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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-02-12Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Microsoft Teams or Meeting Room 10, Municipal Administrative Centre 40 Temperance St., Bowmanville, Ontario Members Present: Henry Zekveld (Chair), Councillor Margaret Zwart, Eric Bowman, Tom Barrie, John Cartwright, Richard Rekker, Brad Found, Lloyd Vandergaast, Mitch Morawetz (DRFA) Regrets: Craig Rickard, Jennifer Knox Staff Present: Sylvia Jennings, David Perkins — Planning and Infrastructure Services Guests: Brayden Siersma — Economic Development, Steffan Lemon — Invest Durham 1. Welcome and Introductions H. Zekveld welcomed everyone to the meeting with introductions. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement H. Zekveld recited the Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Declarations of Interest None. 4. Approval of Minutes of January 8, 2026 026-003 Moved by E. Bowman seconded by B. Found That the Minutes of the January 8, 2026, meeting be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations 5a. Economic Development Support for Agricultural Applications — B. Siersma, Clarington Economic Development B. Siersma gave a presentation on the Invest Clarington — Municipal Concierge Program, including its features, approach, eligibility requirements, and how it applies to agriculture. The program works with prospective large-scale businesses that would deliver major economic and employment benefits to the community. Invest Clarington helps these businesses through a fast -tracked and coordinated application process. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 12, 2026 B. Siersma noted that Economic Development also offers support for businesses which don't meet the formal concierge thresholds. He provided examples of how Invest Clarington has worked with agricultural operators in the past, and potential services they could offer, including with guiding applicants through the development application and building permit processes, support navigating funding opportunities, and connecting businesses with regional partners. He emphasized that Invest Clarington remains committed to helping the agricultural community navigate municipal processes efficiently, and farmers can contact his department for support. B. Siersma answered questions from Committee members. The concierge program is designed for major employers, so an agricultural business like an abattoir may qualify, however most traditional agricultural operations would be too small in scale to be eligible for the formal concierge program. However, Invest Clarington is still available to provide less formalized support to farmers looking to develop. H. Zekveld thanked B. Siersma for his presentation. 6. Business Arising from the Minutes 6a. Farm Tour Planning Committee members discussed planning for the 2026 Farm Tour. June 19th was chosen as the date for the tour, with June 18th as an alternate. T. Barrie will reach out to Martin Straathof from the Ontario Farmland Trust to speak at the event. S. Jennings recommended that at the next meeting that the Committee members confirm the topics to be discussed and who will be speaking. 026-004 Moved by T. Barrie seconded by B. Found. That the AACC Farm Tour take place on June 19, 2026 with an alternate date of June 18, 2026. Carried 6b. AACC Update to Council S. Jennings noted that the date for the Chair the provide an annual update on AACC Activities to Council remains tentative and will advise H. Zekveld when a date is confirmed. 7. Communications 7a. CIP Update Presentation and Survey S. Jennings noted that there was a presentation regarding the Community Improvement Program update at the February 2026 General Government Committee meeting and featured an agricultural component. A survey is also available which is looking for feedback from existing business owners regarding what types of CIP programming would be helpful. Committee members are encouraged to complete the survey and share it with other agricultural producers. 7b. Response from Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall regarding Agricultural Worker Housing S. Jennings noted that the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall acknowledged Clarington's Council resolution #GG-194-25 regarding a request to change Section Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 12, 2026 9.3 of the Ontario Fire Code and noted that it will be considered in the development of the next edition of the Ontario Fire Code. Committee members discussed the wording of the letter Clarington sent to the Ontario Fire Marshall and next steps. 7c. Ontario Farmland Trust Forum S. Jennings noted that the Ontario Farmland Trust is hosting a one day forum on March 19, 2026, in Elora, Ontario, in person and online. S. Jennings noted that staff are considering purchasing an online option and broadcasting it to the group. Committee members expressed an interest in participating online. 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee — T. Barrie There was no DAAC meeting on February 10th, but the members visited a vertical farming operation called Mighty Harvest which is owned by DAAC member Derrick Stevenson. T. Barrie provided an overview of the business, including the size of the operation, types of crops grown, its customers, and its current location inside the Ajax Casino. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture (DRFA) — M. Morawetz The DRFA held an executive committee meeting in January. Topics included setting up a joint meeting with the Durham and York Regions Federation of Agriculture to collaborate on a collective response to the consultations on the Pickering lands managed by Transport Canada (often referred to as the airport lands), the impact of the proposed high-speed rail line on local farms, and the ability of fire departments to respond to fires which are a significant distance from a public road. M. Morawetz answered questions from Committee members. H. Zekveld thanked M. Morawetz for his update. 8c. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update — S. Lemon The Township of Scugog has incorporated new agriculture related and on farm diversified uses policies in its Official Plan and Zoning By-law. Invest Durham has added a new On Farm Diversified Uses (OFDU) webpage and an improved toolkit for north Durham farmers who are interested in developing an OFDU. Invest Durham is developing a Food Processing Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) project to be completed this summer. Agriculture fact sheets using 2021 Census data for each Durham municipality will soon be publicly available online and will include data such as the number of farms, percentage of different crops and different acreages of the top crops. S. Lemon answered questions from the Committee members regarding the BR&E food processing program. The goal of the program is to increase local jobs and food processing capacity. H. Zekveld thanked S. Lemon for his update. 9. New Business 9a. Update on DAAC Presentation Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 12, 2026 T. Barrie presented to Clarington's General Government Committee on February 2nd to provide an update on DAAC's activities. He received several questions from Council. He noted that a factor in Planning which has the large impact on agriculture is disjointed development that doesn't extend directly from existing development. 9b. Newtonville Winner of Westminster Dog Show A breeder in Newtonville won the Westminster Dog Show's best in show prize for its Doberman. J. Cartright wants to see a road sign for Newtonville recognizing this achievement. S. Jennings and M. Zwart stated that they will discuss with staff and find coordinate a response outside of the Committee. 9c. Farm Burn Permit E. Bowman noted that he had difficulties obtaining a burn permit for his farm properties that lack a municipal address. S. Jennings stated that she will look into the matter and report back. 10. Adjournment 026-005 Moved by J. Cartright Seconded by E. Bowman That the meeting adjourn at 9:40 pm. Carried Next Meeting: March 12, 2026 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 12, 2026