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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-07-11 Minutes CLARINGTON AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY, July 11th, 2013 MEMBERS PRESENT: Brenda Metcalf John Cartwright (7:40) Councillor Woo Gary Jeffery Tom Barrie Jenni Knox (8:30) Les Caswell (7:40) Mark Bragg Ted Watson REGRETS: Mary Ann Found, Don Rickard, Councillor Partner, Eric Bowman STAFF: Lisa Backus, Kristy Kilbourne GUESTS: Mike Kopansky, Jon Durzi, Kyle Schumacher (Miller Compost) Ted welcomed all to the meeting, everyone introduced themselves to the guests. If_ - _.t_ _ + JEJ- Adoption of Agenda 013-18 Moved by Tom Barrie, seconded by Gary Jeffery "That the Agenda for July 11"', 2013 be adopted" � CARRIED Approval of Minutes 013-19 Moved by Brenda Metcalf, seconded by Tom Barrie "That the minutes of the June 13"', 2013 meeting be approved" CARRIED Presentations: Mike Kopansky from Miller Compost delivered a presentation on the technology employed for treating Durham SSO, benefits of compost, applications for the product, agricultural trials (OMAFRA and compost producers), and future opportunities. Highlights included: - In 2009, Durham Region won a gold award for all of North America for their compost program. - In relation to the rest of the GTA, Durham Region has a more limited compost program in terms of what they will accept. The purpose for this is to produce a high-quality, more polished end product, mostly geared toward topsoil blends and landscaping. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 1 1th, 2013 - Durham Region has a low residue rate —with only 5% going to landfill verses 25- 30% in other jurisdictions. - The focus of municipalities in the west end of the GTA has been mostly to produce agricultural grade product which is a less "finished" product that can be sold more cheaply as there has not been as great of an investment in the product. Agricultural grade compost is available for $5.50-6.50/yard depending on whether you are purchasing 1000-5000 yards. - While most large inorganic wastes (plastics, brake drums) is filtered out of the compost stream at the beginning, filtering is done at the end of the process to screen out the rest. - Compost is collected and brought to the Pickering facility on Squires Beach Rd. where it is processed "in-vessel' using heat treatment and frequent turning in an 80wxl40Ixl2h container. They do as much of this as they can at night when it is cooler to keep odours down and when energy is off-peak. The compost is then transported to the Clarington facility where it is mixed with leaf and yard waste and dispersed into windrows. - Compost requires special care depending on weather conditions e.g. larger piles are needed in cold weather, and during heavy rain events windrows are merged into a large high pile to avoid oversaturation. - In November, the Clarington facility sees a surge in leaf and yard waste which is 3x greater than the average (approximately 5-6,000 Tonnes). Brown paper bags are much better than biodegradable for decomposition during the composting process. - Half of the original mass of the material is lost through decomposition. - Nitrogen is not added to the compost, the end-product is well balanced. - The Pickering facility offers mulch, compost, soil for sale. In the future they will be approaching Clarington to do the same here. - Compost can be spread in the winter. It is an unrestricted use product. Miller will provide the committee with N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorous and potash) values as well as further information on spreading equipment. - Ideal agricultural soil would contain at least 5% organic matter, compost good for the soils that do not. - Landfilling is a significant producer of GHGs. Composting produces significantly less GHGs. Anaerobic digestion is the "next big thing" which will produce negative GHG emissions since it will provide energy through natural gas. - Agricultural lands are also being considered as potential carbon sinks with higher concentrations of organic matter. - It is unlikely that the EFW facility will be a competitor for compost due to the small capacity of the facility and the increasing population in Durham/York. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 1 1th, 2013 Business Arising from Minutes LEAR Update - A LEAR study was done by the Region of Durham. The maps for Clarington were presented at the meeting for the Committee's information. Staff are working with the Region and OMAFRA to obtain the metadata and files it can use in the GIS layers so that the information can be made publicly available. Official Plan Review — Lisa provided an update on Growth Management. It was raised that there is a lack of one-floor housing for the aging population that does not want to live in an apartment. She explained the 2.5 FSI requirement. Secondary Uses —A summary of criteria based on work done by the Region of Niagara was distributed for discussion regarding the evaluation of secondary and on-farm diversified uses. Discussion took place and the following views emerged: - Farmers should have the ability to use as much of the farm as possible to turn a profit. Farm viability is critical. - At what point does the scale tip and the primary use of the farm is no longer considered "agriculture" - A key decision-making factor should be whether the land is recoverable as farm land o Soil compaction is likely not a significant issue as demonstrated by the ability to farm fields after events such as plowing matches A sub-committee was struck to further investigate and discuss the evaluation criteria. Ted, Tom, Brenda and Jenny agreed to be a part of this group who will meet with Faye in the next month. Correspondence and Council Referrals None. Liaison Reports DAAC — Eric was not present to provide an update. DRFA — Mary Ann was not present to provide an update. CBOT — CBOT is hosting an Energy Summit on November 7th at the OPG new Darlington Complex. Youth unemployment has been an issue for Clarington. They are looking at organizing a tour for unemployed youth to different local industries/ opportunities. Future Agendas Further presentation from Christine Brown (OMAFRA) on agricultural applications for compost, update on the progress of the EFW facility, update on Port Granby (and potential tour). Sheila from CBOT is working on having the Minister of Rural Affairs/Premier come out this way. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 1 1th, 2013 Other Business Orono Fair Display — The AACC will be having a display in the Ag Building at the fair. Mitch will set up and take down. It was decided that the display should be updated prior to this event as it is currently quite bare. A new micro-brewery, 5 Paddles, in Whitby is looking for somewhere to accept residual brewers grain which is currently going to landfill. At this point, they have 5 garbage pails per week. John Cartwright moved for Adjournment. Next Meeting: September 12th, 2013, 7:30 pm (trying to confirm Erin O'Toole's attendance) Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 1 1th, 2013