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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAAC 2015-03-05 minutes.pdf Agricultural Advisory Committee Minutes Page 1 of 3 City 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, March 5, 2015 at 7:00 pm. ______________________________________________________________________________ COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Margaret Daskis, Chair Community at Large Stephanie James Equestrian Agricultural Sector Councillor Speirs City of Maple Ridge Ian Brooks Member at Large Bill Hardy Member at Large Kimberly Lauzon, Vice-chair Member at Large Councillor Duncan City of Maple Ridge Candace Gordon Haney Farmers Market Al Kozak Agricultural Sector STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Diana Hall Staff Liaison, Planning Department Sunny Schiller Committee Clerk Siobhan Murphy Planning Department COMMITTEE MEMBERS REGRETS Chris Zabek Regional Agrologist, Ministry of Agriculture & Lands Lorraine Bates Agricultural Fair Board Quorum was not reached and the following notes were taken in place of official minutes. 1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS The Staff Liaison called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm. Margaret Daskis agreed to act as Chair and began chairing the meeting. 2. AGENDA ADOPTION The agenda was agreed to with the following modifications: - Item 5.4 Approved Committee Work Plan and Budget moved to Item 5.1 - Item 5.6 Backyard Chickens was added 3. MINUTES ADOPTION – deferred ~ N =MMN@®V+M Deep Roots Greater Heights Agricultural Advisory Committee Thursday, March 5, 2015 - Meeting Notes Agricultural Advisory Committee Page 2 of 3 4. 2015 CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR ELECTION – deferred 5. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS 5.1 Approved Committee Work Plan and Budget The AAC 2015 Budget was reviewed. The committee discussed a potential second Intersections event in conjunction with the other Advisory Committees. Suggestions for a productive event included: having short presentations from Committee Chairs to clarify the work of their Committee, having Committee members identify prior to the meeting potential cross-Committee projects, and having members from different committees and community groups sit down together to discuss the potential projects. It was suggested that the AAC and the CHC form sub-committees to work together to plan the event. Councillor Speirs, Staff Liaison Diana Hall, Planner Siobhan Murphy, Margaret Daskis and Al Kozak volunteered to form the AAC Intersections Planning Sub-Committee. A review of the tree management bylaw is planned for the March 26 2015 AAC meeting as the Planning Department wants input from AAC on the bylaw. The Committee requested the presence of Rodney Stott, Environmental Planner, at the March 26th meeting to inform the committee about the potential changes to the bylaw. 5.2 Discussion of Plans to Promote Local Agriculture Al Kozak briefly reviewed his presentation previously made to the AAC on Promoting Local Agriculture. Ideas to support local agriculture include collaborative farming, developing an education program for potential farmers, and establishing incubator farms. Mr. Kozak has recently attended some very successful agricultural seminars and feels that creating a collaborative space is very important in stimulating local agriculture. Suggestions made during a discussion on promoting local agriculture included: - having Kwantlen provide an update on the bio-regional food system project - developing a list of priorities for the committee - creating a sub-committee that would focus on education - reaching out to local farmers to identify issues they are facing - communicating the importance of agriculture to the local community - researching what other municipalities are doing to promote agriculture - partnering with Cinema Politica to host an event - creating and communicating a vision of the future of farming - creating online content that would increase awareness - collaborating with SPAC on the issue of food security 5.3 Request for support for food security project Golden Ears Feast is working on a food policy document for the Pitt Meadows / Maple Ridge / Katzie area in collaboration with Fraser Health and the City of Maple Ridge Social Planning Advisory Committee. A letter was received from Candace Gordon on behalf of Golden Feast, requesting financial support from AAC as part of the food policy development process. It was requested that Ms. Gordon circulate a Agricultural Advisory Committee Thursday, March 5, 2015 - Meeting Notes Agricultural Advisory Committee Page 3 of 3 copy of the Vancouver food policy to the committee for their reference. The Committee will revisit this issue at the March 26, 2015 meeting. 5.4 Committee Update The membership and bylaw of the committee were reviewed. An orientation and an update on the agricultural plan were requested. 5.5 True North Fraser Update The Staff Liaison provided an update on the development of the True North Fraser brand, a regional marketing approach involving Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Mission. The branding includes a website that lists participating farms and signage for farms. Ideas for future uses of the branding were encouraged. 5.6 Backyard Chickens The Committee determined they would like to pursue the backyard chicken project. The Staff Liaison will contact Pitt Meadows to get information on their experience, and may invite a speaker to report. 6. CORRESPONDENCE – Nil 7. ROUNDTABLE Al Kozak – reported his bees are doing well and so far this looks like a good year for farming. Kimberly Lauzon – reported on her work on a food co-op. The BC co-op has funds available for a feasibility study. Kimberly is looking for participation from those in the agricultural sector. Councillor Duncan – asked for feedback and suggestions on issues important to the committee. Candace Gordon – has been distributing seeds to local community groups including More Peas Please and the Intergenerational Garden. Stephanie James – is enjoying early chives due to the warm weather. Ian Brooks – has seen the first bear of the season and encouraged everyone to manage their compost appropriately. 8. PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Member of the Public – Ken – raised issues in regards to water management in the Silver Valley. This is a concern for area farmers. He encouraged the committee to review the Ag Plan and consider the importance of drainage. 9. Next Meeting - Thursday, March 26, 2015 Agenda Deadline - Monday, March 16, 2015 Location - Blaney Room 10. Adjournment: 9:12 pm /ss