Rural Affairs Office Your resource for everything rural in Ottawa September 2016 Follow the Rural Affairs Office on Twitter at @ottawarural Version française Table of Contents New grants available through the Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program Free Site Visits to Ottawa Residents Wanting to Plant Trees Omnibus Zoning Amendments affecting the rural area Order of Ottawa The Greenbelt Fund Grant - Apply Now Civic Events Funding Program Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR) Site Alteration By-law Development Major Fairs and Festivals in Rural Ottawa Rural Development Applications New grants available through the Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program The Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program (ORCWP) provides funding for projects that protect surface water and groundwater quality. Landowners completing projects in 2016 may be eligible for grants of up to $15,000 depending on the project they are undertaking. The next application deadline is September 30, 2016. New grants are available! Grants are available for 18 kinds of projects addressing nutrient management, soil protection, water management, land stewardship, and education and innovation. Farmers from rural and urban Ottawa along with landowners within rural Ottawa are eligible to apply. Approved applicants must complete a 3rd or 4th Edition Environmental Farm Plan (farm projects), or Healthy Home Guidebook (non-farm projects). Canadian Organic Certification is also accepted for some farm projects. Non-profit organizations can apply for education and innovation projects. Applications will be accepted through the LandOwner Resource Centre, which works in partnership with the Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley, and South Nation Conservation Authorities and the City of Ottawa. Contact the LandOwner Resource Centre at 613-692-3571, toll free at 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1136. Visit ottawa.ca/cleanwater to see a full list of eligible projects and to download an application form. Free Site Visits to Ottawa Residents Wanting to Plant Trees Landowners thinking of planting 500 trees or more are encouraged to book their free site visit. The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority offers private landowners a tree planting program that helps them get technical advice, planting plans and funding for trees. The goal is to make planting trees easy and affordable. To be eligible, landowners need at least one acre of land and are willing to plant a minimum of 500 trees. If you have the space, RVCA can help get trees growing on your land for 15 cents a tree. Since 1983, RVCA has planted over 5.4 million trees on private property for landowners. Tree planting is one the most practical ways to take care of our watershed and the wider environment. Trees improve local biodiversity by providing shelter for birds and wildlife, while at the same time providing us with windbreaks, screening and shade. Forests act as a major filter and cleansing system for water that soaks into the ground and feeds our wells and underground water systems. The newly planted trees take a little tender loving care in their early years, but once they are “free-growing,” they provide all of these advantages for up to 80 years or more. The program is made possible thanks to the RVCA’s 18 member municipalities, the City of Ottawa’s Green Acre Program, the Province of Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program, Forest Ontario and numerous private businesses and watershed residents who donate to the tree planting program. To get more information or to book a free site visit, contact Scott Danford, RVCA Forestry Program Manager at 613-692-3571 or 1-800-387-5304, ext.1175. Omnibus Zoning Amendments affecting the rural area Section 211-212, Agricultural Zone, Rural Areas – City Wide The current AG (Agricultural) zone prohibits agricultural use on lots smaller than ten hectares in area, depending on the AG subzone. The proposed change would have the effect of permitting ‘agricultural use’ as an accessory use to a dwelling on any lot zoned AG, AG1, AG2 or AG3 (including lots created through severances or lot line adjustments) with a minimum lot area of 0.8 hectares. The proposed change will not affect the ability to sever or subdivide agricultural land, nor will this change remove any existing permissions. Contact: David Maloney, 613-580-2424 ext. 14057 ([email protected]) Order of Ottawa The Order of Ottawa celebrates outstanding citizens. This prestigious civic award recognizes exceptional citizen contributions in the many areas of city life including arts and culture, business, philanthropy, health care, education, public service, labour, communications and media, science, sports, entertainment or other fields of endeavour that benefit the citizens of Ottawa. Please take a moment to nominate an Ottawa resident whose extraordinary work and commitment has helped make our city a better place to live. Any resident of Ottawa who has made a significant contribution in a professional capacity that has been of benefit to our community is eligible for nomination. Submissions consisting exclusively of volunteer work will not be considered. Such submissions, however, could be considered for the Mayor's City Builder Award, a civic honour created to recognize outstanding volunteerism. Nominations by immediate family members, self-nominations, and posthumous nominations will not be accepted. Municipal, provincial and federal officials are not eligible to be considered for this award while they are in office. Nominations will be considered every year for five consecutive years from the date of submission. Nominations for the Order of Ottawa or the Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching may be completed online or by completing a nomination form, available at your local community centre, public library or any Client Service Centre. You can also download and print a copy of the nomination form. The nomination deadline is Friday, September 9, 2016 at 11:59 P.M. EST. Nominations received after the deadline date will be considered the following year. The Greenbelt Fund Grant - Apply Now The Local Food Investment Fund is dedicated to getting more locally grown food onto the plates of Ontarians. The Greenbelt Fund is now accepting applications for Round 3, and we encourage you to apply for a grant to help your business or organization be a leader in championing Ontario food. There are three grant streams available for funding: 1) Broader Public Sector - Increasing local food purchases by public sector organizations and institutions. 2) Market Access - Increasing access of small and mid-sized farms and processors to markets 3) Local Food Literacy - Improving understanding of where local food can be found, what local foods are available, and how to use Ontario-grown and raised food Please consult the grant guideline for application instructions. If you would like to speak with one of our staff about your application, please contact Program Manager Franco Naccarato at [email protected] or Program Officer Sagal Dualeh at [email protected]. The deadline for applications is September 13, 2016 at 5pm. Visit www.greenbeltfund.ca/applying_for_a_grant to get started. Civic Events Funding Program Local not-for-profit organizations such as community groups and recreation associations are invited to apply for funding to provide one to two-day community events with free admission that foster civic pride and develop community cohesion. These events are held in a specific geographic district in Ottawa, and encompass a broad range of activities and family entertainment. The event does not need to be held on a statutory holiday. Your community event can now be celebrated anytime during 2017. New In 2017 The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa 2017 Bureau are collaborating on the Civic Events Funding Program. As in previous years, the $50,000 from the Civic Events Funding Program will continue to fund community focused events. The additional investment of $150,000 will specifically focus on community events that celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Civic Events Funding Program Deadline: Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 4 pm Information Package Application Form For more information, contact [email protected] or 613.580.2424 extension 14133. Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR) Who should be following this update? Landowners in or adjacent to lands already designated as Agricultural Resource Area on Schedule A of the City’s Official Plan. Why is the City updating LEAR? The Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton identified the existing Agricultural Resource Area in 1997 using a Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR) system. Key components of the LEAR system are soil capability for agriculture, land use and parcel size. New soils mapping and changes in land use and the size and nature of farms in the city over the last 20 years warrant re-examining and updating the existing LEAR system. The Ontario Municipal Board has also directed the City to complete this update. Study Objectives Review and update the 1997 Ottawa-Carleton LEAR assessment criteria Produce new LEAR mapping that incorporates the updated land use data and the most recent Canada Land Inventory soil mapping Determine if the Agricultural Resource Area boundary in the City’s Official Plan should change to reflect the updated LEAR findings Next Steps/Schedule The LEAR Working Group is finalizing the changes to the LEAR system. Over the summer and early fall, field verification of the findings will be undertaken. Recommendations on possible changes, if any, to the Agricultural Resource Area will be made and notice of changes will be sent to all affected land owners A draft Official Plan Amendment will be advertised, circulated and presented to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Planning Committees in November 2016 and Council in December 2016/ January 2017 Information Please complete this form to be added to the project mailing list. Contact Information Bruce Finlay Planner Planning and Growth Management City of Ottawa 110 Laurier Avenue West 613-580-2424, ext.