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
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