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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-04-09* Subject to Advisory Committee approval * Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 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), Councillor Margaret Zwart, Tom Barrie, Eric Bowman, John Cartwright, Brad Found, Lloyd Vandergaast, Mitch Morawetz (DRFA), Arvind Cheniveerappan, Jennifer Knox Regrets: Richard Rekker, Craig Rickard Staff Present: Sylvia Jennings, Alicia da Silva — Planning and Infrastructure Services; Laura Knox — Economic Development Guests: Jonathan Hack, Asya Bidordinova — Sierra Planning and Management; Stacey Jibb, Steffan Lemon — Durham Economic Development 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 March 12, 2026 026-009 Moved by T. Barrie, seconded by L. Vandergaast That the Minutes of the March 12, 2026, meeting be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations 5a. Community Improvement Plan Update — Jonathan Hack Jonathan Hack from Sierra Planning and Management provided a presentation regarding work on the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Update since they presented to the AACC in December 2025. The draft recommendations are planned to be released at the end of April and recommended to Council in June 2026. Implementation would likely wait until after the 2026 municipal election. J. Hack focused this presentation on the program specific to agriculture. It would apply to any lands designated Rural or Prime Agricultural Areas throughout the Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 9, 2026 municipality. Through consultation, they heard requests for support for On Farm Diversified Uses (OFDUs) and agri-tourism, fa�ade improvements, and streamlined approvals and guidance documents. J. Hack noted that CIP programs must have a public benefit and should promote economic development. They are working on recommendations to update Clarington's CIP program. The first proposed program is an agricultural signage improvement grant for OFDUs. It would fund 50% of the cost, up to a maximum of $7,500, for design and placement of signs in publicly accessible areas. Projects would need to be valued at a minimum of $3,500 to qualify. The second proposed program is an agricultural building renovation grant that would fund 50% of costs up to $25,000 to redevelop farm buildings for OFDUs. Committee members provided feedback: • The recommendations could urge Clarington to undertake updates to the Zoning By-law quickly, so that more OFDUs are permitted as of right. • The minimum value of projects could be prohibitive. A recent sign installation cost $1400. • The agricultural building renovation grant could be expanded to support preservation of agricultural historic features to support the agricultural heritage of Clarington. • The wording of the agricultural building renovation grant should be modified to include new buildings, not just renovations. H. Zekveld thanked J. Hack for his presentation. 5b. Growing Agri -Food Durham Update — Stacey Jibb, Steffan Lemon S. Jibb and S. Lemon provided a brief presentation regarding Invest Durham's activities in the past year related to the Growing Agri -Food Durham Action Plan. Some activities include: • Collaborating with local agricultural organizations like Durham Farm Fresh, Durham Farm Connections, Durham Region Federation of Agriculture and local advisory committees; • Promoting local agriculture through digital campaigns; • Supporting north Durham municipalities to streamline regulatory processes for OFDUs and ag-related uses; • Advocating for agricultural infrastructure at the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority; and • Partnering with the Barrett Centre to support urban agriculture. H. Zekveld thanked S. Jibb and S. Lemon for their presentation. 6. Business Arising from the Minutes 6a. Farm Tour Planning B. Found shared a quote from Pound and Pestle of $14.95 per person for sandwiches and desserts. A guest count will need to be provided at least a week Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 9, 2026 ahead of time. Lloyd will bring beverages. Tom will confirm PA system capabilities. If Invest Durham's agricultural fact sheets are available in time, they will be handed out at the event. 6b. Tile Drainage Outlet Information In response to the Committee's motion at the last meeting, S. Jennings followed up with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) to confirm the type of information that's collected regarding tile drainage. OMAFA does not collect information about the location of outlets. Clarington Infrastructure Staff confirmed that locate information is detected using wires in the right of way, and utility companies are charged when their locate information is collected. Clarington Infrastructure Staff also confirmed that tile drain outlets can drain into the municipal right of way, but the outlets should end on the farmer's property. Committee members suggest that best practices are to clearly mark tile drainage outlets in the field and ensure the marker is maintained. They noted that a concern remains that the ditches may not be deep enough to convey water if they haven't been maintained. 6c. Clarington Planning Application Fees S. Jennings noted that Council approved an increase in planning application fees at their last meeting. 6d. Consultation from Alto A Committee member inquired if there had been any consultation between the Municipality and Alto regarding the proposed high speed rail project. S. Jennings noted she was not aware of any consultation. 7. Communications 7a. Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) Fact Sheet Durham Region Federation of Agriculture shared a fact sheet prepared by the OFA in response to municipalities adopting plant -based food procurement policies. It highlights the contributions of animal agriculture to Ontario's economy. 7b. CN Right -Of -Way Vegetation Management CN Rail will be undertaking vegetation management in their corridor in Clarington this summer. If there are noxious weed management requests, contact Cl' before June 1, 2026 to be included in their 2026 Vegetation Management Program. 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee — T. Barrie The next meeting is Tuesday, April 14. Senator Rob Black will be presenting. It is open to the public and will be hosted in Regional Council Chambers. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture (DRFA) — M. Morawetz The DRFA will be hiring an administrative coordinator that would serve DRFA, Durham Farm Connections and Durham Farm Fresh. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 9, 2026 DRFA is hosting a meeting with surrounding agricultural federations with Alto staff regarding high speed rail. They will be sharing lessons learned from the Highway 407 project to mitigate impacts on the agricultural community. Public comments are open until April 24. DRFA and other farm organizations attended a round table with Transport Canada regarding the Pickering Airport Lands. DRFA is working to create a joint submission with other federations to urge that the lands be protected for agriculture. DRFA has submitted comments on the Northeast Pickering Secondary Plan regarding edge planning and staging of development. With assistance from Invest Durham, the DRFA is hosting an OFDU members day on the third week of June. It will include a farm tour, various speakers, and lunch. It will be open to farmers in the region and economic development professionals. Committee members asked what the OFA's position on High Speed Rail will be. M. Morawetz noted that they haven't publicly taken a position against the project. He noted that we should differentiate what Alto can affect and what has already been set out by the federal government. DRFA is advocating on specifics of the project such as stray voltage, how the crossings will function, and maintenance of the right of way. J. Knox suggested that it would be helpful at the roundtable meeting to acknowledge the reason behind the project. Electrification is important for preventing global warming, which is a major threat to agriculture. 8c. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update — S. Lemon No update. 9. New Business 9a. Appointees to the Conservation Authority Boards A Committee member inquired about how Conservation Authority board members are chosen and suggested it would be of interest to this Committee. There was discussion on the impact of the conservation authorities amalgamating. The Committee's Terms of Reference governs the appropriate channels for the Committee to communicate with Conservation Authorities. 10. Adjournment 026-010 Moved by L. Vandergaast, Seconded by E. Bowman That the meeting adjourn at 10:00 p.m. Carried Next Meeting: May 14, 2026 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington April 9, 2026