HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-09-12 MinutesAGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE of CLARINGTON MEETING
THURSDAY, Sept 12th, 2013
MEMBERS PRESENT:
REGRETS:
STAFF:
GUESTS:
Brenda Metcalf
John Cartwright
Eric Bowman
Eric Bowman
Don Rickard
Jenni Knox (7:35)
Les Caswell
Mary Ann Found (7:40)
Councillor Partner
Tom Barrie, Ted Watson, Mark Bragg, Gary Jeffery
Faye Langmaid, Kristy Kilbourne
Erin O'Toole (MP), Councillor Hooper
Brenda welcomed all to the meeting, everyone introduced themselves to the guests.
Adoption of Agenda
013 -20
Approval of Minutes
013 -21
Presentations
Moved by Eric Bowman, seconded by Don Rickard
"That the Agenda for September 12, 2013 be adopted"
CARRIED
Moved by John Cartwright, seconded by Councillor Partner
'That the minutes of the July 11`', 2013 meetina be aaproved" "f
P6T11"MT
CARRIED
Erin O'Toole provided an overview of his accomplishments and commitment to agriculture over
his first 9- months in office.
Highlights included:
- Agriculture is a top priority for Clarington and is the fabric of our heritage and culture.
- The Federal Government runs the Canadian Summer Jobs for Youth program. The MP
can set local priorities. This past summer they were agriculture and agri- tourism,
tourism, and municipal and cultural organizations.
- Recently he attended the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Tour which was held in
Clarington. He believes that value -added is a huge win and is looking to support more of
this type of growth in the agricultural sector in Clarington.
- He attended a meeting in Nestleton regarding a Federal Abattoir for Durham. Most large
chain grocers only use the Federal Abattoirs so that they have one consistent standard
across the country. Having a Federal Abattoir locally would also enable access to the
growing ethnic market in the GTA. Erin has pledged his support for the facility if the
producers want it. Producers will need to make a substantial investment in order to make
it viable.
Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington September 12", 2013
- Erin also met with the Durham Dairy Farmers regarding a major trade negotiation that
will allow access to the European market.
- The Federal Government has assisted with providing funding for accessibility upgrades
for the Orono Fair. Erin also attended the many fairs that took place across Durham
Region and is happy that the Orono Fair is still largely agriculturally- focused.
Questions that arose were:
• The best way of getting in touch - through his Executive Assistant, Cheryl, who runs both
the Bowmanville and the Ottawa offices. Response should be prompt unless the House
is sitting in which case there could be a bit of a delay. His email address is:
erin.otoole(a)parl.gc.ca
• Whether he knew anything about a recent court case in the US on the labelling of beef
and country of origin. He had not heard anything about this but did know that there are
challenges in particular with Alberta Beef of the Angus variety as the type of feed used is
banned in Europe.
Should the Committee pass any motions related to federal legislation, they will send a copy to
Erin.
Countryside Discussion Paper
The Countryside Discussion Paper was the last installment of discussion papers released by the
Planning Department for the Official Plan update. The paper was released in August and public
information centers were held in Mitchell Corners, the Orono Fair and Tyrone. Faye provided a
presentation summarizing the five key themes in the paper which were:
1) The merging of Prime Agriculture and General Agriculture Designations
2) Accessory and Secondary Uses
3) Major recreational uses such as golf courses
4) Rural Settlements and Housing — population change, retirement lots, estate subdivisions; and
5) Urban /rural fringe and whitebelt lands
Both the Greenbelt Plan and the Durham Region Official Plan will undergo review in 2015.
Faye is collecting feedback and would like both individual and collective feedback before the
end of September. A large Official Plan Amendment is anticipated for the fall with public
meetings for February.
Business Arising from Minutes
Official Plan Review —As presented.
Secondary Uses — A sub - committee was struck at the last meeting to further investigate
and discuss the evaluation criteria. Ted, Tom, Brenda and Jenny agreed to be a part of
this group and they will meet with Faye over the next month to discuss now that the
Public Information Centers are complete. Faye will send out an email with the meeting
date, time, and location to the entire committee in case anyone else would like to join in
the discussion.
Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington September 12", 2013
Orono Fair Display - As usual, the Committee's display was up in the Agricultural
Building and received positive response. The display will likely need updating for next
year.
Correspondence and Council Referrals
None.
Liaison Reports
DAAC — DAAC has not met since the last meeting but they did host their annual tour which was
successful. At their last meeting they had a presentation on the Pickering Airport Lands for
which the lands have been held since the 1970s. There are approximately 18,000 acres. 5,000
of those acres will be going to the Rouge National Park and approximately 4,000 went out for
public consultation to determine the best use of those lands. Erin O'Toole is hoping for some of
the lands to be allocated to agricultural uses or value -added uses like processing. A needs
assessment has shown that an airport in that area is likely not a possibility until 2028 -2037.
Consequently, long term agricultural leases are an option. However some lands have been
fallow for many years so it may take a lot of work to get them back into shape for production.
October 24th is Durham Region Day at Queen's Park.
DRFA — DRFA has not met since the last meeting but they have been proceeding with their
agricultural education strategy and attended the DAAC Tour (attendance was approx. 100),
Orono Fair, etc. At the Orono Fair, they saw roughly 600 kids (grade 3) on Friday and then were
also quite busy on Sunday.
CBOT — CBOT is trying to develop a directory of all farming activities in Clarington to provide to
interested persons. They are still in the process of determining how much information is
required for this directory.
CBOT discussed the Temporary Use Rezoning Application to allow camping on agricultural
lands related to activities at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. While they see many economic
development and tourism positives to allowing the use, they did not make any endorsements as
they didn't want to weigh into land use issues.
CBOT discussed conversion of whitebelt lands to greenbelt. They felt was a positive step but
might potentially be opposed by developers with land holdings in the whitebelt.
The Mayor will be holding his annual address in Newcastle on September 27tH
Future Agendas
Update on the progress of the EFW facility (Covanta), Ontario Farmland Trust Presentation,
Summer Clarington Passport for Farm Markets, etc.
Other Business
Use of agriculture land for camping - It was mentioned that the lands are really not viable for
agricultural after use as temporary campgrounds due to the garbage left behind which poses the
risk of damage to farm equipment and cattle (in the bales). Camping limits the field to only one
Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington September 12", 2013
crop which would be hay. No second cut came off as the event manager had already mowed
the field without communicating with the farmer who had rented the land. The camping is
limiting the agricultural use of the land.
Barn Book Project — The Clarington Heritage Committee has embarked on an inventory of barns
older than 1940 with the long -term goal of creating a publication on Barns in Clarington. A letter
went out to 600 barn owners in late July and approximately 100 owners have offered to
participate in the project by allowing access to their property for the working group to
photograph and collect information on the barns and their history. The Heritage Week Working
Group also met recently and have decided on the theme of Clarington's Agricultural History for
Heritage Week 2014 which will take place the 3rd week of February. They are seeking
involvement from 4 -H.
Atlas Salesman — There is a salesman touring the countryside approaching property owners
about inclusion on a new version of the Belden Atlas. There are varying price points for
inclusion but they start around $400.
Don Rickard moved for Adjournment.
Next Meeting October 10th, 2013, 7:30pm.
Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington September 12", 2013