AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE – MINUTES – 123rd Meeting / Monday, March 9, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

The document "2026 Work Plan" is presented to the members. Questions, answers, and comments are formulated regarding, among other things:

• The overall portrait of the Orientations gouvernementales en aménagement du territoire (OGAT) project was presented to the Land Use and Housing Development Commission last February. This presentation is available online. The component that will be presented to the CCA will mainly concern the agricultural zone;
• Reflections regarding regulatory changes affecting the decreed agricultural zone will begin in 2026 and continue in 2027;
• It is estimated that the 2026 work plan is busy, since there are only four meetings left in 2026. It is answered that the objective of the 2026 work plan is to begin discussions and reflections, which may continue in 2027.

R-CCA-2026-03-09/01

CONSIDERING THAT the 2024-2025 work plan of the Agricultural Advisory Committee has expired;

CONSEQUENTLY, this Committee recommends that the council adopt the 2026 work plan of the Agricultural Advisory Committee, as presented.

UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED

The sectoral agreement for the development of the bio-food sector of the Outaouais aims at the development of the sector throughout the region. The partners pool their financial resources and expertise to support structuring bio-food projects. Twelve financial partners participate in this agreement, including: the City of Gatineau, the RCMs, the MAMH, the MAPAQ, the MEIE, the MESS, Santé Québec - CISSSO, Tourisme Outaouais, and the Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides. The Table agroalimentaire de l’Outaouais (TAO) is the agent for the Agreement.

The objective is to support projects that contribute to the development of bio-food systems, particularly in terms of agricultural succession, processing, marketing, short circuits, and local food, among others. Since 2021, the City of Gatineau has invested $145,000, and these investments have allowed for the support of 21 structuring projects. The third version of the agreement provides for nearly three million dollars in financial aid from all partners. Some projects have generated benefits and continue to do so, such as the Christmas Market, Croquez l'Outaouais!, initiatives related to agricultural succession, etc.

It is important to link the ESBO and the PDZAA action plan. The latter defines the priorities for the territory, and the ESBO is one of the regional levers to finance the achievements. The participation of the City of Gatineau in ESBO-3 was confirmed at the council meeting on February 17. The signing of the agreement is underway by all partners.

Questions, answers, and comments are formulated regarding, among other things:

• Each year, the TAO and the MAPAQ provide the City, in connection with its PDZAA, with the benefits of the projects funded by the ESBO. This information can be presented to the CCA;
• The MAPAQ chairs the agreement and the TAO administers it;
• The first project submission method provides for the adoption of an annual action plan where partner projects will be attached upstream, to then be recommended to the steering committee. The second submission method provides for calls for projects based on a calendar established by the steering committee;
• Projects are usually submitted annually, but there will also be the submission of three-year projects, since ESBO-3 is for a duration of three years.

A letter containing a resolution from the board of directors of the Syndicat de l’UPA des Collines de l’Outaouais dated March 2, 2026, is filed with the CCA. The letter is read:

"During its regular meeting on March 2, 2026, the board of directors of the Syndicat UPA Collines de l’Outaouais adopted the following resolution:

Considering that the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (CPTAQ) has confirmed in writing that no authorization is required when a container is used exclusively for agricultural purposes on a property located in an agricultural zone;

Considering that the intended use is strictly agricultural and does not constitute a change of use within the meaning of the Loi sur la protection du territoire et des activités agricoles (LPTAA);

Considering that under the applicable legal framework, a municipality may regulate constructions and their implementation methods, but cannot adopt a bylaw having the effect of prohibiting or neutralizing an agricultural activity permitted in an agricultural zone;

Considering that the City of Gatineau has expressed its intention to align with the applicable provincial legislative framework in the agricultural zone, notably the Loi sur la protection du territoire et des activités agricoles (LPTAA), and not to adopt more restrictive provisions for agricultural activities;

Considering that an infringement notice was nevertheless issued under the municipal zoning bylaw regarding the use of a container for agricultural purposes on a property located in an agricultural zone;

Considering that this situation could create a precedent and have an impact for all agricultural producers in the territory of the City of Gatineau;

It is proposed by Victor Drury, seconded by Cheryl Layer, and resolved:

That the Syndicat de l’UPA Collines de l’Outaouais officially support the producer concerned in his efforts to have the conformity of the exclusively agricultural use of the container recognized;

That the Syndicat ask the City of Gatineau to suspend the application of the infringement notice until a regulatory harmonization is completed;

That the Syndicat request that the file be placed on the agenda of the Agricultural Advisory Committee (CCA) so that a formal recommendation can be transmitted to the municipal council.

Adopted unanimously."

We hereby officially transmit this resolution so that it can be brought to the attention of the Agricultural Advisory Committee of the City of Gatineau.

Questions, answers, and comments are formulated regarding, among other things:

• This file is known, and it is mentioned that during the inspection, the shipping container was not used for the storage of agricultural equipment;
• However, the agricultural producer claims that he has commercial warehouses for his activities other than agricultural, and that if the inspectors had come in the spring, it would have been observed that the shipping container was used to start crop plants;
• It is mentioned that within the meaning of the Law, it is possible to store fertilizer or agricultural equipment;
• This UPA resolution is filed for the sake of fairness, since although it is a specific file, its scope is rather collective;
• It is added that there are other places where storage is observed that is not related to agriculture on agricultural land. Disputes are ongoing regarding this type of storage. It is desired that storage on agricultural land be reserved for agricultural equipment;
• The resolution specifies that storage in shipping containers would be exclusively for agricultural activities;
• This type of file raises questions about the urban planning regulations in force.

The SUDD (Urban Development Department) takes note of the filing and this letter will be taken into consideration in the work already planned in the CCA work plan on regulatory adjustments. However, no position will be taken on the specific infringement.

A letter from the Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides requesting the hiring of a resource dedicated to agricultural development is filed with the CCA. The letter is read:

"Subject: Request for the hiring of a resource dedicated to agricultural development - City of Gatineau

As president of the Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides and on behalf of the agricultural producers of the territory of the City of Gatineau, I wish to bring to your attention a priority and structuring issue for the future of Gatineau agriculture: the absence of a municipal resource dedicated to agricultural development.

For more than twelve years, the agricultural community, through the Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides, has been calling on the City of Gatineau to acquire such a resource, similar to what is already being done in other RCMs of the Outaouais and elsewhere in Quebec. This request is all the more justified as nearly 40% of the territory of the City of Gatineau is zoned agricultural, which represents considerable potential, but also significant challenges in terms of land use planning, cohabitation of uses, and economic development.

As part of the work to revise the Plan de développement de la zone agricole et agroalimentaire (PDZAA), the message from the community is clear and unanimous: the hiring of a resource dedicated to agricultural development constitutes the number one need to ensure the concrete and coherent implementation of this plan. Without a person responsible for accompanying producers, coordinating actions, and acting as a link between the various municipal services, the realization of the PDZAA remains, in our opinion, strongly compromised.

Currently, producers who wish to start, consolidate, or develop their activities face a multiplication of stakeholders, procedures, and regulatory interpretations. This situation creates a real obstacle course, often discouraging, which harms both agricultural projects and the relationship between the community and the municipal administration. A dedicated resource would precisely allow for playing this role of facilitator, accompanier, and point of convergence, for the benefit of all parties.

We are convinced that such a position would represent a strategic investment for the City of Gatineau: direct support for agricultural businesses, better coherence of municipal interventions, enhancement of the agricultural territory, and tangible contribution to the sustainable and economic development of the City.

In this sense, we respectfully invite the development committee to recommend the hiring of a municipal resource dedicated to agricultural development, in order to give the City of Gatineau the means for its ambitions and to respond concretely to the needs of its agricultural community.

We remain, of course, available for any discussion, clarification, or collaboration aimed at advancing this essential file.

Sincerely,

Stéphane Alary, President, Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides Cheryl Layer, President, Syndicat UPA Collines de l’Outaouais"