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4 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Special zoning for agri-t tourism In their first attempt at recogizing the importance of the emerging agritourism industry, Clarington staff has recommended a special zoning for Bloom Field Farm Garden Centre. The farm, located at 3745 Highway 2, just east of Newcastle will be permitted to have agri-tourism uses as an accessory use to their farm operation. Nancy Mallette of Bloom Field Farm applied for an amendment to the zoning by-law to allow agri-tourism events within a tent structure on her property as an accessory to her existing nursery/garden farm operation. Her intent was to host farm and horticultural tours, educational sessions and social events such as charities and weddings. The Spring Food & Wine Festival, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Clarington charity event is scheduled for May 29th at Bloom Field Farm. Not only must municipalities protect the soils in their prime agricultural areas, they must also protect the economic viability of local farm operations, according to the staff report issued Monday. For years the familiar approach to protecting prime agricultural lands was to strictly limit the minimum size of an agricultural property and the permitted use of that property, according to the report. Agri-tourism is a fairly new concept for many municipalities, and is seen as a way to add value to a farm operation by providing an opportunity for farmers to reduce their economic risk by selling directly into the retail market. The overall consensus from the Clarington Agricultural Advisory Committee, when asked to comment on the idea of permitting agri-tourism uses as an accessory to a farm operation, was that any land use that would have a negative impact on the quality of the soil should not be permitted. While they did support the idea of allowing agritourism uses within Clarington, they wanted staff to recognize that what is truly worth protecting is the resource itself -- the soil, and its production potential. The Agricultural Advisory Committee wanted to ensure that any land use that may have a negative impact on the quality of the soil not be permitted, and any agri-tourism uses be limited in scale to ensure the farm operation remains the primary use of the property. These concerns were reflected in the special zoning that will be granted to the Bloom Field Farm property. This means that if the primary farm operation was to cease, the agritourism uses would also cease. Durham Regional Police Services Orono woman dies after vehicle hits horse on road A 50-year-old Orono woman involved in a serious motor vehicle collision on the weekend has succumbed to her injuries. Annette Bunte passed away on Monday night at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto following a collsion with a horse on Taunton Road near the Darlington / Clarke Line in Clarington on Saturday. On Saturday, March 27, at approximately 8:17 p.m., officers from East Division were called to the Taunton Road/Darlington/ Clarke Line area for a report of three loose horses on the roadway. Officers located a motor vehicle that had struck one of the horses, according to a press release from the police. The 50-year-old Orono female was transported to Lakeridge Health Center in Bowmanville, where she was loaded into a waiting air ambulance and transported to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Members of the Traffic Services Branch, Collision Investigation Unit attended the scene to conduct an investigation. A section of the roadway was closed for several hours while evidence was collected. Investigators said the horses were from a nearby fenced field but managed to kick the gate open and escape the enclosure. The owner of the two surviving horses was contacted and the animals were taken to a safe location, police said. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Constable Alan Ouellette of the Traffic Services Branch at 905-579-1520 (toll free 1888-579-1520) ext. 5272 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477. Do you think you have a drinking problem? We can help! ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS www.aaoshawa.org Donations always appreciated at the 905-728-1020 C l a r i ng t o n E a s t Food Bank 905-987-1418