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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-02-14 Minutes CLARINGTON AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 141h, 2013 MEMBERS PRESENT: Brenda Metcalf John Cartwright Eric Bowman Gary Jeffery Jenni Knox Ted Watson Tom Barrie STAFF: Faye Langmaid REGRETS: Mary Ann Found, Mark Bragg, Don Rickard, Councillor Partner, Les Caswell GUESTS: Chief Gord Weir, Fire and Emergency Services, DC Dave Shaw DPRS Ted welcomed all to the meeting, everyone introduced themselves. Adoption of Agenda 013-05 Moved by Eric Bowman, seconded by Gary Jeffery 'That the Agenda for February 14`', 2013 be adopted" CARRIED I � -Z Approval of Minutes 013-06 Moved by Brenda Metcalf, seconded by Tom Barrie ! "That the minutes of the January 10`', 2013 meeting be approved."'"' P f 1 CARRIED f oil Presentations: Chief Gord Weir from Fire and Emergency Services provided an overview of some of the largest fires and other matters such as flooding, plane crashes and emergency rescues that Fire and Emergency Services are called out to. Of particular note is the specialty training and equipment that Clarington has due to our geography. The ability to set up relays and use water out of the lake or other large water bodies assisted with the McAsphalt Fire. Chief Weir also reviewed a number of the pieces of equipment that are specific to Clarington's fleet such as the ATV that is used for rescues and the grass fire trucks. Chief Weir provided an overview of the Ganaraska Forest and the fire fighting capability for the forest. The forest was downloaded to the local municipality from MNR. MNR can be called in to assist with a forest fire. If MNR fire fighting is called in it would take them a number of hours to mobilize and arrive and to use aerial assistance they would have to take over command and ensure that the area was cleared to be able to deploy. An overview of the pricing for aerial assistance was shown and discussed. There have been emergencies in the forest some medical, a downed plane, contained fires and snowmobile incidents. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 14th, 2013 In addition to Ganaraska Forest there is also Long Sault and other conservation areas. Reciprocal agreements are in place with adjoining municipalities to have assistance if a major fire broke out. There would be containment and breaks employed if it became a wildfire. There are some items that owners of property adjacent to the forest can do such as having a sprinkler system they can deploy (similar to California) to protect their own property. The biggest issue at Ganaraska is a supply of water to draw on to fight fire. Chief Weir reviewed the changes that have occurred to the burn permits for farmers. The burn permits are still issued at no-charge to farmers; however, one of the fire inspectors will attend the farm to view the materials to be burned, ensure that it is an operating farm and that supplies are on hand to keep the fire under control, etc. DC Dave Shaw was in attendance to update the committee on the recent scrap metal thefts. There has been an investigation and a number of arrests. The thieves are looking for easy grabs. If you have scrap metal on your farms keep it hidden from view. It is worth the effort to mark items with the farm name. Large vehicles should have a tracking system (e.g. tomtom) in them. There was a discussion on security cameras, how they should be positioned and the best way to have monitoring carried out. Dave asked that all incidents be reported as it helps in tracking and surveillance. Business Arising from Minutes Farm Tax Rates — after the last meeting there was a press release issued by Clarington to address how assessments and farm tax rates are being affected. The summary of the January meeting should be used as a reference if any people have questions. Also if there are specific issues please refer them to Nancy Taylor as she is always happy to answer questions in regard to these issues. CBOT Tour - Tom and Don have met with Laura Wood from CBOT, they provided her with a number of suggestions. Arrangements are being finalized and the tour will most likely be in early April. As soon as arrangements are known it will be circulated to all. 407 extension leases for farming - Chris Brown and Pauline Van Roon have contacted a number of farmers interested in farming in 2013 and have been collecting information on their operations and proposed crops. Based on the information we have to date, we believe we may be able to accommodate a number of farming activities for the 2013 season (subject to some conditions), while continuing to undertake our field investigations. This is still an ongoing exercise which likely won't be fully resolved until March. Farmers have been advised that we would be in further contact with them in early March. Faye has invited Pauline and Chris to attend a future meeting of the Agricultural Advisory Committee to discuss weed control and tile drainage issues. Guardrails — Faye circulated an e-mail from Ron Albright with regard to the recommendations on installation of guardrails. There will be consultation with the adjacent land owners that may be impacted by installation. Some committee members have already been contacted and having input will help with being able to maneuver the equipment around guardrails. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 14 th, 2013 Correspondence and Council Referrals There was a letter from MOE on the Farm leases by MTO for the 407 route, this has been surpassed by the more recent e-mail as noted above. The resolution the committee passed has been endorsed by DAAC and Durham Region and a number of other municipalities in the Region. It was suggested that the resolution be sent to the Premier as she is also the Minister of Agriculture plus the Deputy Minister and ADM. Liaison Reports DAAC — Eric provided an update from DAAC. He indicated that the next farm tour will be taking place on September 12, 2013 in Brock Township. They had a presentation at their last meeting about commercial fill operations. DRFA —Farm Connections event April 2, 3, 4 has spaces available due to the work to rule issues with the teachers. They have been looking into expanding their reach in the Catholic School Board as well as to private schools. CBOT — Jenni updated the group on the meeting and the items discussed being the 407 farm leases, Durham Riding options and that Durham College and UOIT are now regularly attending the CBOT meetings and have liaison people. Future Agendas Faye solicited suggestions for meeting presenters and topics for 2013. She informed the Committee that Dan McMorrow will be at the March meeting to discuss farm insurance and retail operations. MTO officials have been invited to attend on farm leases and other implementation issues such as weeds and tile drainage. John suggested a presentation on bees may be beneficial. Other Business 1) Clean Water Healthy Land Financial Assistance Program —There is now a discrepancy between the funding available from CLOCA compared to GRCA. This is the opposite of what occurred about 8 years ago when CLOCA had a program and GRCA did not. CLOCA's documentation appears as if they have programs but no funding has been attributed to them since 2010. With the adoption of a number of the Watershed Plans and the target natural areas being primarily in the rural areas there needs to be programs to achieve implementation. The committee will work on a resolution for the next meeting. 2) Terms of Reference—The committee will work on a resolution for the next meeting regarding the staggering of terms on Advisory Committees and the continuation of the committee's work over the election period. 3) Jenni Knox was congratulated on her Built Heritage Award from Ontario Heritage Trust and Council that she received on February 11th for her work on the Washington House, moving of the barn and conservation of the original barns and home at the Knox Pumpkin Farm. 4) The committee members expressed their gratitude to Gary Jeffery for his 4 years as chair. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 14 th, 2013 5) Faye reminded the committee of the e-mail sent earlier today about Appointment to the Sustainability Committee, it is important that there be representation on this committee from the agricultural perspective and especially in relation to the environmental farm plans, and pesticides. John Cartwright moved Adjournment. Next Meeting March 14, 2013, 7:30 .pm. Dan McMorrow will be the guest. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington February 14 th, 2013