Rural
Summit Task Force E-Bulletin
By Shirley Dolan and Nick
Tilgner
Citizen Members,
Rural Summit Task Force
Task Force Prepares
For Transfer of Responsibilities
The Rural Summit, held in
November 2005, resulted in a host of recommendations designed to
improve satisfaction with City services and policies for
Ottawa’s rural residents. After the Summit, the Rural Summit
Task Force took on the responsibility of ensuring that action
was being taken.
Since then a
lot has been accomplished. The City has made a new investment of
nearly $2 million in rural priorities that will improve roads
and ditches, expand broadband internet service and enhance the
ability of City staff to respond to rural questions and
concerns.
Major changes
are also underway to strengthen rural voices at City Hall. By
this spring, the new Rural Affairs Office will be up and
running, the powers of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Committee (ARAC) will be expanded, and a new Agriculture and
Rural Affairs Advisory Committee will be established to give the
City input from rural residents and business owners. The Task
Force is getting ready to transfer its responsibilities to these
groups, whose job it will be to work with staff and Council to
keep rural priorities at the top of the City’s agenda.
Follow-up
on Summit policy items
The Task Force
has reviewed progress to date on all of the priority policy
items outlined at the Summit, and is satisfied that actions are
being taken to address rural concerns.
Policy Issues
discussed at the Summit were divided into two major categories.
The first was property rights/land use/environment, which was
largely precipitated by identification of potential new areas of
“provincially significant wetland” in rural Goulbourn. Although
the proposed change in designation from a current "general
rural" or "rural natural feature" has not been enacted in the
City’s Official Plan, it has caused debate and concern among
affected landowners.
To
address community concerns, the
City’s Planning and Growth Management department has
developed
a detailed resolution process
in concert with the Task Force.
Among other things, this process
will ensure proper drainage
management takes place, will put in place a process for open
discussion with landowners on
the
impact on property values and land
use, and will engage the
Provincial Ministry of Natural
Resources
in a review of the Ontario Wetland
Evaluation System. A
special meeting of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
is being held at 7 p.m. on March 9th, 2006 at
St. Philip's Church Hall, 129 Burke
Street in Richmond
to review the proposed process and
to provide an opportunity to hear from affected landowners. For
more information about the meeting’s agenda, visit ottawa.ca
<http://www.ottawa.ca/>.
The second
policy category was one often identified during consultation
meetings - one size does
not fit all -
largely in relation to regulations.
Rural citizens clearly expressed their concern about by-laws
that did not reflect the rural condition, and were not in the
best interest of rural people. Wherever possible, city staff is
writing separate policy statements for urban and rural within
the same by-law. And, the City has requested a change in
Provincial legislation to allow regulations to be enacted
differently based on geographic areas. This could provide for
urban and rural distinctions when necessary, and could go as far
as to allow different policies for different communities within
the large geographic area that is rural Ottawa. The Province is
in agreement with the City and has indicated its intent to
provide enabling legislation. As soon as official notification
is in place, staff will be in a position to work with the
community to determine which by-laws may need review and change
to ensure they reflect the interests of our rural communities.
The Task
Force endorsed changes in the consultation process which would
see consultation taking place at a time when farmers are not as
busy, and agreed that material should be provided to rural
citizens with sufficient lead time so that they can be informed
prior to getting involved. It was noted by Task Force members
that having an Agriculture and Rural Affairs Standing Committee
with additional responsibilities and authority, supported by a
well-balanced Advisory Committee would go a long way to
resolving policy issues before they become problematic for rural
people.
Supporting
rural business
Excellent
progress continues to be made on solutions for rural business.
Draft guidelines have been developed for a funding program that
will support projects by rural business organizations, fairs and
farmers markets. The next step is to present the draft
guidelines to these rural organizations and get their input on
how this program can best suit their needs. The draft guidelines
were presented at an open meeting on March 1st at Ben
Franklin place. Following this feedback, changes will be made
prior to the guidelines going forward to ARAC and Council for
approval.
Ottawa’s “Buy
local” strategy is also making good progress. An initial survey
was sent to local restaurants to help promote the concept, and a
“Buy local” Forum is planned for late March. The Forum is a
joint effort of the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Food Security
Council, and will provide an opportunity for local farmers to
meet with restaurateurs and food retailers to identify barriers
and opportunities for Ottawa’s large consumers to buy local. The
Forum will also present an opportunity for farmers to make
face-to-face connections with potential customers. A “Buy local”
committee will be created to help set the direction for future
activities, which could include the development of an “Ottawa
Grown” brand and expansion of farmer’s market opportunities.
Bringing
rural views to TOP
Rural voices
are increasingly being heard. Task Force member Dave Baxter was
appointed to The Ottawa Partnership (TOP) in January 2006 to
represent the rural perspective at the table. TOP brings
together Ottawa’s economic development agencies, City
Government and the private sector around a common table to
provide leadership and advice on actions required to strengthen
Ottawa’s economy and enhance its quality of life.
Guiding
principles for change in rural areas
One of the
items that the Task Force has been advancing is a proposed Rural
Policy Framework. The Framework outlines fundamental rural
values and is designed to provide guiding principles to steer
discussions and decisions on potential regulatory and policy
changes that affect rural residents and businesses. The
Framework has been revised by the Task Force, and will be
forwarded to the new Rural Affairs Office and ARAC for further
consideration and ratification. This is an important tool to
ensure that rural needs continue to be considered in a
consistent manner, and that common sense prevails.
Upcoming
rural meetings
The next
regular ARAC meeting will be held March 23 in Kanata. Residents
are encouraged to attend. For more information about the
meeting’s agenda and final location, visit
ottawa.ca <http://www.ottawa.ca/>
or call 3-1-1.
Questions?
If you have
questions or issues related to the Rural Summit, contact Moira
Winch in the Rural Summit Project Office by email at
ruralsummit@ottawa.ca
<mailto:ruralsummit@ottawa.ca>
or by telephone at 580-2424, ext. 13360.
***********************************************************************************
Report to Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
and Council, 1
March 2006:
PROPOSED WORKPLAN FOR
RESOLUTION OF COMMUNITY WETLANDS CONCERNS:
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/ara/2006/03-09/ACS2006-PGM-POL-0017.htm