A slight tax increase?

[cakadu]

Linda the provincial regulations were to put everyone on a level playing field and ensure that environmental issues were dealt with at the time of application for new or expanding Confined Feeding Operations. Many municipalities placed numerous conditions on feeding operations but didn't monitor the operation to ensure that the conditions were being complied with.
The right to allow subdivisions within the setback of a confined feeding operation still rests with the municipalities. In the issue that I refer to the feedlot has a permit and abides by his conditions, is a good operator and certainly has the landbase and family involvement to expand his operation at some time in the future. I am very concerned with someone that has bent the rules and hasn't even made an attempt to follow rules will be allowed to stifle the growth of an existing operation in an area of the county where cattle operations abound. If the feedlot was half a mile from a hamlet or a town or other country residential development I would have a different view on the matter.
The fact that our local Development Officer and CEO aren't the least bit informed about legislation and neither of them have an agricultural background is a real problem .

[cakadu]

What you are describing is indeed a real problem emrald. I don't know how people can be paid or expected to make informed decisions when they don't know or understand the issues and concerns or it sounds like in your case, the legislation regarding various decisions. If you haven't seen the area or don't understand how it all works, then how can you possibly be responsible for making the decisions.

What were the criteria that these people were hired on? More and more we are seeing people who have never had much of anything to do with agriculture making decisions regarding agricultural practices, issues etc. We are slowly being regulated to death and by people who don't have a clue what it is they are setting policy to.

Granted, you can't know everything about every topic, but you should at the very least be knowledgeable about what you are responsible for.

[cakadu]

The CEO has excellent strengths in financial matters which of course, is very important to a municipality. The previous Development Officer was a farm boy, and was a stickler for rules and regulations but he butted heads with the CEO, and left. The current Development Officer takes exception to anyone wanting clarification on any of his recommendations to the planning commission. His complete lack of knowledge about agricultural issues and the need for space for the agricultural industry to grow is going to be a real problem.
The previous council gave him widespread decision making powers and much of what used to come to the planning commission is within his powers to approve, which is scary to say the least.
I documented my conversation with him and sent it to the CEO, so it will be interesting to see what evolves.

[cakadu]

Sad reality is that we will all meet up with those person(s)that are in reality insecure in their positions which manifests itself in the behaviors you are describing.

Rather than admit to possibly not knowing something it is easier to attempt to make everyone else feel small. Unfortunately we see an awful lot of those type of people in positions of authority which ends up being to the detriment of us all.
The other scenario is where people get a little bit of power and it goes to their heads.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, is done about your letter to the CAO.

[cakadu]

I spoke to the chairman of the planning commission and he advised that this is not the first time the development officer has been rude to a member of the public. Apparently the guy is still on probation so that may result in him either having an attitude adjustment or getting shown the door. He made some glaring errors a few months ago when developing an area structure plan for a hamlet which is down the road from my farm. He was recommending a buffer zone of nearly five miles in all areas around the hamlet where no confined feeding operations could locate, and he wasn't aware that there already was a feedlot existing within the buffer zone. I contacted him and asked why they were literally freezing a huge amount of land that would likely never be developed into residential, when confined feeding operations could take the form of poultry barns that really make very little impact. By recommending the huge buffer zone he was literally saying that no-one could diversify their operation to include a small feeding operation regardless of the species. The owner of the feedlot attended the council meeting when the area structure plan was being discussed and made a presentation regarding his own operation and the intention to expand within the next few years. He had all his facts straight regarding the legislation governing feeding operations and tabled a lengthy letter regarding his concerns with the proposed plan, so the council reduced the buffer zone by nearly two miles.
Of course the Development Officer is still smarting from being over ruled in that instance.