COLVILLEC IONSULTING NC.

404 Queenston St., St. Catharines, ON L2P 2Y2 Tel: 905 935-2161 Email: sean@colvilleconsultinginc.com

SEAN M. COLVILLE, B.Sc., P.Ag. 404 Queenston St., St. Catharines, ON L2P 2Y2 Tel: 905 935-2161 Email: sean@colvilleconsultinginc.com EDUCATION B.Sc. Geology, Acadia University, 1986 Soil Science, University of Guelph, 1984

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Ontario Institute of Agrology Agricultural Institute of Canada POSITIONS HELD 2003 – Present Colville Consulting Inc., St. Catharines, Ontario. President 2001 – 2003: ESG International Inc., St. Catharines, Senior Project Manager/Office Manager 1998 – 2001: ESG International Inc., Guelph, Senior Project Manager 1988 – 1998: ESG International Inc., Guelph, Project Manager 1984 – 1988: MacLaren Plansearch Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Soil Scientist 05/1982 - 09/1983: Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing, Nova Scotia, Assistant Soil

Scientist EXPERIENCE Sean M. Colville, B.Sc., P.Ag. has been the president of Colville Consulting Inc., since the company was established in June of 2003. With 30 years of consulting experience preparing agriculture impact assessment and resource evaluation studies, Sean has the managerial and technical experience required to complete both small and large scale, multi-disciplinary projects for private and public sector clients.

Sean’s agricultural consulting experience includes soil survey and agricultural resource evaluation studies, agricultural impact assessments and alternate site assessments, and soil and climatic rehabilitation/restoration projects. Sean has extensive experience interpreting agricultural land use policies involving development applications and settlement expansion proposals.

Sean is a Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.), and a member of the Ontario Institute of Agrology and the Agricultural Institute of Canada. Sean has been recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) as an expert in the identification of Prime Agricultural Areas and in the interpretation of the Minimum Distance Separation requirements for livestock operations.

Sean has been qualified to present expert testimony before the Ontario Municipal Board, the Consolidated Joint Board and the Assessment Review Board for projects involving land use planning matters as they relate to agriculture, impact assessment, resource evaluation and soil science. Sean has also been qualified before the OMB as an expert in Environmental Impact Assessment process.

Agricultural Impact Assessment and Alternative Site Studies

Sean specializes in agricultural impact assessment and alternative site studies for development applications and urban boundary expansion proposals. His experience includes well over 100 agricultural impact assessments and soil surveys for a wide variety of projects including Class EAs for linear facilities, waste management facilities, municipal services, impact assessments for aggregate operations, residential, commercial, recreational, industrial and institutional developments. Many of these projects require the interpretation of agricultural land use policies, inventory and assessment of the agricultural resources, land use, land tenure, an assessment of conflict potential including determination of minimum distance separation requirements, identification of prime agricultural lands and areas, and interpretation of the agricultural priority of lands proposed for development.

SEAN M. COLVILLE

404 Queenston St., St. Catharines, ON L2P 2Y2 Tel: 905 935-2161 Email: sean@colvilleconsultinginc.com

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Sean has been retained by municipalities to prepare agricultural impact assessment for urban boundary expansion proposals and the development of secondary plans. Sean has also been retained to complete peer review studies for municipalities that have received agricultural impacts assessments and minimum distance separation calculations relating to development applications.

Examples of some of the agricultural impact assessments and alternative site studies include:

Agricultural Impact Assessment for Vision Georgetown, Town of Halton Hills (2013) Agricultural Impact Assessment for Bolton Residential Expansion Study, Town of Caledon (2013) Agricultural Land Assessment for Barnsdale Road Landowners Group, Nepean, City of Ottawa (2013) Agricultural Land Assessment for South Barrhaven Development Corporation, City of Ottawa (2013) Agricultural Land Assessment for Jack May Chevrolet Buick GMC, Nepean, City of Ottawa (2013) Agricultural Land Assessments for Richcraft Homes, Orleans and Riverside South, City of Ottawa (2012) Agricultural Impact Assessment for Canadian Motor Speedway racetrack in Fort Erie (2007-2012) Agricultural Impact Assessment for multiple sites in City of Niagara Falls (2011) Agricultural Impact Assessment for multiple sites in City of Ottawa for Walton Development (2011) Agricultural Impact Assessment of the Alloa Reservoir, Pumping Station and Feedermain, Class EA -

Regional Municipality of Peel (2008) Agricultural Impact Assessment of the Zone 6 Reservoir and Feedermain, Class EA - Regional

Municipality of Peel (2009) Agricultural Impact Assessment of the North Bolton Elevated Tank and Feedermain, Class EA - Regional

Municipality of Peel (2009) Urban Boundary Expansion – Mayfield West Phase II Secondary Plan Agricultural Impact Assessment –

Town of Caledon (2008) Urban Boundary Expansion – South Albion/Bolton Community Plan Agricultural Impact Assessment –

Town of Caledon(2008) Urban Boundary Expansion - Agricultural Screening Study for the Township of West Lincoln’s Growth

Management Study, Regional Municipality of Niagara (2007) Urban Boundary Expansion - Agricultural Impact Assessment and Alternate Site Study for West

Kanata/Stittsville, City of Ottawa (2004, 2011) Urban Boundary Expansion - Agricultural Impact Assessment for Barrhaven South, City of Ottawa (2005) Urban Boundary Expansion - Agricultural Studies for Niagara Gateway Estates, Town of Grimsby,

Regional Municipality of Niagara (2003) Urban Boundary Expansion - Agricultural Impact Assessment and Alternative Site Study for Regional

Official Plan Amendment #9 Secondary Plan – City of Hamilton (2003) Urban Boundary Expansion - Agricultural Impact Assessment and Alternative Site Study for Deanfield

Property, Town of Grimsby, Regional Municipality of Niagara (2003) Niagara Region Mid-Term Waste Disposal Alternatives Study (2003)

Soil Survey and Resource Evaluation

As a Pedologist (soil scientist), Sean is highly experienced in completing soil surveys, soil resource evaluations and assessing the productivity of soil for common field crops using the Canada Land Inventory system (CLI) of soil classification and for soil suitability for production of specialty crops using the system developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. He has extensive experience interpreting the soil landscape, glacial landforms and soil forming processes; is skilled in the use of aerial photography for stereoscopic interpretation and identification of soil landforms for soil map production. Sean is recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as a Consulting Pedologist and a qualified soil scientist capable of preparing soil capability assessments based on the Canada Land Inventory (CLI) Soil Capability Classification for Agriculture (ARDA, 1965).

Sean has lead and participated in a number of large soil survey programs in Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Sean’s soil survey experience includes:

conducting well over 200 soil surveys of various size and scale to assess the soil capability for identification of prime and non-prime agricultural lands for agricultural impact assessments and other studies;

SEAN M. COLVILLE

404 Queenston St., St. Catharines, ON L2P 2Y2 Tel: 905 935-2161 Email: sean@colvilleconsultinginc.com

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conducting soil surveys along linear facilities to determine depth of topsoil and subsoil, assess soil capability along the route to determine baseline conditions and identify areas that pose limitations to construction;

the preparation of soil maps, CLI maps and reports for solar farm applications to address the Ontario Power Authority’s requirements for ground-mounted solar project on agricultural lands;

conducting county level soil survey reports that included the delineation, evaluation and mapping of soils series and the assessment of the soil capability for selected areas in Cumberland County, Colchester County, Hants County and Kings County, Nova Scotia;

conducting county level soil survey reports that included the delineation, evaluation and mapping of soils series and the assessment of the soil capability for selected areas in Westmoreland County, New Brunswick; and

conducting soil surveys for paired watershed studies assessing the benefits and effectiveness of no-till cultivation compared to traditional methods in Oxford County, Ontario.

Agricultural Rehabilitation and Monitoring

Sean has prepared a number of rehabilitation plans for the aggregate industry and for highway and pipeline construction projects. Sean also has experience assessing the economic impacts for compensation related to the temporary or permanent loss of use of agricultural land often associated with the construction of linear facilities. Specific examples agricultural rehabilitation and monitoring studies include:

Development and implementation of a soil reclamation plan for TransCanada Pipelines. This involved an investigation as to the extent of contamination and debris along a pipeline easement, as well as an analysis of the soil quality, the level of degradation and the development of mitigation measures to restore the agricultural capability of the site for specialty crop production;

Development of progressive agricultural rehabilitation plan for Vineland Quarry and Crushed Stone Limited’s quarry expansion project in Vineland, Ontario. The rehabilitation plan included the restoration of a significant portion of the sites climate to a condition suitable for the production of grape and tender fruit trees;

Prepared progressive agricultural rehabilitation plans for the expansion of LaFarge’s Fonthill pit located on the Fonthill Kame. This area has special soil and microclimatic characteristics that make it suitable for the production of specialty crops. The rehabilitation plans considered both the soils and microclimatic conditions in the design in order to restore the site following extraction to conditions suitable for the production of specialty crops;

Development of a progressive agricultural rehabilitation plan for Walker Brothers Quarries Ltd. quarry expansion project in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Also prepared and implemented the vegetation screening and naturalization concepts for which annual monitoring reports are prepared for review by the City of Niagara Falls and the Ministry of Natural Resources; and

Soil and crop monitoring, and post construction monitoring of soil and crops for various TransCanada Pipeline, Union Gas, and Enbridge pipeline construction projects. Projects often included the development of restoration recommendations to improve soil conditions and crop yields.

Publications

Rees, H.W.; Duff, J.P.; Colville, S.; Soley, T. and Chow, T.L. 1995. Soils of selected agricultural areas of Moncton Parish, Westmoreland County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick. Soil Survey Report No. 15. CLBRR Contribution No. 95-13, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ont. Rees, H.W.; Duff, J.P.; Soley, T.; Colville, S.; and Chow, T.L. 1996. Soils of selected agricultural areas of Shediac and Botsford parishes, Westmoreland County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick. Soil Survey Report No. 16. CLBRR Contribution No. 95-13, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ont. 127 pp. with maps.

Aerial Photo Showing Location ofSmith FarmSmith Farm

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Prepared for OMB Hearing Pl101300. October 10, 2014

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Proposed Boundary for Land Use Option 1a (Approximate)

Airport Employment GrowthDistrict Secondary Plan Area

10/10/14 Ontario Provincial Trends

www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/95-640-x/2012002/prov/35-eng.htm 1/7

Home > Publications > 95-640-X > Farm and farm operator data > Highlights and analyses >

Ontario led in soybeans and corn area

Ontario continued to report the most farmsGross farm receipts remained stableMore larger farmsFarm operatorsFarm areaLivestockOrganic farmsOther agricultural highlights in OntarioA snapshot in time

Ontario accounted for 62.3% and 61.7% of the national areas of soybeans and corn for grain,respectively. Since 2006, soybean area increased 308,986 acres to 2.5 million acres in 2011 andcorn for grain increased 454,494 acres to 2.0 million acres.

Ontario continued to report the most farms

The 2011 Census of Agriculture counted the highest number of farms in Ontario with 25.3% ofCanada’s 205,730 farms. A census farm is an agricultural operation that produces agriculturalproducts intended for sale.

The 2011 Census of Agriculture counted 51,950 census farms in Ontario, a 9.2% decrease since2006. This compares to a 10.3% decrease at the national level.

Gross farm receipts remained stable

Ontario’s gross farm receipts in 2010, the year prior to the census, remained stable with a 0.1%increase (at 2010 constant prices) to $11.9 billion, from 2005. At the national level there was a3.9% increase in gross farm receipts between 2005 and 2010.

Operators spent on average 84 cents in expenses (excluding depreciation) for every dollar ofreceipts in 2010, about two cents less than they spent in 2005.

Oilseed and grain farm and dairy farm types accounted for 24.5% and 17.6% of total gross farmreceipts respectively. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) provides aframework for classifying farms based on the commodities they produce and the value of thesecommodities. The farm types presented in this document are derived based on this system.

More larger farms

According to the 2011 Census of Agriculture, the number of farms with $500,000 or more (at 2010constant prices) of 2010 gross farm receipts increased by 5.8% between censuses, and those withless than $500,000 decreased by 10.7%. There were 5,609 of these larger farms in Ontario in2011, and while they represented 10.8% of all farms in the province, they accounted for 68.1% oftotal provincial gross farm receipts reported for the year 2010.

Farm operators

Ontario reported 74,840 farm operators in 2011, 9.2% lower than in 2006, following the trend in thenumber of farms. In 2011, 28.4% of Ontario farm operators were women while nationally thispercentage was 27.4%.

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The average age of a farm operator in Ontario in 2011 was 54.5 years compared with 52.6 years in2006. Nationally, the average age of a farm operator in 2011 was 54.0 years, up from 52.0 years in2006.

In 2010, 37.0% of all Ontario farm operators worked more than 40 hours a week on average ontheir farm operations, compared to 43.1% five years earlier. At the national level, this percentagewas 40.1% in 2010.

In 2010, 47.8% of all Ontario farm operators had an off-farm job or business compared to 49.6% in2005. At the national level, this percentage was 46.9% in 2010.

According to the Census of Agriculture, 26.5% of Ontario operators who were under the age of 35on census day worked off the farm for more than 40 hours a week on average in 2010, comparedto 26.8% of operators aged 35 to 54, and 12.1% of operators over 55 years of age.

Farm area

Total farm area in Ontario decreased 4.8% between 2006 and 2011 to 12.7 million acres. Ontarioreported 7.9% of the total farm area in Canada in 2011. Average area per farm was 244 acres in2011, up from 233 acres five years earlier.

Of the total farm area in Ontario in 2011, 70.5% was cropland, a slight increase from 68.0%reported in 2006. Farmers reported 8.9 million acres of cropland in Ontario in 2011, down from 9.0million acres in 2006. The province accounted for 10.2% of cropland reported in Canada. Croplandis the total area reported in field crops, hay, fruits, field vegetables, sod and nursery.

Table 1: Proportion of cropland, Ontario,2006 and 2011

Composition of cropland

Percent of cropland*

2011 2006

* Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 2006 and 2011

Field crops 74.1 68.6

Hay 23.3 28.3

Vegetables 1.5 1.7

Fruits 0.6 0.7

Sod and Nursery 0.6 0.7

The majority of cropland (97.4%) in Ontario in 2011 was reported as field crops and hay which isan increase from the 96.9% in 2006 (Table 1). The proportion of field crops (including potatoes)increased to 74.1% in 2011 from 68.6% in the past census. Conversely, the proportion of hay areadecreased to 23.3% from 28.3%. Increased prices for cash crops coupled with declining beef cattleand pig numbers led to a shift from forages and crops traditionally used for feed to more profitablecash crops. Other crops, including field vegetables, fruit, sod and nursery production, accountedfor an additional 2.7% of total cropland in 2011, down from 3.1% in 2006.

Livestock

The number of dairy cows in Ontario decreased 3.5% since 2006. Despite this decrease, in 2011Ontario continued to report the second largest dairy herd (behind Quebec) in the country with318,158 cows down from 329,737 in 2006.

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The number of pigs in Ontario decreased 21.8% since 2006. Despite this, Ontario continued toreport the second highest number of pigs in Canada, behind Quebec, with 3.1 million pigs in 2011.Ontario accounted for the largest decrease in the number of farms reporting pigs, down 1,514farms to 2,556 in 2011.

Ontario ranked second in the country in number of mink breeding stock with 122,137 reported in2011.

In 2011, Ontario maintained the largest population of goats and sheep in the country, both ofwhich increased since 2006. The number of goats in Ontario increased 52.7% to reach 116,260head in 2011 which accounted for 51.6% of the national total. The number of sheep in Ontarioincreased 13.4% to reach 352,807 head in 2011 which accounted for 31.8% of the national total.

Organic farms

According to the 2011 Census of Agriculture, there were 774 farms with certified organic and/ortransitional production in Ontario. This represented 1.5% of all farms in the province. Nationwide,2.0% of all farms reported certified organic and/or transitional production.

The predominant category of certified organic and/or transitional products reported in Ontario wasfield crops and hay and it was reported by 67.7% of the province’s 774 certified organic and/ortransitional farms.

Other agricultural highlights in Ontario

Ontario continued to report the largest winter wheat area in the country. In 2011, winterwheat area increased 7.0% to 1.1 million acres.

Area reported for grains traditionally used for livestock feed decreased in 2011. Barley areadecreased 42.6% to 126,881 acres, mixed grain area decreased 38.8% to 106,162 acres andoat area decreased 46.2% to 71,040 acres. Similarly, hay area decreased 18.9% to 2.1million acres.

Ontario accounted for the majority (98.6%) of ginseng area in Canada in 2011. Since 2006the total ginseng area in the province increased 1.1% to 7,232 acres.

The number of maple taps in Ontario increased 15.0% to 1.5 million.

Over half (54.2%) of Canada's total greenhouse area was located in Ontario in 2011. Totalgreenhouse area increased by 6.7% to 135.1 million square feet. Greenhouse vegetablesaccounted for 86.2 million square feet and floriculture products for 42.6 million square feet.

In 2011, Ontario had the largest area of grapes, apples, peaches, sour cherries, pears, andplums in the country. Apple area decreased 21.5% to 15,830 acres in 2011. Grape area alsodecreased between censuses by 10.7% to 18,383 acres in 2011 — nearly two-thirds (61.3%)of all grape area in the country was reported in Ontario.

Ontario had the largest share of the Canadian nursery and sod areas, with 25,270 acres ofnursery and 28,414 acres of sod. This accounted for 42.4% and 44.8% of Canada's nurseryand sod areas, respectively.

In Ontario, no-till methods were used on 33.1% of the land prepared for seeding in 2011, aslight increase from 31.2% in 2006. Conventional tillage decreased to 37.1% of land preparedfor seeding, from 43.9% five years earlier. Conservation tillage was used on 29.8% of theland prepared for seeding, compared to 24.9% in 2006.

The 2011 Census marks the first time farm operators were asked to report the area fromwhich crop residue was baled for bedding or sale. In 2010, crop residue was baled from873,120 acres in Ontario.

High-speed internet was reported by 44.7% of all farms in Ontario, similar to the national

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average of 44.8%.

In Ontario 31.0% of all farms in the province reported paid labour for the year 2010, thelargest proportion in the country. The census counted 84,878 paid employees, of whom39.2% worked year-round in a full or part-time capacity while 60.8% were seasonal ortemporary employees.

A snapshot in time

The 2011 Census of Agriculture is the most recent measure of the overall state of Canadianagriculture and its wealth of data provides a valuable snapshot of the sector. The censusprogram provides a data continuum stretching back to 1921, while agricultural data has beencollected since the first Census of Canada in 1871.

Since the previous Census of Agriculture in 2006, fluctuating commodity prices in certainsectors as well as changing costs of fertilizers, fuel, seed and livestock feed affected thefarming community. The residual effects of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and avianinfluenza were also issues.

However, many changes have since ensued, including favourable commodity prices in somesectors as well as continued evolution in global economic conditions, and some of thesefactors have benefited the Canadian agricultural sector. At the same time, many farmoperators continue to adapt their production and farming practices to become more efficientand to respond to market factors and consumer demands.

These developments, as well as the dynamic and complex nature of the Canadian agriculturalindustry, are an important reminder that the Census is a snapshot of the agricultural sectorthat captures its state at a point in time, and does not measure the annual fluctuationsbetween census years.

Statistics Canada would like to thank the farming community of Ontario for participation andassistance in the 2011 Census of Agriculture.

For further information regarding the Census of Agriculture, contact Statistics Canada's NationalContact Centre at 613-951-8116 or toll-free 1-800-263-1136; infostats@statcan.gc.ca.

To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Rosemary Villaniat 613-951-2889, Census of Agriculture, Agriculture Division.

Notes

Census farm

An operation is considered a census farm (agricultural operation) if it produces at least one of thefollowing products intended for sale:

Crops: Hay, field crops, tree fruits or nuts, berries or grapes, vegetables, seedLivestock: Cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, game animals, other livestockPoultry: Hens, chickens, turkeys, chicks, game birds, other poultryAnimal products: Milk or cream, eggs, wool, furs, meatOther agricultural products: Christmas trees, sod, greenhouse, or nursery products,mushrooms, honey or bees, maple syrup and its products

The data for the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories are not included in the national totalsbecause of the different definition of an agricultural operation in the territories and confidentiality

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constraints. The data for the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories are presented separately.

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Certified organic

An operation or products are referred to as "certified organic" when certification has taken place.Certification refers to the procedure whereby a certification body accredited by the Canadian FoodInspection Agency provides written assurance that products and production systems conform tospecified requirements. Certification may be based on a range of inspection activities includingverification of management practices, auditing of quality assurance systems and in/out productionbalances. (Source: Canada Organic Office Operating Manual)

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Transitional organic

Transitional organic refers to those who were in the process of undertaking the three-year processof having all or part of their operations certified organic at the time of the 2011 Census ofAgriculture.

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Gross farm receipts

The Census of Agriculture measures gross farm receipts for the calendar or accounting year priorto the census.

Gross farm receipts (before deducting expenses) in this analysis include:

receipts from all agricultural products soldprogram payments and custom work receipts.

The following are not included in gross farm receipts:

sales of forestry products (for example: firewood, pulpwood, logs, fence posts and pilings)sales of capital items (for example: quota, land, machinery)receipts from the sale of any goods purchased only for retail sales.

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2005 to 2010

Some data refer to a reference period other than Census Day. For example, for financial data thereference period is the calendar or accounting (fiscal) year prior to the census.

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Farm type

Farm type is established through a procedure that classifies each census farm according to thepredominant type of production. This is done by estimating the potential receipts from theinventories of crops and livestock reported on the questionnaire and determining the product orgroup of products that make up the majority of the estimated receipts. For example, a census farmwith total potential receipts of 60% from hogs, 20% from beef cattle and 20% from wheat, wouldbe classified as a hog and pig farm. The farm types presented in this document are derived basedon the 2007 North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). The chart below shows how

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these derived farm types relate to NAICS.

Census of Agriculture derived categories NAICS five-digit classes

Dairy Dairy cattle and milk production

Beef Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots

Hog and pig Hog and pig farming

Poultry and egg Chicken egg production

Broiler and other meat-type chicken production

Turkey production

Poultry hatcheries

Combination poultry and egg production

All other poultry production

Sheep and goat Sheep farming

Goat farming

Other animal Apiculture

Horse and other equine production

Fur-bearing animal and rabbit production

Animal combination farming

All other miscellaneous animal production

Oilseed and grain Soybean farming

Oilseed (except soybean) farming

Dry pea and bean farming

Wheat farming

Corn farming

Other grain farming

Vegetable and melon Potato farming

Other vegetable (except potato) and melon farming

Fruit and tree-nut Fruit and tree nut farming

Greenhouse and nursery Mushroom production

Other food crops grown under cover

Nursery and tree production

Floriculture production

Other crop Tobacco farming

Hay farming

Fruit and vegetable combination farming

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Date Modified: 2012-05-23

Fruit and vegetable combination farming

Maple syrup and products production

All other miscellaneous crop farming

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Farm operator

According to the census, a farm operator is any person responsible for the management decisionsmade for an agricultural operation as of May 10, 2011.

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HAMILTON AGRICULTURALPROFILE 2008An Update to the City of HamiltonAgricultural Economic Impact &Development Study (2003)

PLANSCAPEBuilding Community Through Planning

December 2008

HAMILTON AGRICULTURAL PROFILE 2008 4.1

December, 2008 PLANSCAPE – Building Community through Planning

Section 4 Trends, Issues, Actions and Conclusions

This section summarizes the trends and issues that have affected agriculture in Hamilton between 2001 and 2006, outlines the steps the City is taking to support the industry and provides some conclusions on this response.

4.1 Trends and Issues

The analysis contained in the previous section confirmed a number of trends and issues impacting agriculture in Hamilton, between 2001 and 2006.

• The number of farms declined by 51 or 5%;

• Area of farmland declined by 5,674 acres or 4%;

• Gross farm receipts increased to $224,776,914;

• Flamborough continues to contain 50% of the farmland in the City;

• The largest decline in farmland acres was in Glanbrook (3,252 acres);

• Largest decline by number of farms was in the dairy, cattle, grain and oilseed and poultry and egg sectors;

• The largest increase in number of farms was in the horse and pony and field crop sectors;

• Gross amount of farmland being rented increased slightly but the percentage split between rented and owned remained the same at 43%;

• Glanbrook has the highest rate of rented farmland at 57%, Stoney Creek / Hamilton is second at 56%;

• Average farm size increased from 135 acres to 137 acres but is still well below the provincial average of 233 acres;

• Glanbrook has the highest average farm size of 227 acres, Stoney Creek / Hamilton the lowest at 93 acres;

• Hamilton continues to have very high productivity with an average per acre GFR of $1,687, the fourth highest in Ontario;

• Greenhouse replaced poultry and egg as the highest value commodity grouping in 2006 (based on total GFR), mushroom moved from 5th to 4th and vegetable slipped from 4th to 6th;

• The number of operations generating in excess of $55,000 in GFR’s annually remained the same;

• Average farm operating costs increased from $187,905 to $201,627;

• Average net revenue more than doubled in Stoney Creek / Hamilton, remained relatively constant in Glanbrook and Flamborough / Dundas and declined significantly in Ancaster;

• The ration of costs to revenue did not change between 2001 and 2006;

• Average age of operators rose from 52.3 to 54.9 years;

• The economic impact of $225 million in GFR’s on the Hamilton economy is calculated to be $823 million annually with associated labour income of $117 million; and,

• Provincially, Hamilton ranks 44th in size, 36th in area of farmland, 26th in number of farms and 18th in gross farm receipts.

Generally, Hamilton exhibits an agricultural profile that is typical of agriculture in the Golden Horseshoe. There is an ongoing decline in number and area of operations but the value of GFR’s continues to rise and production is shifting to products that generate higher return on smaller

HAMILTON AGRICULTURAL PROFILE 2008 4.2

December, 2008 PLANSCAPE – Building Community through Planning

acreages. The exception to this trend is the prevalence of land extensive cash crops operations in areas where there are high rates of rental land.

4.2 Actions – The Agricultural Action Plan – Economic Viability for the Long Term

The City has been responding to some of the issues impacting agriculture. In 2006, the Hamilton Agricultural and Rural Affairs Advisory Committee were given responsibility for creating a strategic plan to support agriculture. Over the period of a year, the Committee consulted with the agricultural community to develop an agricultural vision, goals, objectives and criteria for success, all of which were endorsed by City Council in July of 2006. The vision endorsed by Hamilton City Council states that:

Vision for Agriculture: Agriculture is a vital component of the physical, environmental, economic, cultural and social structure of the City of Hamilton. The strength, diversity and potential of this industry is recognized by Council and the community it represents, and will be protected and promoted so it can continue to grow and evolve. Goals

• Maintaining the agricultural land base and promoting financial sustainability for future generations to continue farming;

• Preventing infiltration of conflicting uses that put the agricultural community at risk; • Promoting an economic development program for agriculture; • Raising the awareness of the quality of the agriculture sector in Hamilton; • Establishing a higher profile for agriculture through informed media; • Ensuring that agricultural interests are understood and factored into development of

infrastructure; • Fostering co-operation between agriculture and government agencies to support the

industry through policies and programs; • Adopting a broad definition of agriculture to allow flexibility in production and adaptation

to market fluctuations and other factors that may change over time; • Protecting long term food security for Canadians with an emphasis on locally produced

food. Objectives

• Maintain an agriculturally friendly area rating tax structure; • Establish an economic development program specifically to support agriculture; • Ensure City staff are educated about and factor in the needs of agriculture in all

actions; • Develop a rural infrastructure program; • Create a rural servicing standard for soft and hard services; • Establish a credible liaison between City Council and the Agricultural Advisory

Committee.

Lot Fabric for Area SurroundingSmith FarmSmith Farm

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Proposed Boundary for Land Use Option 1a (Approximate)

Airport Employment GrowthDistrict Secondary Plan Area

Hamilton International Airport

Prepared for OMB Hearing Pl101300. October 10, 2014

Prepared by:Source of Information