Friday March 7: Ontario Farmland Trust forum in Guelph

Ontario Farmland Trust

Toward Permanent Land Protectionm in an Evolving Policy Environment

Friday, March 7, 2014 – Arboretum Centre, University of Guelph

Forum Program

8:30 Registration

9:00 Welcome & Opening Remarks

Norman Ragetlie, Chair, Ontario Farmland Trust

The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food (invited)

9:15 KEYNOTE// The Evolving Farmland Preservation Public Policy Environment: Municipal

Leadership, Provincial Policy Innovation & Ongoing Challenges. Learning from Decades of

Proactive Growth Management & Agricultural Planning in Waterloo.

Kevin Eby, Director of Community Planning, Waterloo Region

10:15 Snack & Stretch Break

10:30 PANEL // Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan Implementation & the Protection of Near-

Urban Farmland

GGH Growth Plan Progress Report

Adam Redish, Director, Growth Policy, Planning and Analysis, Ontario Growth

Secretariat, Ministry of Infrastructure

Has the Strategic Regional Vision been Compromised?

Marcy L. Burchfield, MSc, Executive Director, The Neptis Foundation

Implementation Challenges & Concerns from the Building Industry

Speaker from Ontario Home Builders’ Association (TBC)

The Hidden Costs of Sprawl

Aidan Grove-White, Planning Advisor, Land and Water, Environmental Defence

Policy Changes that can Slow Urban Sprawl

Speaker from Sustainable Prosperity (TBC)

Facilitator: Mark Reusser, Farmer; Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

11:30 What Should OFT Recommend During the Upcoming Grow Plan Review? How do we

Incorporate Community Farmland Preservation Interests & Concerns from Across the

Province? Audience Small Group Discussion Following Panel Dialogue

12:00 Lunch

1:00 PANEL // Improving the PPS and Greenbelt Policies to Protect Ontario Agriculture

Provincial Policy Statement & Greenbelt Plan Reviews

Barb Konyi, Manager, Greater Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt, Ministry of

Municipal Affairs & Housing

Key Perspectives on the Greenbelt from the Agricultural and Planning Communities

Wayne Caldwell, Director, School of Environmental Design & Rural

Development, University of Guelph

Growing the Greenbelt

Ontario Greenbelt Alliance (TBC)

Working in Partnership for a Vibrant Golden Horseshoe Food & Farming Cluster

Peter Lambrick, Greater Golden Horseshoe Food & Farming Alliance

Facilitator: Kathy Macpherson, Vice President, Research & Policy, Friends of the

Greenbelt Foundation

2:00 What Should OFT Recommend During the Upcoming Greenbelt Policy Review? How do we

Incorporate Community Farmland Preservation Interests & Concerns from Across the

Province? Audience Small Group Discussion Following Panel Dialogue

2:30 Afternoon Break

2:45 Case Study: Connecting Municipal Planning with Farmland Classification, Census Farmland

Data & Local Food Self- Sufficiency

Pat Learmonth, Director, Farms at Work; Kawartha Farm Stewardship Collaborative

3:30 Farmland Conservation Easements & Community-led Land Protection Initiatives: Bringing

Permanence to Good Public Policy

Matt Setzkorn, Executive Director, Ontario Farmland Trust

4:00 Wrap up & Concluding Remarks