Agriculture and Rural Affairs Subcommittee Meeting Review

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Subcommittee reviewed two main files: a feasibility study for an agricultural Community Improvement Plan and an early policy review on allowing renewable energy generation as a secondary use on farms. Members also questioned why the subcommittee had not met for nine months and approved a follow-up request on Farm 911 sign placement and damage.

Topics Discussed

1. Meeting schedule gap

A member of the public, Kathy, told the subcommittee its last meeting had been in September 2025 and asked why there had been no earlier meeting this year: "that's our last meeting. That's September of 2025. That's nine months ago. What happened to the meeting in the earlier part of the year?" The chair said they did not have an immediate explanation for the gap.

2. Agricultural Community Improvement Plan feasibility study

Staff and consultant Marilyn Cameron of JL Richards presented work tied to Action Item 33 of the 2021-2025 Economic Development Action Plan. The city is using Rural Ontario Development Fund support to study whether Hamilton should create an agricultural, agri-food and rural Community Improvement Plan.

A planner with JL Richards described a CIP as "a municipal planning tool. It's authorized under the Municipal Act, and it allows for community improvement … through incentives and financial programs," adding that it is "one of very few ways that municipalities can provide direct funds to a land owner."

Mark Tadeson said the current phase is preliminary: "Right now, we're just looking at the background feasibility of it. So, we're going to be conducting a background study that looks at what the value of an agriculture CIP would be for the city." He also cautioned that the issues facing farmers are broader than any one program, calling them "large and complex … messy wicked problems."

3. Questions about farm participation and program design

Discussion focused on what an agricultural CIP could realistically support and whether farmers would use it. Kathy questioned likely uptake, pointing to the age of many farmers and the cost of equipment. She said, "The average age of the farmer in Flamborough, Clanbrook, anywhere else around this city..." and added that many older farmers may be reluctant to take on expensive new programs.

Drew underscored the financial barrier by telling members, "a really nice tractor for a 200 or 500 acre farm can easily be $350 to $450,000," while "a nice new combine … can be as much as a million with a couple of headers."

Esther Pauls asked whether a possible idea raised during discussion could fit within this kind of program: "Would that be something that could be included in this type of CIP?"

4. Renewable energy on farmland review

Under the renewable energy item, staff said council had already directed them to review "policy and zoning options to permit renewable energy generation facilities that are secondary to agricultural operations." The review comes after the repeal of the Green Energy Act, which returned more land-use authority to municipalities.

Mark Tadeson said one of the central concerns is protecting farmland from conversion to non-farm use. He said the issue raised by the Federation of Agriculture and others is that "once that agricultural operation ceases to exist, all it is at that point is a solar farm and we've lost that land to another use."

Councillor Brad Clark urged staff to allow more time and more targeted consultation with rural residents, saying, "engaging with the public in the summer time does not usually go over well with the public. They're not around. They got other things to do." He added that "having a truncated consultation serves nobody."

Clark also asked whether the city would consider "a pilot project to help with the learning and the development of the project and not with any long-term commitments."

5. Farm 911 signs

During discussion of Farm 911 signs, Councillor Brad Clark said some signs had been damaged over the winter: "I had several of those green numbered signs from the farm 911 get knocked down by snow plows this past winter." Members discussed whether sign placement and maintenance practices were contributing to the problem.

Motions

• Farm 911 signage follow-up request — Passed. Staff were asked to review Farm 911 sign installation locations, compare them with standard 911 sign placement, and clarify the impact of snow plows and grass cutting on the signs.
• Item 8.1 Farm 911 project removed from outstanding business — Passed/carried as completed, according to the meeting discussion.
• Item 7.2 Investigation of renewable energy generation as a secondary use to agricultural operations — Discussed; no final motion or decision recorded in the notes provided.
• Agricultural Community Improvement Plan feasibility study presentation — Received/discussed; no final motion or decision recorded in the notes provided.

Attendees

The discussion identified the following elected members or participants: - Councillor Brad Clark - Esther Pauls - Mark Tadeson - Kathy - Drew

Other staff and presenters identified in the discussion: - Marilyn Cameron, JL Richards - Scott Turble, Planner, Sustainable Community Section - Alana Fulford, Supervisor of Zoning Bylaw Reform