Supporting urban agriculture

1. Supporting Urban &
Residential Agriculture
A Review of Policies in Cornwall
and Stormont-Dundas-
Glengarry & Recommendations
Loretta Landmesser
All Things Food | Bouffe 360°

2. Topic & Scope
 A comprehensive review of the relevant bylaws in the Cornwall and
Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry region of Eastern Ontario with respect
to the regulation of all forms of urban agriculture.

3. No such policy review in
existence in Cornwall, SDG
Lack of policy coherence at the
municipal and regional levels
Applicable to other jurisdictions
in Ontario, elsewhere
Relevance

4. 1) The review is based on bylaws in effect at the time of
submission – August 11, 2015.
2) Further limited by the standard definition used to define
population centres (formerly urban areas)
For example: Limited areas in the Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas
and Glengarry regions that would be considered population
centres.
Limitations

5. Limitations
Medium Population Centre Small Population Centre
Population: 30,000 - 99,999 Population: 1,000 - 29,999

6. Relevance
Urban
Agriculture
Rural
Agriculture
Agriculture in
non-urban &
non-rural areas?
‘Residential’
Agriculture?

7. Methodology
1) Bylaw Review
2) Interviews with municipal staff
• Community Planner
• Planning Technician
• Director of Planning, Building & By-Law Enforcement
3) Research on best practices of urban/residential agriculture

8. Cornwall
 Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw -
No general farming or
agricultural use unless in areas
zoned ‘rural area’, ‘prime
agricultural’ or ‘environmental
constraint – floodplain’ (1969)
 Provisions in the Property
Standards Bylaw for soil
erosion prevention (2014)
 No boulevard gardening (2003)

9. North Stormont

10. North Stormont
 No restrictions on intensive
gardening practices (whether for
personal or commercial use) as
this would fall under the purview
of a “home occupation”(making
goods in the residential area,
selling offsite).
 Agricultural uses (e.g. apiaries,
poultry raising) are only permitted
in rural and agriculturally zoned
areas with a minimum property
size of 75 acres.
 No farm/produce stands in the
villages
 No poultry (July, 2015).

11. South Stormont

12. South Stormont
 No livestock for food
 No agricultural use
 No greenhouses (product for
wholesale or retail sale)(2011)

13. North Dundas

14. North Dundas
 No domestic livestock (bees,
chickens)
 No restrictions on gardening or
the use of personal greenhouses
 No farm/produce stands (Calvin
Pol, 2015)
 In process of a comprehensive
zoning bylaw consolidation
process.
 Will be considering the possible
inclusion of provisions allowing
residents to keep up to a
specified number of hens (no
roosters or peacocks)
 Blanket provision, only in
preliminary stages (reconfirmed
in November 2015)

15. South Dundas

16. South Dundas
 No chickens, bees in residentially
zoned areas.
 No production of animal products
such as milk, eggs, wool, fur or
honey
 Zoning Bylaw 2010

17. North Glengarry

18. North Glengarry
 No raising of crops, or domestic
animals other than dogs or
exotic animals
 No production of animal
products (eg. Eggs, honey, milk)
 Zoning Bylaw 2013

19. South Glengarry

20. South Glengarry
 No raising of crops or livestock
 According to the Property
Standards bylaw, landscaping
must be maintained and ground
cover should be used as an
effective method of soil erosion
(2013).

21. General Best Practices for Consideration
“[v]egetable gardens and fruit trees
are already part of the urban
environment for many people, but
others are looking for more ways to
bring the farm to the city. Some, for
example, want to raise chickens in
their backyards”

22. General Best Practices for Consideration
 Among the considerations the provincial government highlights are
1) animal health and public health;
2) animal care;
3) predators; and
4) food safety
 Strong municipal support for urban agricultural practices exist in
many Canadian cities: e.g. Hamilton, Toronto, Vancouver
 Can these theories be applied to the urban centre of Cornwall and
the smaller residential areas in SDG?

23. Hamilton, ON
Photo Courtesy of Hamilton Urban Farm

24. Hamilton, ON
Neighbourhood Action Strategy (2017)
 Accessing fresh and healthy food was a significant concern among Hamilton
residents;
 Zoning and licensing are effective tools that can regulate where and when
the sale of urban agriculture products take place (2013);
 A variety of places (including farmers’ markets, farmgate stands, market
gardens and food hubs) can offer urban gardeners and farmers to make a
profit through urban agriculture;
 Vision: by 2020, the retail sale of urban agriculture products should be
integrated into zoning and business licencing categories (2013).

25. Hamilton, ON
Next steps:
1) Establish a vision to guide the approach to food system planning within the
City;
2) Include provisions in bylaws and amendments specific to urban agriculture
so that they become part of the official planning process;
3) Formalize support for existing urban agricultural initiatives by providing
access to land and other resources, as well as participating in studies on the
health and safety of these areas.

26. Kamloops, BC
Photo Courtesy of the City of Kamloops

27. Kamloops, BC
Bylaws allow for urban agriculture to coexist with other land uses
(including residential) while minimizing the effects normally associated
with traditional agricultural practices (mechanization, chemical inputs).
The Official Community Plan (2004) provides policy direction on a
number of food-related issues, including:
 food production on public lands and development parcels
 encouragement of initiatives aimed at food self-reliance
 promotion of businesses that improve access to locally produced
affordable and nutritious food.

28. Kamloops, BC
A number of previous municipal planning documents have called for
the development of the FUAP:
 the Kamloops Social Plan (2009);
 the Sustainable Kamloops Plan (SKP) (2010);
 the Airshed Management Plan (2013);
 the Agriculture Area Plan (2013).
The process was initiated by Council in early 2014. The advisory
committee featured a diverse group of food system stakeholders,
community partners, a Council representative, and City staff.

29. Kamloops, BC
Extensive public consultation between June 2014 & June 2015
 Stakeholder forum with over 100 participants
 Mobile tour showcasing different examples of the local food system
 Public survey completed by 647 community members
 Two open houses in local malls that were attended by hundreds of people
 Extensive media campaign
 Several meetings with stakeholder groups and community associations

30. Recommendations
Hamilton Kamloops
Cornwall

31. Recommendation #1
Each municipality (or in collaboration with an organization such as All
Things Food / Bouffe 360°) should conduct a survey of residents to
gauge support for urban/residential agriculture.
The results from this survey, in turn, could be used as the foundation
for developing a vision in each of the municipalities that would have
broad support amongst residents that helps guide the policy making
process.

32. Recommendation #2
Each municipality should develop a food strategy or charter and
implement this in their official community plans to guide the
development of urban/residential agriculture in their communities.
This will further enable entrepreneurs and existing businesses (like
Fresh City Harvest in Cornwall, ON) to diversify the economic
opportunities available in each of these areas.

33. Recommendation #3
Each municipality should support and further investigate urban
agriculture by including it within their respective community’s zoning
bylaws.
(It should be re-emphasized that the municipality of North Dundas has
already expressing interest in doing this, and is in the process of
including provisions for this in their zoning bylaw consolidation.)