Follow-up Notes from Community Meeting About the Just Food Farm Project February 7, 2013

Hosted by Rainer Bloess, Councillor for

The purpose of the meeting was to provide the community with updates about the activities and proposed projects at the Just Food Farm – located on the former NCC Greenhouse Property at Tauvette/Pepin Court. This document seeks to provide more detailed responses to the questions that were raised.

Moe Garahan, Executive Director of Just Food, provided an overview of the organization and the Just Food Farm. See www.justfood.ca for more info.

Who is Just Food? We are a small, community-based, non-profit organization that works towards building a sustainable, just and vibrant food and farming system in the region. We strive to enhance access to both healthy whole foods in general and to locally grown food in particular – to develop, link, promote and support local food and food-related initiatives in the Ottawa region.

We act as a community food hub, actively engaging and promoting links across the food chain, between individuals, specific communities/businesses, broader community and decision-makers, to work together on identified food and farming issues, and to build knowledge, skills and opportunities related to food.

We started as a $20,000/year project, sponsored by the Social Planning Council of Ottawa 10 years ago, and have grown to become an independent non-profit organization (incorporated in November 2011) with a budget of just under $500,000 per year. We receive core funding from the City of Ottawa and the rest of our operating budget is raised through project grants, membership and program fees, and donations.

We work using community development principles, which include ensuring that every program/initiative has a broad stakeholder advisory group and/or steering committee. We manage the Community Gardening Network and administer the Community Garden Development Fund for the City of Ottawa. We work on community economic development initiatives, including managing the Savour Ottawa program. We publish the Ottawa Buy-local Food Guide, for eight years in print, and now online on our website. We led a three-year community-based food

1 policy development process that has resulted in the Ottawa Food Action Plan and the Ottawa Food Policy Council, who are meeting for the first time this month (February 2013). We have provided a farmer-to-farmer training program for the past seven years and community-based workshops on gardening, seed saving, canning, making salsa and sauerkraut, etc. We collaborate with a number of groups working on food and farming issues in both Ottawa and across the province, including the Poverty and Hunger Working Group, the Eastern Local Food and Farming Collaborative, and Sustain Ontario. We are also a member of Food Secure .

Who is on the Board of Directors? Our Board of Directors presently includes six members who are/have been farmers, food system and environment specialists and analysts, academics, and community partners. We also have advisors to the Board who have various technical expertise, including financial accountability expertise. We started formal paid membership in the organization in 2012 and have 120+ members (a number that grows every day). We release a monthly newsletter to 3000+ people/organizations across Ottawa and the region, and have specific project related newsletters (e.g., a farmers’ newsletter, a community gardening newsletter, etc.). We have three staff that work 5 days/week, 1 that works 4 days/week and two that work 2 days/week, as well as active internship and volunteer programs, which include student placements.

In July of 2011, we moved our office to the site of the old NCC Tree Nursery and Greenhouses in the Ottawa on the west side of the Blackburn Hamlet neighbourhood, with the goal of establishing a community food and sustainable agriculture hub on the property, a place that would model and inspire new agricultural initiatives to help rebuild our local food economy, by providing training, shared infrastructure and equipment, and access to land, within a mutually supportive and ecologically sustainable environment.

(Note: An interesting article appeared in The Citizen on the day of the Blackburn Community Meeting (Feb. 7) that reflects our vision for the Just Food Farm (our vision has more of a capacity building orientation). You can read it here.)

What is your lease arrangement with the NCC? We currently rent the farmhouse and barn from the NCC, on a short-term renewable lease while negotiating a 25-year lease. We are on an access to land permit for use of the agricultural land during this negotiating period. NCC is working towards giving longer leases for its agricultural properties to encourage investment in them.

There are concerns about NCC as a landlord – what if Just Food develops the site and then the NCC decides to sell to an entrepreneur (who could make the biodigester program larger)? NCC is the landowner – this parcel is part of their agricultural lease docket and is subject to the rules and regulations that govern that, including the new Greenbelt Master Plan, once approved. While this is something that needs to be spoken to by NCC, it is clear that the current direction in NCC, as

2 profiled in the newly released Greenbelt Master Plan, is to protect and enhance greenspace and sustainable agriculture in the Greenbelt.

This property is also subject to the zoning bylaws of the City of Ottawa, as well as agricultural regulations of the Province of Ontario. Our intention is to secure a long- term lease so that we can make investments in the property (e.g., improve the soil, rehabilitate the barn, install energy-efficient infrastructure, and build a new facility for both education and agricultural value-add opportunities) in support of the community farm, and in keeping with the current zoning, the different levels of jurisdictional requirements, including best management practices for agriculture. We aim to model and build capacity in small-scale practices, so we have no interest in “scaling-up.” The property is limited by a protected ecological buffer zone along Green’s Creek, a residential area along Tauvette, and , so if our land- based farm program was to expand, it would have to go elsewhere in the Greenbelt. The anaerobic digester, and any other project, will be scaled appropriately to the space and project to demonstrate something that is replicable by other small farm enterprises.

The Just Food Farm – Field Update: Field-based programs along the Innes/Pepin side of the property will be starting this spring 2013. Among them, the Just Food Start-up Farm Training program will begin (with new farmers being given a test crop of 0.25 acres each in their first year, to increase to 1 full acre each in their 3rd year). It is expected that 7 acres will be cultivated this year, with other acreage on the property being ploughed and planted with cover crop. This will include some of the fields along Tauvette, prioritizing fields that do not have trees, incorporating “edible landscape” principles, and maintaining treelines for windbreaks.

Please see this map of the cultivation plan.

A challenge on the property is that black plastic agricultural mulch was left in many fields. We plan to engage the community – especially high school students requiring volunteer hours to graduate – in the early spring to pull that plastic up. Stay tuned for details!

Are there other partners involved in this project? This year, we are working with Operation Come Home (youth enterprise program), Ottawa Food Bank (Community Harvest Program), Karen Community Farm (refugee integration program), Permaculture Ottawa (community food forest), Ecology Ottawa and Hidden Harvest (edible tree nursery). In the next three years, we are also planning a community orchard, native and heritage food plant and tree programs, and demonstration gardens including a children’s garden and an accessible garden. The programs will evolve as ideas and partnerships develop.

What about farm animals? How will you manage their excrement? We are planning for small farm projects that involve animals, poultry and bees. We are welcoming projects with beehives on the property this year. In future years, we

3 plan for a small flock chicken project (maximum 200) and/or very small numbers of sheep, goats or pigs. These will be subject to the minimum distance separation regulations of the province, the regulations of NCC, and the best practices within pastured, organic management. Animals play an important role in a sustainable farming system in that they enrich the soil with their manure. Animals on the property would be pastured at a scale that the soil can absorb/breakdown the manure (and odour) as the animals rotate within moveable fencing.

What about Dogs? Moe Garahan read out the NCC’s response to this question as displayed on an overhead slide:

This land is expected to be leased by Just Food. As a lessee, we have to follow the NCC animal regulation act. Articles 15 and 19 would apply: http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/about-ncc/regulations http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2002-164/

Any questions related to dog walking should be directed to the NCC contact centre: 613-239-5000.

Dogs (and cats), being carnivores, have feces that have harmful pathogens, which is why it is essential that they do not contaminate food-growing areas. NCC governs the rules for dog walkers on the premises, and currently have strict rules about dogs being on leash at all times. We recognize that this has not been enforced. Depending on what NCC allows us to do once we are accepted as a long-term tenant on the full property, Just Food is open to allowing responsible dog owners to enjoy the property if people walk on the internal roads only (not on the fields) with dogs on leash and cleaning up all feces and removing it from the premises. We recognize the potential for a win-win situation in terms of encouraging community enjoyment of the farm, the presence of dogs discouraging other wild animals, and constant people presence to keep an eye on the farm and report any problems. We are hopeful that NCC, Just Food and the dog-walking residents can find a solution other than having to ban dogs from the site. Most of the staff at Just Food own dogs, too! In the end, this will depend on NCC as the landowner.

The Header-house and Greenhouses: Just Food’s initial goal was to renovate the header-house and greenhouses into a community space for value-added activities – such as local food distribution, a community kitchen, educational and workshop space. Unfortunately, it has been determined that the buildings are not salvageable, so the NCC has decided to demolish them. This is scheduled to begin in February 2013.

Just Food is now working with a local business to establish the Ottawa Local Food Hub – close by, but not on the farm site, as there is no longer infrastructure currently available to support this work that was originally planned. It will be an

4 aggregation, light processing and distribution centre for locally produced food for mid-scale buyers and food-based organizations and programs.

Just Food’s current plan is to fundraise for a new building on the header-house site for both its community–based programs (including educational workshops, kids programs and a community seed bank), and value-added farm opportunities (including a commercial kitchen).

Why this site? Just Food was attracted to this site for a number of reasons:

- It was available for lease; - The zoning permits agricultural uses; - It has water service and a barn; - It is accessible – on a bus route and bike paths, just off the highway; - It has a unique network of roadways that make distinct paddocks for projects and enables community access; - It has a high level of biodiversity on the property; - We were interested in the potential of the building and greenhouses; and, - It is close to both a residential area and an ecologically protected area and we want to demonstrate the importance and fit of sustainable agricultural practices in these contexts as an important piece in preserving both the NCC Greenbelt, and urban/rural agricultural lands in Ottawa for generations to come.

Anaerobic Digester Presentation: Chris Young, an engineer with Full Circle Energy Solutions, presented technical information about the proposed Anaerobic Digester (AD).

Anaerobic Digestion 101: An Anaerobic Digester (AD) essentially works like a cow’s stomach. It uses naturally occurring microscopic organisms to digest residual biomass into pathogen-free, low odour material suitable to be used as fertilizer or animal bedding or to be formed into planting pots. The vessel is oxygen-free – hence the term “anaerobic”. It takes the feed-stock (in this case, food scraps and agricultural waste such as weeds) into a holding tank that breaks it down into a pump-able material, which is pumped into the digester vessel at a slow rate. At the end of the process, the material, called digestate, leaves the end of the vessel. The methane that is produced is captured in the sealed vessel. The methane is injected into a biogas generator that generates electricity. The heat from the engine will be captured to heat the hoophouses. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct – rather than methane (which would be released if the material was buried in a landfill).

Environmental and economic consequences of anaerobic digestion: AD technology reduces greenhouse gases compared to a typical landfill solution. Methane released in landfills and composters is 21 times more powerful than

5 carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Moreover, the combustion of methane in the AD releases carbon dioxide that could be directed to the greenhouse for absorption by the plants. The digestate helps to build healthy soil, enabling organic practices. Similarly to supporting the local food system – local sustainable energy solutions keep investment and jobs in the region.

Just Food’s Planned Digester: If the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) application is successful, it marks the ability to START the work of getting more information: detailed engineering studies and reports, 11 points to satisfying existing regulations, water quality, sound, smell, etc. must all be met. The list of approvals required for this project include: 1. Construction Plan Report 2. Consultation Report 3. Decommissioning Plan Report 4. Design and Operations Report 5. Effluent Management Plan Report 6. Emission Summary and Dispersion Modeling 7. Hydrogeological Assessment Report 8. Noise Study Report 9. Odour Study Report 10. Project Description Report 11. Surface Water Assessment Report

It will take at least a year to complete the above reports. Based on experience and other installations, this is what the team envisions:

• Equipment would include a holding tank, fibreglass digestion vessel, some pumps and a containerized 250KW bio-gas generator; • Receiving bin and a tub hopper that feeds the compost into the holding tank, is covered with a lockable receiver; • Receiving area housed in a small fabric-covered Quonset hut – similar to the hoophouses on site; • AD would be located close to a greenhouse, as it will be providing heat for it; • Most suitable location will be determined by the studies; • Able to process two tons/day, taking 29 days to fully digest; • It will take 60-90 days to get it going; • Once it’s “cooking” it keeps going in a cycle – in one end and out the other; • Small scale – not a big digester; • Food scraps from member feedstock partners and farm compost only; and, • 1 truck a day off Pepin Court, flatbed truck with “Green Bin” type waste carts collected from feedstock partners.

6 Moe and Chris answered questions from the audience:

Do you have any experience with similar projects? The team, made up of Full Circle Energy Solutions and their technology partners, are very experienced in the waste/energy field. Chris Young indicated that he personally does not have experience with anaerobic digesters, although he has much relevant experience with installing sustainable energy projects, but the project team has successfully delivered farm-based anaerobic digesters in the US and Canada. (In all cases, the team refers to Full Circle as the development company as well as the technology developer and feedstock science managers.) The project team has numerous anaerobic digesters in service.

Furthermore, the team have successfully delivered over 30MW of renewable energy in Ontario under the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program and Feed-In Tariff (FIT) programs. The team includes engineers for waste management, energy and infrastructure. The science team that develops and maintains the feedstock content is led by a career scientist with over 20 years experience with anaerobic digesters.

Current installations: This technology and application are not new. ADs are used in many applications, both large and small. They can use different types of biological feed-stock, including manure, agricultural residuals such as weeds and food scraps, or a combination of these. Leading countries include Germany, where there are over 8,000, including in urban areas, and they create a lot of power using diverse feedstock including food scraps. China is estimated to have 8 million small- scale bio-digesters. Other countries are increasing projects, including the UK that now has 214, and the US that now has 162. In Ontario, there are 13 projects known to Full Circle – four that are farm-based, and nine that treat waste-water. The average size of systems in Ontario is a similar size to what is proposed for the Just Food Farm: 250KW.

Are there similar digesters to what is being proposed in Ontario? There are at least four farm-based digesters in Ontario – in North Gower, Cobden, Amherstberg and St-Eugene, all using manure. These digesters are formed by a tank in the ground made out of concrete and have an expanding membrane roof. Our project will use a cylindrical tank on its side. It is equipment-based, scaled to our size of farm, and moveable (it is not permanent infrastructure). The closest one in Canada that uses this particular equipment is in BC. The closest anaerobic digester that is using the same equipment and food as feedstock is five hours away, in Vermont, USA.

How much energy goes back into the digester? Heat from the engine will be diverted to the digester tank to maintain required temperatures for the digestion process. The remainder will be diverted to the building during heating season and released through a radiator when building heating is not required.

7 Does the digester use continuous or batch process? Continuous – the digestate comes out through a corkscrew conveyer.

How big is the digester? The digester vessel is the largest component, with a footprint of 50 ft. x 12 ft. and 12 ft. high, and it is uncovered. The overall footprint includes a receiver tank and controls which is approximately 30 ft. x 30 ft. with a Quonset hut overtop and a containerized generator 30 ft. x 9 ft. Altogether, this maps to something that is approximately 90 ft. x 30 ft., with the maximum height being 12 ft.

How much noise does the digester create? There will be a silencer to attenuate the noise from the generator, plus acoustic screening to provide additional attenuation. Preliminary analysis indicates that this equipment produces under 35 decibels at the Tauvette properties.

Will there be an odour? Just Food has the same question – our office will be right beside the AD, so this is of concern to Just Food too. Fullcircle Energy Solutions states that there will be no detectable odours from this facility. The receiving area is contained to mitigate any possible odours from the feedstock. The feedstock will be transferred to a closed feeding tank, which will then be pumped into a sealed vessel for digestion, and that process removes the odours of the feedstock before it is released as digestate at the other end.

Will it attract flies and animals? No. The food waste is containerized, and none will be stored on site. When it is delivered it goes directly into the digester.

Who regulates the safety of the digester? The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) is the authority responsible for the safety elements in the design of such facilities. The TSSA is essentially the equivalent of the Electrical Safety Authority for piping systems. The proposed facility will require certification from the TSSA, and will include all manner of safety shut-offs.

Is there a required zoning amendment? No. ADs are allowed on agriculturally zoned agricultural areas.

Why wasn’t this in the original plan discussed with residents 1.5 years ago? Just Food always envisioned scale-appropriate green energy projects on the site, but had not yet explored specific technologies at that point as the project had just started. We plan to be a showcase for innovative applications of smaller-scale farm technology, including sustainable energy projects, such as solar energy, or bicycle- powered hullers and pumps. The AD is an interesting proposal because it fulfils several needs. It closes the food cycle by bringing vegetables back to the site, heats greenhouses, provides high-quality compost without open piles that might attract animals, and generates revenue to pay for the infrastructure itself from selling electricity to the FIT program.

8 What is the registration process for the FIT program? The application for the Small Generator FIT 2.0 opened on December 14 and closed on January 18. There are no other opportunities to apply to the program at this time. It was a two-page online form. As soon as we decided that we would put in an application we started the process of engaging the community about the project.

Why is this proposal being examined before it has been submitted to the NCC? Has there been a feasibility study? Why aren’t precise plans available? What information do we have to decide if this is a good idea? We are just starting this process. The application to FIT program is to establish if the utility can accommodate the generator on the grid. The detailed design will follow upon favourable review by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). The basic feasibility has been established; otherwise it would not have proceeded to the OPA application stage. If we are accepted to begin the FIT program, a full study will be conducted as outlined above to deal with the key issues. We will continue to engage and inform the community as more information is determined.

At what rate will energy be sold to the Ontario Power Board? The FIT program pays generators according to their size, technology and location (on-farm or off- farm) in accordance with the rate schedule posted on the OPA FIT website.

How much will this project cost taxpayers? The FIT program is not a tax subsidy for generators. The Feed in Tariff is based on the value of the energy delivered to the province. We are not asking for any government funding for the AD.

How is this project being financed? The cost of the digester would be paid for through financing with project partners with the intent of turning over the operations of the facility to a co-operatively owned enterprise. The project partners will remain part of the cooperative, demonstrating commitment to the project over the long term. This is not an equipment sales project – this is a long-term operation business. Full Circle is a team that is interested in the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of this project.

Why not use Orgaworld? The City only provides composting services to residents. Private businesses are not included in the City’s collection program and there is no intention of expanding it due to the high cost of collection. The Just Food Digester will provide a valuable way to deal with food scraps that would otherwise end up in the landfill.

Is there a manure pit? Will there be composting on site? This AD will not digest manure. There will be no manure pit. Composting of on-farm materials will be accomplished either through the AD or in standard piles.

What happens to waste water? The liquid portion of the feedstock is separated and used for irrigation, since it is pathogen-free and nutrient rich.

9 How will the property’s appearance be affected? The AD will be housed in a hut on site, along with other new structures, like the proposed facility to replace the header-house, a new greenhouse, a new wash stand for vegetables near the barn, etc. It will be scale-appropriate to the Just Food Farm.

Will there be fencing added to the property? Electric fencing will surround the vegetable patches to deter animal snacking.

Will there be an increase in traffic? How many people will be on the land at any one time? The site is already well used and most of the public access seems to be along Tauvette. We have been using the Pepin Court entrance and will continue to do so for farm-related activity, with the recognition that once a facility is built where the header-house used to be, car traffic related to activities in that building, including community programming, will use the Tauvette entrance to reach the parking lot. Just Food staff and interns number up to 12, who have been there from Monday to Friday for over 18 months now. Many use public transit and bicycles. We have had meetings, training sessions and events on site – most include fewer than 20 people.

The digester is expected to receive one truckload of compost per day. There will be no more than 12 small farm businesses in the first year, plus the participants in the partners’ projects. We are expecting that many participants and volunteers will use public transit and bicycles. This would be seasonal, with a decrease in traffic in the non-growing season.

How would this affect the real estate values? The real estate agent in the room indicated that this unique project, if done well, would put Blackburn Hamlet “on the map.” Being close to a source of local food can enhance real estate values. There is no reason to think that this project will have a detrimental effect on real estate values. The land has always been designated for agricultural use so the housing prices next to it would have that taken into account.

Just Food is intent on building a community asset. Our site has always been a farm, even when not in active use. Just Food is working towards a Community Farm – another lessee could completely restrict access to the property and do larger scale farming, and would not offer the opportunities for community involvement.

The community will have more opportunities to learn about the project as it develops. Just Food is a membership organization so people who share our values and mission can become members and vote at the Annual General Meeting. Just Food welcomes the participation of volunteers. If the AD project goes ahead, community members will be able to purchase a share in the cooperative.

10 Closing

MPP Royal Galipeau thanked Rainer Bloess for hosting the meeting, and indicated that he took notes and will be raising the issue in his next meeting with the NCC in the coming weeks.

Rainer Bloess closed the meeting by reflecting on the life of the property – the road allowance that could have led to a throughway north of Tauvette that has been stopped, the history of vandalism, parking issues, dog bites and tenants leaving the land in poor shape that have characterized the NCC property. The NCC has already refused a request for a formal off-leash dog run in the area. The issue of the way this land is used transcends three levels of government. He thanked Laura and her Board or their work in providing a forum to discuss this project.

Additional Comments/Concerns and Comments from Just Food • The first public meeting should have occurred at a more convenient time with advanced notice. (The meeting was held December 13th with 6 days notice by hand-delivered letters to every house. If mailboxes were not seen, letters were rolled up and put in a door handle. While far from ideal, there was literally no time other to hold a meeting when the Councillor and Just Food would be present before the FIT program open and closed – Dec. 14-Jan. 18 – unless we were to do so even closer to Christmas. We were encouraged by the BCA to hold one before Christmas and we all agreed we would hold another one in the new year.) • One man asked about digesters at the last meeting – no one got back to him with a list of digesters done by the company. (Just Food, Full Circle and Bloess’ office have worked hard to respond to the number of requests for information both on an individual level and at this past community meeting. We will continue to do so.) • Residents are concerned about the scale of the project. They fear that future waste management projects will be proposed on nearby properties or that this one will be expanded. Residents want a written guarantee concerning the scale of the operation. (Just Food said that should the AD project continue, the Just Food Board would be happy to provide written guarantee concerning the scale of the operation that will be approved by the Board for this project.) • A 25-year lease is too long. Just Food should not be awarded control of the lands for such an extended period of time. (It is Just Food’s understanding that longer- term leases allow for tenants to actually invest in the property, ensuring that infrastructure and soil is maintained.) • There is already a jail and quarry in Blackburn; the Hamlet has done their part for the community. • This type of proposal does not belong in a residential community. • There is too much recreational land being taken away from the community – first a soccer field and now this. Dog walkers, hikers and skiers will suffer.

11 • Residents hope that Just Food will leave the land in better shape than the last tenant. (Just Food confirmed that they have already improved the land and are committed to best practices.)

Additional Comments/Support: • I support this project and think it will be a good thing for Blackburn Hamlet. • I have stood beside many anaerobic digesters and have not noticed any smell. • I think that the objectives of this project are laudable. • Having worked for many years as an environmental consultant, I support this project, and note that it is in its very preliminary stages.

Follow-up • Post the notes from the meeting and any future information or meeting notices on the BCA website. (Information will also be posted on Councillor Bloess’ website and the Just Food website, however, the main go-to website for residents in Blackburn for official information will be the BCA website. No further notices will be hand delivered to residents.) It is strongly encouraged that residents sign up for the BCA to receive timely information. • Organize a trip for residents to view a similar digester. Two possibilities – Councillor Bloess and M.P. Galipeau will organize a field trip, or include a digester in the next OSEA Open House. Information on this will be forthcoming through the BCA.

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