vos A high school career tour took place on April 28, 2025, in partnership with Durham Farm Connections, focusing on butchery and meat cutting career opportunities. The purpose of the tour was to spark interest to pursue a career in the industry. Local Food Week is the first week of June, with the Region to provide communications about supporting local and shopping from local farms. An update was provided on the North Durham Agricultural Policy work currently taking place. Final recommendations were presented and unanimously adopted by Brock and Scugog Councils, with their planning staff to work on amendments to their zoning by-laws. 9. New Business Committee members continued the conversation on potential questions for Mayor Foster. After the recent ice storm, a question arose surrounding what supports will be available after storms, specifically for fallen trees. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington May 8, 2025 Staff to follow-up by email to confirm tentative date Mayor Foster will join and a draft list of topics and questions. 10. Date of Next Meeting Thursday, June 12, 2025 11. Adjournment 025-012 Moved by J. Cartwright, Seconded by E. Bowman That the meeting adjourn at 9:11pm. Carried