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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAAC 2014-05-22 minutes.pdfAgricultural Advisory Committee Minutes Page 1 of 4 District of Maple Ridge AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING The Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Agricultural Advisory Committee,held in the Blaney Room,at the Maple Ridge Municipal Hall,11995 Haney Place,Maple Ridge,British Columbia, on Thursday, May22, 2014 at 7:00 pm. ______________________________________________________________________ ________ COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Councillor Cheryl Ashlie Council Liaison, Maple Ridge Craig Speirs Haney Farmer’s Market Bill Hardy Community at Large Chris Zabek Regional Agrologist, Ministry of Agriculture & Lands Ian Brooks Community at Large Kimberly Lauzon, Vice-chair Community at Large Councillor Bob Masse Council Liaison, Maple Ridge Margaret Daskis Community at Large Candace Gordon Community at Large Lorraine Bates Agricultural Fair Board Al Kozak Agricultural Sector STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Diana Hall Staff Liaison, Planning Department Joanne Georgelin Committee Clerk COMMITTEE MEMBERS REGRETS Tony Pellet Agricultural Land Commission Stephanie James, Chair Equestrian Agricultural Sector Georgina Rodriguez Agricultural Sector GUESTS Theresa Duynstee Metro Vancouver 1.Call to Order & Introductions There being a quorum present,Kimberly Lauzon,vice-chair called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm and introductions were made. 2.Adoption of the Agenda R14-015 Motion was moved and seconded That the Agenda dated May 22 , 201 4 be adopted . Agricultural Advisory Committee Thursday, May 22 , 2014 - Regular Meeting Minutes Agricultural Advisory Committee Minutes Page 2 of 4 CARRIED 3.Adoption of the Agricultural Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes R14-016 Motion was moved and seconded That the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 27 , 201 4 be adopted . CARRIED 4.Delegations & Presentations 4.1 Theresa Duynstee – Metro Vancouver Theresa Duynstee from Metro Vancouver provided background on Metro Vancouver and how it works with agriculture along with their current projects. Ms. Duynstee explained the data analysis of the agricultural land inventory which was recently completed. 5.Current & Unfinished Business 5.1 Establishing Sub-committees to Achieve Committee Mandate Diana Hall led the committee in establishing sub-committees for the Agricultural Advisory Committee. True North Fraser Sub-committee; Candace Gordon, Craig Speirs and Chris Zabek. Golden Harvest Sub-committee; Candace Gordon and Diana Hall. (community members Rebecca Awram and Chelsa Meadus) Front Yard Food Garden Contest Sub-committee; Kimberly Lauzon, Craig Speirs and Diana Hall. (Community members Richard Farrance and Leanne Koehn) Backyard Chickens Sub-committee; Lorraine Bates, Margaret Daskis and Ian Brooks. (Community Member Carol Campos) Intersection Event Sub-committee; Margaret Daskis and Craig Speirs. Bike/Farm Tour Sub-committee; Kimberly Lauzon. Water Rates Sub-committee; Councillor Cheryl Ashlie, Al Kozak and Bill Hardy. (Community Member Ken Knechtel) R14-017 Motion was moved and seconded That the Agricultural Advisory Committee establishes sub-committe es to better accomplish their work plan goals. Agricultural Advisory Committee Thursday, May 22 , 2014 - Regular Meeting Minutes Agricultural Advisory Committee Minutes Page 3 of 4 CARRIED 5.2 Packaging Update - Deferred 6.Sub-committee Reports 6.1 Intersections Project Feedback Committee members unanimously agreed the Intersection event was a success. Some pieces for future consideration include;a roving microphone,a 2-3 minute presentation per committee and a type of interactive activity to facilitate sharing points between committees. 6.2 Community Forum on Food Diana Hall stated the Community Forum on Food was a recent event which Kimberly Lauzon organized.Candace Gordon elaborated that the four panelists at this event provided a well rounded perspective and were well received by all.In addition,the BC Food Coop association was present with various other food coops to share their perspectives 6.3 Ministry of Agriculture Inventory Public Event, April 16, Feedback Candace Gordon felt the Land Use Survey as presented by Chris Zabek was well received and a good first step in understanding problems facing farmers. 7.Correspondence 7.1 Kwantlen Polytechnic University Diana Hall brought awareness to the upcoming Kwantlen workshop titled Southwest BC Bio-Regional Food System Design Project,Phase 1 Stakeholder Workshop.This event will take place on June 4 from 1-4:30 pm.Register online at www. bcfoodsystem.com 8.Roundtable Craig Speirs reported the Farmers Market opening day was very well attended as the Market continues to grow.Also,the Farmers Market is quite excited to get underway with the True North Fraser Brand. Bill Hardy reported a very successful May long weekend at his greenhouse. Al Kozak wished to raise awareness to the recent international climate change report release recently and felt AAC should start to look at the impact of climate change on agriculture in Maple Ridge.Mr.Kozak felt it imperative that AAC write a report to Council explaining the impact of climate change on our agricultural initiatives and what is Maple Ridge’s plan to increase the use of unused agriculture land. Agricultural Advisory Committee Thursday, May 22 , 2014 - Regular Meeting Minutes Agricultural Advisory Committee Minutes Page 4 of 4 Candace Gordon reported that Golden Ears will be having their first meeting on May 27 at 10:00 am in the Mount Blanchard room to begin working on this years event.Further, Ms.Gordon reported she is working on a June education piece regarding bees and that every Saturday in June from 10-12:00 pm “Bees for Humanity”will giving talks at the CEED Centre. Ian Brooks raised awareness to the irreversible glacial melt in North America which will have an effect on the availability of fresh water. Councillor Bob Masse expressed concern over the cost of the True North Fraser signs and it may be too high for farmers. Margaret Daskis reported on recently attending a medical marijuana seminar where much emphasis was on the hemp plant itself and foresees many people getting into this industry. . Lorraine Bates reported that County Fest planning well underway that last year,Country Fest had more 4H clubs participants than the PNE did.Ms.Bates wanted to formally recognize Metro Vancouver’s contribution to Country Fest.Also,Ms.Bates is very excited Communities in Bloom is coming back to Maple Ridge. 9.Public Questions and Answers - Nil 10.Next Meeting -Thursday, June 26, 2014 Agenda Deadline -Monday, June 11, 2014 11.Adjournment 9:05 pm ________________________________ Chair /jg