Burlington Agricultural & Rural Affairs Advisory Committee Meeting

Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
Room 247, City Hall, second floor

1.
Members Present:

 

Vincent Sowa (Chair), Maura Romanelli, Erin Fleming, Wilma Jacobs, Larry Campbell and Michiel Barnard

2.
Regrets:

 

Councillor Kelvin Galbraith, Norm Richardson, Peter Starcevic and Mariam Abu-El-Magd

3.
Others Present:

 

Kelly Cook (Planner) and Jo-Anne Rudy (Clerk)

4.
Land Acknowledgement

 

The Chair read the Land Acknowledgement.

5.
Declarations of Interest:

 

None

6.
Approval of Minutes:

 

6.1
Approve minutes from meeting of March 19, 2025

This item has attachments. 
1.03-19-2025_Burlington_Agricultural_and_Rural_Affairs_Advisory_Cttee_Minutes.pdf

On motion, the minutes from the meeting held March 19, 2025 were approved as presented.

7.
Delegation(s):

 

8.
Regular Items:

 

8.1
Planner update

 

a.
NEPA 225-22 Hearing Process

 
  • Kelly briefly reviewed the proposed amendment to the Niagara Escarpment Plan and noted that a 2-week hearing took place from March 24 to April 3. She will provide an update on the decision of the Hearing Office at the June meeting.

b.
Summary of April 10 "Buy Canadian: How Municipalities Can Support Ontario's Agriculture and Food Sector" webinar

 
  • Kelly noted that this webinar contained a lot of good information and some helpful resources, including a comprehensive "Buy Local" page created by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and an "Ontario Made" page created by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.

c.
City's Buy Canadian page

 
  • Kelly advised that the City launched a "Buy Canadian" page on their website that provides suggestions on how to buy local and support Canadian products and retailers. She will enquire about the possibility of adding resources specific to local food.

d.
Summary of April 15 Webinar "Unlock Economic Insights for your Community" 

 
  • Kelly noted that this webinar provided an overview of "Analyst", which is an online economic development tool. The Ministry of Rural Affairs offers free temporary Analyst licences to eligible communities and organizations so they can access regionalized economic and workforce data. Kelly indicated that the tool could be helpful to support the preparation of the Agricultural Action Plan. Vincent noted that Economic Development staff may already have access to this tool and Kelly indicated that she would follow up to confirm.

e.
Road closure notification options/preferences

 
  • Kelly asked members what the preference was for notifications regarding road closures in the rural area. She noted that this information should currently be included in Councillor's newsletters and the City's website and the Region's website. Members stated that road signs need to be installed well in advance of closures, and that here seems to be a disconnect with the Region. It was suggested that an SOP between the City and the Region be developed for notices relating to road construction closures. 

8.2
BARAAC's involvement in 2025 Heritage Week (Aug 2-9)

 
  • Vincent stated that this could be a good opportunity to liase with the community which is one of the committee's objectives on this year's workplan.
  • Wilma said that the quiz boards that were used at a Ward 6 event and Food for Feedback could be borrowed.
  • Committee members will give some thought to potential ideas and discuss further at the May meeting.

9.
Other Business:

 
  • Wilma asked about the status of the Ward Boundary Review. Jo-Anne noted that a preliminary report went to Council in December with a final report expected in May. Action - Jo-Anne will send link to members where further information can be accessed.
  • Vincent noted that he reached out to Councillor Galbraith regarding the rural dumping issue but has not heard back as of yet. He added that the issue seems to be worse this year then in previous years.
  • Jo-Anne advised that the committee's budget and workplan was approved by Council at their April 15 meeting.

10.
Adjournment:

 

Chair adjourned the meeting at 8:16 p.m.

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