AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE – MINUTES – 120th meeting / Monday, June 9, 2025 at 5:33 p.m.

Presentation of the Regional Wetlands and Waterways Plan (PRMHH) Action Plan – Information

The following presentation is provided for information purposes only, but the comments received will contribute to the development of the Plan toward its final version. The final Action Plan will be presented to the Commission du développement du territoire et de l’habitation (CDTH) on June 11. Members of the Agricultural Advisory Committee are invited to this session.

The PowerPoint document "Regional Wetlands and Waterways Plan (PRMHH)" is presented to the members. The presentation is broken down into the following sub-themes:

• Contextualization;
• The process;
• Conservation strategy and action plan;
• Timeline and recommendation.

Following the presentation, questions, answers, and comments were formulated regarding, among other things:

• The operating method for conducting validations of wetlands and waterways on land at the request of agricultural producers has not been determined to date;
• Relevant sectors will be targeted for validation, such as sectors more critical for agriculture. The goal is to validate 15% of wetlands and waterways in the territory to better understand their location, characteristics, and functions;
• The Service de l’urbanisme et du développement durable is responsible for regulatory requests concerning the agricultural environment;
• It is proposed to work in collaboration with the agro-environmental team of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) to target the sectors to be validated;
• Eventually, when more field validations have been carried out, higher quality information will be made available on the City's geoportal;
• The issue of compensation to agricultural producers for production losses due to the presence of wetlands and waterways that will be subject to conservation measures has not been studied to date. However, it is specified that the objective of the PRMHH is not to limit agriculture;
• Action 7.1 aims to clarify the procedure for interventions in watercourses, according to the powers granted by articles 103 to 110 of the Loi sur les compétences municipales;
• The knowledge acquired in action 5.1 will be used for planning purposes only. Field studies must still be carried out by owners during interventions in a wetland. However, this knowledge will facilitate decision-making during requests in sectors where no wetland is identified;
• A question was asked whether the methodology used by the organization Habitat Nature will be used to target wetlands and waterways. The response was that the procedure will be decided in the coming months;
• The administration is encouraged to do business with scientists present in our territory;
• The four levels of conservation of a wetland or waterway were recalled: protection, sustainable use, restoration-creation, or uncategorized;
• It is estimated that the acquisition fund must also be used for the acquisition of land for conservation;
• A fiscal model that rewards lands providing an ecological service was cited. The researcher behind this model is looking for municipalities that wish to test it;
• The steps to target the five wetlands and waterways to be restored are underway.

Tabling of the 2019-2023 PDZAA Action Plan Implementation Report and Presentation of the Updated 2026-2030 PDZAA Action Plan – Recommendation

The PowerPoint document "Agricultural Zone and Activity Development Plan (PDZAA) – Report and Action Plan 2026-2030" is presented to the members. The presentation is broken down into the following sub-themes:

• Objective of the presentation;
• Contextualization;
• Implementation report of the 2019-2023 action plan – Highlights;
• Presentation of the updated 2026-2030 action plan;
• Timeline and recommendation.

Following the presentation, questions, answers, and comments were formulated regarding, among other things:

• It is desired that the plan's actions allow for flexibility to act in a changing context, such as in the case of the federal bill to lower barriers to interprovincial cross-border trade;
• It is important to address a municipal land management strategy to ensure access to land, since several options exist;
• Discussions are underway at the PDZAA monitoring committee level to determine each file lead, such as that of royalties. Partners sitting on the committee collaborate on the steps taken and are able to provide relevant information or experiences lived in other RCMs. The services capable of carrying the mandates for project implementation for each action have been targeted;
• The Service de l’urbanisme et du développement durable will remain the main coordinator of the PDZAA, but will be supported by various services. It will be ensured that governance is clear;
• It is desired that action 1.3 (improving support and administrative processing processes for agricultural requests) be studied by the monitoring committee and the Agricultural Advisory Committee (CCA) to validate the winning formula;
• The UPA considers it a priority that a person at the City of Gatineau be dedicated to agriculture and the implementation of the PDZAA. All RCMs have agricultural development agents and the City of Laval, 30% of whose territory is in an agricultural zone compared to 40% in Gatineau, has an agricultural commissioner;
• The actions included in the PDZAA action plan will not require a notice of motion from the municipal council to be initiated individually. Its adoption by the municipal council will allow the administration to begin its implementation. However, a notice of motion from the municipal council will be necessary to make any change to the action plan, including to modify a year of completion;
• Several services were consulted during the development of the action plan. In addition, the PDZAA monitoring committee was established to ensure synergy between the different services and territories;
• Modifications to the following objectives and specific objectives are proposed:
  • 1.1.1: specify "by commercial agriculture";
  • 1.1.3: There are three objectives behind the fiscal levers, and not just one: 1) Reduce the tax burden on businesses (maintain the distinct rate); 2) Discourage the acquisition of agricultural land by non-operating owners; 3) Diversify funding sources aimed at supporting the agricultural sector and sustainable agricultural practices;
  • 1.1.3 and 1.1.4: it is proposed to combine these two objectives;
  • 1.2: specify "agricultural and agri-food marketing";
  • 1.2.2: modify to "Ensure services adapted to the needs of the next generation and existing businesses";
  • 1.2.3: specify "agricultural and agri-food marketing";
  • 1.2 (indicators): add the "map" of the City's support ecosystem;
  • 1.3.3: allocate budgets to infrastructure and services essential to agriculture (maintenance of watercourses, maintenance of ditches, development and monitoring of a mowing calendar to avoid the proliferation of invasive species, spreading of dust suppressants to promote the photosynthesis process of crops, signage, arbitration-conciliation, and other needs expressed by the agricultural community). Also, somewhere in the action plan, it should be added that the construction and repair of road infrastructure should respect the width of new agricultural equipment (wider than in the past);
  • 1.4: A monitoring effort should be added. Outside the process of revising the Schéma d’aménagement et de développement (SAD) and the concordance process, the government may lighten certain legislative/regulatory provisions. At that time, with the goal of facilitating the development of businesses on its territory, the City should (if it respects its planning framework) adapt its SAD and its other tools;
  • 1.4.3: modify to add "notably" before "by proceeding", since it is one means among others;
  • 2.1.1: it is suggested to speak of the study rather than the establishment of a permanent public market, to manage expectations and not presume the recommendation;
  • 2.1.2: it is suggested to allude to the Marché de l’Outaouais, but without committing to the form. Could it be to evaluate the possibility of supporting a market or a regional marketing hub?;
  • 2.1.3: It would also be necessary to align and relay existing campaigns (rather than duplicating);
  • 2.2: it is suggested to speak instead of an incubator or agri-food hub. Thanks to its location, the City would be relevant for the establishment of a logistics hub (marketing, distribution, and storage). And four agricultural platforms are already present in the region;
  • 2.2.2: it is asked to specify if the City wishes to develop and manage a space or support initiatives;
  • 2.2.5: it is asked to specify if the City wishes to develop and manage a governance model;
  • 3.2: More than awareness initiatives for the population, the development of agritourism, processing, or farm-gate sales serves to diversify a business's activities and increase its income. It is suggested to change the location of this element.
• A huge number of factors intervene in the evaluation of the economic health of farmers. We would not commit to the development of this indicator;
• The City wishes to participate in the reduction of structural issues that have an impact on farmers' production costs, but does not wish to insert itself directly into the affairs of agricultural businesses;
• It is highlighted that the problem of the decrease in the income of commercial agricultural businesses is palpable. The projected net income for the 28,000 businesses in Quebec in 2025 is -128 million, and this, before the announcement of tariffs;
• The preliminary budget estimate of the updated 2026-2030 action plan is presented for information purposes only.

R-CCA-2025-06-09/01

CONSEQUENTLY, this Committee recommends that the council adopt the updated action plan of the Agricultural Zone and Activity Development Plan (PDZAA) 2026-2030, considering the comments received during the presentation of the action plan at its meeting on June 9, 2025.

RECOMMENDED UNANIMOUSLY