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The Rural Voice, 2001-08, Page 63GREY 446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 Email: grey@ofa.on.ca Website: www.ota.on.ca/grey 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER • The Rural Voice is provided to all Grey County Farmers by the GCFA. Water pulls a community together "Well, at least I know all my neighbours now: and they are really fine people." This statement was made by a dairy farmer in Grey County. not in the aftermath of a community supper or a good auction. Off and on, he had spent the better part of two weeks in the middle of June at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing held at the Markdale Complex. Between cutting hay and other chores, he and neighbours for miles around came and listened to the proceedings as "the proponent" tried to convince the Board that siting an industrial water storage and trucking facility, running at least 28 tanker trucks a day, 365 days a year, would not have an impact on the agricultural community. We often think of water as a substance that dilutes. In this case, opposition to this commercial water - mining proposal pulled the community together, bonding farm and non-farm families and individuals, the local municipality and the county and several county associations. The decision of the Board, which may be delivered by the end of July just as this magazine arrives on your doorstep, will send a clear message to every farmer in Ontario. And although the community feels they provided every justification necessary to allow the Board to turn the proposal down, there is still an aching doubt in everyone's mind that the proponent who bulldozed his way through local democratically elected councils and provincially approved Official Plans may just succeed with the OMB. At the November 2000 OFA Conference I pointedly asked the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the province supported municipalities' decisions to protect their agricultural economies in their Official Plans. Mr. Clement's "short answer", as he put it, was "Yes". And . Mr. Hardeman agreed. Unfortunately, because the planning process has been so "streamlined", the province, through its Provincial Policy Statement and the recently approved County Official Plan never had an opportunity to comment. When Grey County deferred its decision, while it gathered more information, the 60 THE RURAL VOICE proponent appealed the application to the OMB, leaving the decision in the hands of one appointed person. The community groaned as they listened to the proponent run down the operations of some neighbours, the quality of the soil, the number of non- farm residents. It seems agricultural land is "undeveloped land" and simply renaming it or "rezoning" it to "rural" would dispense with any conflict with established agricultural operations. Many attendees were astounded as letters addressed to neighbours indicated the non-agricultural industrial use was already having an impact on the agricultural community. One letter went so far as to request the owner of a new OMAFRA-approved structure to house cattle to "relocate this structure closer to your barn in the Spring." The letter went on to ask confirmation that "this structure is not now used, nor do you plan to use it, as a feedlot for cattle or otherwise as a place for storage of manure." Spirits were raised, though, when the land use planner who prepared the County Plan explained the thorough consultation with residents in identifying where agriculture would receive highest protection. Ms. Monteith explained to the Board the foremost economic position of agriculture in the County and its position in the province as a leader in production of cattle, sheep, goats, and hay. She further stated that making an "exception" in this instance would undermine the County's stated goal to support its agricultural community. The land use planner from OMAFRA brought documentation of how the province and the county developed their criteria for protecting and enhancing the county's leading economic sector through an "Alternative Land Evaluation System". Though the proponent tried to characterize the system as "fuzzy", Ms. Neumann made the province's position GREY COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO Board of Directors' meeting in August - Next meeting wit be Thursday, September 27, 2001 clear, "The Food Land Guidelines provide for local municipalities to work with the province in determining what areas should be protected and how best to achieve that. This is intended to be a locally driven exercise." As newly -amalgamated municipalities develop Official Plans, they should consider carefully how much agriculture is relegated to the "rural" designation. Particularly as this case demonstrates how easily non- supportive interests will bulldoze into a community. In a standing room only evening session, the Board heard from more than 40 residents in a room of 300 or more express their concerns. Karl Chittka, President of the Grey Federation of Agriculture stated GFA's opposition. Farmers who thought they were too nervous to speak in public found the strength to explain how a steady stream of tankers would interfere with normal farm practices. They, and others, also raised the concern of locating a water extraction facility in the heart of a livestock raising community. Recent experience tells us that fingers of blame point to farmers first when there is a problem with water quality. Grant Preston, a well-known sheep farmer and former reeve, quoted the chair of the planning committee when the county adopted the Official Plan, "The county and its councillors must support it!" Preston asked the Board to support it. "It is important that the OMB send a clear message of support for County Plans in Ontario."0 - Submitted by Peggy Hutchison Grey County Federation of Agriculture GREY COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE 61st Annual Meeting and Banquet and OFA Regional Meeting Friday, October 12, 2001 Royal Canadian Legion, Durham Social: 6:30 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. Guest Speaker: Clare Lewis, Ontario Ombudsman NOTE: OFA Regional Directors, Delegates and Alternates for OFA Convention, and GCFA Presidents will be elected at the meeting.