| Jun 12, 2019


Addington Highlands is prepared to work with a local beef farmer but wants a little more information before deciding how to proceed, Council decided at its regular meeting Tuesday in Flinton.

Area farmer Glenn Davison wrote a letter to the Township asking for “consideration regarding the cost of disposing of farm-generated waste once the transfer station is established.”

A beef farmer in the area since 1985, Davison went on to say: “As the costs for farm materials has tripled or quadrupled, the income made from cattle sales has remained fairly stable for the past 35 years. Additional costs to dispose of farm-related waste such as netwrap and twine off bales of hay, hay tarps and feed bags will have an additional negative impact on the already fragile bottom line in the farming industry.

“For this reason, I am asking Council to consider an exemption on farm-generated waste for farms that belong to OFA, Agricorp or have a farm business number as some other townships have done.”

“If I were him, I’d burn it,” said Roads and Waste Management Supervisor Brett Reavie. “But that wouldn’t be environmentally friendly.”

“I’d burn it too,” said Coun. Helen Yanch. “I wonder what waste it is.

“Is some of it recycling?

“I don’t know what he’s asking.”

“We’re not changing any of our tipping fees at the transfer station,” said CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed.

“They (farmers) already get a 75 per cent reduction on their taxes,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “What are other Townships doing with farm waste?”

Council instructed Reavie to contact Davison to see if some of his waste could be recycled and to conduct further research as to what neighbouring municipalities are doing with similar situations.

 

Burn Bylaw

Council passed a new open-air burning bylaw, the same one as neighbouring North Frontenac with which Addington Highlands shares a joint fire department for Barrie Ward.

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy said the new bylaw isn’t much different than the old one, “basically re-worded to make it easier for residents to understand.”

It does however, ban the use of fire lanterns in the Township.

 

Mandatory septic inspection? No

Addington Highlands won’t be instituting a mandatory septic reinspection program for lakefront properties, following a report from Chief Building Official Mike Twiddy.

Twiddy made the recommendation following a request from a resident.

“We thought this was coming from the Mazinaw Property Owners Association but the resident didn’t represent the association,” Twiddy said. “But I looked into it and while the Ontario Building Code was recently amended to establish and govern mandatory on-site sewage system maintenance inspection programs established by local enforcement bodies, we have the authority to establish an inspection program or not.

“I talked with some other municipalities and most agreed that if you have a program like we have with KFL&A Health Unit, you’re best just to leave it with them.

“If you take it over, you’re just potentially putting yourself into an antagonistic situation.”

He said that Belleville initiated a mandatory inspection program but phased it out as it became unworkable.

 

Fisheries Act

Addington Highlands passed a resolution adding its support to the Township of Bonnechere Valley to have changes to Section 2(2) of the Fisheries Act contained in Bill C-68 removed.

The amendment will deem any body of water capable of supporting fish as being a fish habitat.

“Whereas consequential of this amendment, puddles in farm fields, municipal lands, drainage ditches or water reservoirs can possibly be declared fish habitats,” said the Bonnechere motion, which also said the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has said the amendment “will place a crippling regulatory burden on family-owned operations.”

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