Bill will let barns be replaced without review
Legislation focuses on livestock operations, zoning bylaws and appeals
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$19 $0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then billed as $19 every four weeks (new subscribers and qualified returning subscribers only). Cancel anytime.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/03/2018 (2201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Manitoba government will make it easier for livestock producers to replace aging barns, as it amends legislation governing municipal planning.
A bill introduced in the legislature Monday focuses on three main areas: livestock operations, zoning bylaws and appeals.
The City of Winnipeg is not directly affected by Bill 19 (the Planning Amendment Act), as it is governed under separate legislation.
If Bill 19 were enacted, hog producers, for instance, would be able to replace outdated barns — and increase their size by up to 15 per cent — without having to undergo a new municipal review. To avoid a review, the operations would have to be in compliance with existing bylaws.
Large-scale livestock operations would no longer be required to be designated as a conditional use in a zoning bylaw. Municipalities would be given the choice to determine this based on local conditions.
Any bylaws that designate livestock operations as a conditional use would have to be reviewed within one year of the bill being enacted.
Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton said nothing in Bill 19 would erode any existing environmental protections.
“All the environmental concerns would have to be met. Nothing has changed (in that regard),” he said.
Last year, as part of an omnibus bill, the Progressive Conservative government led by Premier Brian Pallister ended the general prohibition on the construction or expansion of manure storage facilities for hog operations. A key change eliminated the requirement for hog producers to install high-cost anaerobic digesters to treat manure before it is spread on, or incorporated into, fields. The expensive digesters acted as a big disincentive to new-barn construction.
In a background briefing on Monday, reporters were told Bill 19 would ensure “fair opportunities” for industry expansion, while reducing or removing regulations that are overly prescriptive, outdated or redundant.
It would establish a 30-day time period for the Municipal Board to report on a hearing concerning a development plan bylaw. As of now, there is no deadline.
Currently, the process for adopting or amending a zoning bylaw provides for additional proceedings if any one person objects.
Under the bill, those proceedings would only be required if objections were received from 25 voters. If a zoning amendment concerned a specific property, a hearing would be held if at least 50 per cent of neighbouring owners objected.
At the present, decisions about conditional-use applications for large-scale livestock operations or aggregate quarry operations are not subject to appeal. Under Bill 19, an applicant would be able to appeal a rejection (or the imposition of conditions on an approval) to the Municipal Board.
Chris Goertzen, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, said he favours the requirement that 25 residents object to a rezoning before it goes to the Municipal Board.
“We welcome that. It simplifies the process and clarifies the process for municipalities,” he said, adding he also approves provisions of the bill that would increase local autonomy for municipalities.
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew, however, expressed concerns the bill would remove some checks on development.
“This could potentially make it harder for people to object to changes that developers want to make,” Kinew said, noting he had not had a chance to review the bill in detail or discuss it with his caucus.
Kinew said while the hog industry generates economic activity, it also has a significant potential impact on the environment.
He expressed concern about a provision that would allow a 15 per cent increase in barn capacity — without a municipal review — when a farmer replaced an existing facility.
“If you had that happening across the board, that could have a real impact on water in our province,” Kinew said.
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Larry Kusch
Legislature reporter
Larry Kusch didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life until he attended a high school newspaper editor’s workshop in Regina in the summer of 1969 and listened to a university student speak glowingly about the journalism program at Carleton University in Ottawa.