Burlington Agricultural & Rural Affairs Advisory Committee Meeting

Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:	Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Time:	7:00 P.m. - 9:00 P.m.
Location:	Virtual

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1.

Members Present:

Glenn Portch (Chair), Norm Richardson, Vanessa Warren, Jamie Fisher, Maura Romanelli, Larry Campbell, Vince Sowa, Michiel Barnard, Simon O'Keefe (alternate) and Peter Starcevic (alternate)

2.

Regrets:

Sarah Pralet and John Timmis

3.

Others Present:

Councillor Angelo Bentivegna, Kelly Cook (Planner) and Jo-Anne Rudy (Clerk)

4.

Land Acknowledgement:

The Chair read the following Land Acknowledgement:

Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Métis. From the Anishinaabeg to the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis – our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment are steeped in Indigenous history. The territory is mutually covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway and other allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.

We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.

5.

Declarations of Interest:

None

6.

Approval of Minutes:

6.1

Approve minutes from meeting held November 17, 2021

On motion, the minutes from the meeting held November 17, 2021, were approved as presented.

7.

Delegation(s):

7.1

Event Barn Paper 

• Janet Horner, Executive Director, Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance (GHFFA), provided an overview of the GHFFA Position Paper on Event Barns written by Pam Duesling with input from the Alliance, OMAFRA and municipal staff. Janet noted that the Position Paper was circulated to Agricultural Advisory Committees for their comment and will return to the Alliance in January 2022 for endorsement.
• Janet spoke about family farming, on-farm diversification and provided Event Barn examples in the Golden Horseshoe. She reviewed event barn requirements which included public land use planning process, building permits, development charges, and tax impacts. Their position on event barns is the following:
  1. Must be secondary to the farm;
  2. Appropriate size and scale;
  3. Expensive and lengthy process.
• The conclusion of the Position Paper is: "Event  barns should only be permitted if they can meet all the current government requirements and follow the OMAFRA Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario's Prime Agricultural Areas. It is unlikely that event barns should be established today".
• Kelly took notes on the comments and concerns raised by the committee during the discussion and will provide a written summary to the Alliance in January 2022.

8.

Regular Items:

8.1

2022 Work Plan 

• The committee discussed the 2022 work plan, identified the initiatives they want to focus on and the accompanying budget. It was noted that some initiatives will require sub-committees to be struck in order to get the work completed. The work plan will be further discussed and approved at the January 19, 2022 meeting.

9.

Other Business:

• Maura expressed concern with the issue of coyotes with mange and the risk to livestock and pets.

10.

Adjournment: 9:04 p.m.