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Home My WebLink About2012-12-13 Minutes CLARINGTON AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13th, 2012 MEMBERS PRESENT: Brenda Metcalf John Cartwright Les Caswell Mary Ann Found Jenni Knox Gary Jeffery Ted Watson Don Rickard Tom Barrie STAFF: Faye Langmaid n REGRETS: Councillor Partner ABSENT: Mark Bragg, Eric Bowma GUESTS: Curry Clifford, CAO's Office, Ron Albright, Engineering Services, Dan Campbell, AECOM Gary welcomed all to the meeting, everyone introduced themselves. Adoption of Agenda _ y 012-24 Moved by Brenda Metcalf, seconded by Jennifer Knox "That the Agenda for December 13`", 2012 be adopted" CARRIED 1 i Approval of Minutes 012-25 Moved by Ted Watson, seconded by John Cartwright "That the minutes of the November 8t1', 2012 meeting be approved.` CARRIED Presentations: Ron Albright introduced the process that is being undertaken for the Transportation Master Plan and Dan Campbell. Dan's presentation is attached. The reason for the attendance of Ron and Dan is to gather input into the preliminary steps of the Clarington Transportation Master Plan. The discussion following the presentation included a number of questions and comments: -guiderails make the road narrower and obstruct farm equipment from being able to hang over the ditch out of the way of oncoming traffic, the policy on barriers and guiderails is protection for 3 metre depths and specific slopes (4:1 or steeper) at road sides -there needs to be better consideration for setbacks of guiderails at driveways and roadsides to accommodate large vehicles and the turning radii of them Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 13 th, 2012 -in the near urban and urban areas the stoplights provide gaps where farm equipment can enter the flow of traffic, the timing on the stoplights needs to be syncronized -many drivers are impatient and pass in unsafe locations or miss other road signs (like stop signs) as they are passing -improvements in the transportation system are costly, who pays? -incorporation of bikelanes gives an advantage to farm machinery as it gives them somewhere to go to get out of the way. -if most rural road rights of way are 66' and the road surface is 24' then move the ditches out to the edge of the road right of way to allow more shoulder space -farmers are using much bigger trucks and machinery than before therefore the corner turning radii have to be adjusted for rural roads -overhanging trees impede large machinery -culverts going into farm driveways have to be longer/wider -mail boxes in rural areas are an impediment to farm machinery -the MTO position on funding sidewalks on MTO owned bridges and culverts in the rural areas is counter to their policy of trying to encourage other modes of transportation and in particular cycling -signage on roads is often obstructing farm machinery from pulling over, also the sightlines from a tractor or combine are different than a car so the height of road signs needs to be visible for all while not impeding sight lines from higher vehicles -agriculture is not just about getting goods out of the field and farm, it is also about getting them in, half-load restrictions affect the delivery of seed, fertilizer and tile drainage, exceptions should be considered as it affects corporate profits of farms, also pulling the half-load season earlier would assist, or modifying it to deal with the different north/south micro-climatic zones -signs that warn drivers that agriculture is happening in the area are encouraged -until the 407 is finished other rural roads are being used to access it, across the 7th and 8th concessions, this will continue until it is complete -some urban residents do not even know what the farm machinery is and therefore have a hard time understanding its rate of travel, they follow too closely -cycling and agricultural routes in the countryside are mostly the same and shared opportunities exist to provide infrastructure beneficial to both -aggressive cyclists who ride in larger groups and ride 3-4 abreast are an issue -curbed corners in near urban areas are an impediment for farm machinery Business Arising from Minutes 1) The Farmer's Parade of Lights on December 5th, 2012 was very successful, 19 floats. Eric's wrap-up e-mail did not indicate any issues. Correspondence and Council Referrals 1) Faye distributed the resolution that Council passed on December 3rd regarding the cancellation of farm leases on MTO lands for the 407. This was a result of the comments from the Agriculture Advisory Committee and Clarington Board of Trade. Staff will continue to monitor the situation and apprise the committee of any response from MTO and the other ministries notified. 2) Mayor John Henry attended Council seeking support of the position of Oshawa Council against the Ethanol Plant. He was informed of the endorsement by the Agriculture Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 13 th, 2012 Advisory Committee. Council received his delegation for information and suggested he attend a committee meeting. Liaison Reports DAAC —No report. DRFA —DRFA new President is Ken Lamb, continue to look for additional directors for Clarington. Meeting on November 13th had a presentation on predation by coyotes and what can be done about them. Farm Connections have been informed by the public school board (20 schools) that depending on the Bill 115 issues the attendance of these schools may not be possible as it is an extra-curricular activity. The DRFA is working on an Agriculture Education Strategy, currently they are collecting background information on the ways and amount of time different groups spend providing agricultural education. CBOT — Don expressed his appreciation for being included in the CTMP stakeholders, as it is an example of how the agricultural community is being consulted and listened to, much like the input he has at the CBOT. Working on having a tour of farm operations for Directors and Councillors. CBOT is working on developing positions papers of the impacts of provincial and federal policies so that when dignitaries come to the area they can be provided with the impacts. Other Business 1) John provided a show and tell presentation on bio-security. There is a package of information and signs available from the Ontario Livestock & Poultry Council info of ontlpc.ca 2) The Clarington Heritage Committee is beginning a historical barns project and looking for the best way to contact those that own barns and also how to get an inventory of barns. There were some suggestions on advertisements and having the information e-mailed into the CHC. 3) Jenni informed the group of the issue of scrappers looking for metal on farm sites, there have been some local farmers have experienced theft for the value of the metal. This issue has been identified to the Safe Communities Committee. 4) Jenni informed the group that the reason for OPG lighting the new building in the Energy Park currently is that the lights when first installed have to "burn-off', the crews are working 24 hours/day and are 6 months ahead of schedule, the sensors to control the lights and shut them off automatically (LEEDS building) have not been installed and finally security. Future Agendas Dan McMorrow will attend in March regarding insurance implications for on-farm retail sales. Suggestions for other meeting are Rolf Kluem DRPS and Erin O'Toole. John moved to Adjourn Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 13 th, 2012 Next Meeting January 10, 2013, 7:30pm. . The Director of Finance/Treasurer will attend as a follow-up to the MPAC presentation. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington December 13 th, 2012 What is a Transportation Master Plan znv • How is a Transportation Master Plan Developed • Relationship to the Clarington Strategic Plan • Project Schedule • Key Policy Areas � � k f • Discussion Points and Feedback C..a rr3.F.+;.�...,;za° 'c.� ..f.�.�-';+�gz''�us•'b+2�1a�`w'r",�i-"". �.tr� ...�.' u.�Ad33',as:. December 13,2012 C1dIID�;CQ12 �{^ IKI P•fe^mw'mw.vr+. Dp+n+bl,Ni2 Pre2 `�� ,e�a owLL Whet is a Transportation Master Plan? How is a TMP Developed Transportation Master Plans(TMP)include a set of Collecting input from the public early in the planning policies that guide how f ^r)rtatlon prod ec oilaborative Investment decisions an:lade thrc 'tout if :mtanictpar, > " • Con Ieration of a reason a range of alternatives TMPs build upon the an sis and det ',d p J s developed through the( cial Plannir "' roc DetE :effects of .ch alternative on the social, detail related specificallS >transporta` t cultt tl,natural and econc 'c environments . TMPs guides how peopl' end ,rove E 'md our 2 Eva. iting the advantages_nd disadvantages of identified communities by car,true,,; walking ads cycling Itet Ives to determine t Jr environmental effects The Clarington Transportation Master Plan is referred to as the CTMP to differentiate it from other TMPs �m �.tr o ,•.w,. ., Ci1i1►(Ruin ae ,�,: �.. Qc1l1I�(OII A-WOM Relationship to the Clarington Strategic Plan Overall Project Schedule Maintain Financial Stability Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun —Balanced transportation system that minimizes the need for the most --- --eb -- - expensive types of projects by promoting increased choice and more cost effective alternatives • Promote Green Initiatives .ws•,. �MY p .. re e „, u.nwarR.v� —An Increased focus on supporting alternatives to auto related trips to a�, �E<•o-o rte,"., n , a a slowly improve modal split and reduce the reliance on the automobile �• � l _ €ravusE,ing in It'airasirtscfeare —Identifying priority locations for key transportation infrastructure Investments that will allow the municipality utilize scarce resources to deliver the most effective transportation system }�� Steering Committee Meeting <.� o��,,.,,,, Pok• Ck�ritlgtort A t m�� Clort on A--cot, 1 K,ey Polley Areas Passive Moderate ;• :. Discussion Points F«uu smu •Transportation policies and projects related to growth are key components of the Clarington TMP: . rraae —Are there particular transportation related challenges that impact ` a ,�' , $➢ sm,u aw Frepwry�LL agricultural operations In the vicinity of urban growth areas? }Trj w+UNU � Fe su, •The rural area of Clarington has become increasingly t � popular with recreational cyclists seeking paved roadways rxF V � with lower traffic volumes: < ^,' x —Does the Increase in cycling traffic have positive or negative Impacts from an agricultural perspective? MS-1 V wmm rw.rwwmmF ; n , • From a transportation perspective: —Are there existing Issues associated with moving agricultural product to market? S iF.�bPe How might these challenges be addressed? a..>q.'aM'be.�T�.er.•wsvw• n«x,n„,�aaa ryra _WE OR A:OM w�#<n.waem,smre, oea�e>n.ra ra,•e l[KI) `W�10.MW M DI,;cussj<N1 Points(Continued) �� ,.,'�,.r,�'.-'`��",:�, 10.,€�y - .u,�+`�.�'ate ax`. ` ��"� •Anticipate that a recommendation of the CTMP will be a future study to updated 'rtes for streets"in both the rural id urban In), ts: —width of bridge&culvert cr ;logs —width restrictions imposed guideraila� � � • Potential to include poilc, ymphaslzln' he it ortancE consultation with a the t sder agog oral c murotyfc projects involving major, _,ended 3d closures in the rural area MY „ .a#� o •,: (i1Ht172{,'t}tt A-MOM tPl[l t(112 �LCi31[i — 2