Carol Leeming is newest member of Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee

New member of committee is representative of agriculture sector

The newest member of a local drinking water source protection committee is Carol Leeming. She is a representative of the agriculture sector on the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley (ABMV) Source Protection Committee (SPC). The new agriculture rep was named on September 18, 2024 and attends her first committee meeting on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 in Holmesville.

Carol Leeming, of Leeming Farms/Leeming Acres, is a farmer from the Seaforth area. She grew up on a farm in Huron County and purchased her first farm property in 1986 in the Municipality of Huron East, in the former Tuckersmith Township. That farm was at the headwaters of the Bayfield River between Seaforth and Clinton. She now farms about 1,200 acres of land and has a poultry farm (laying hens) and also cash-crops (corn; soybeans; winter wheat; and white beans).

In addition to her farming experience, Carol Leeming is also a retired municipal planner who has more than 30 years of experience in municipal planning with the County of Huron. She has previously served as an accessibility coordinator; economic development program coordinator; in agricultural and community organizations and is a former President of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture.

The new committee member is a Master of Science graduate from the University of Guelph’s Rural Planning and Development program and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from U. of G. She has completed the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP).

Matt Pearson is Chair of the SPC. He says the new committee member will be a positive addition to the committee.

“Carol brings many strengths to her new role as a Source Protection Committee member,” he said. “Her experience in farming, local government, and the volunteering sector will complement the diverse skills and insights of the committee members. We look forward to working with Carol on our mandate to protect source water supplies.”

The new SPC member says she is honoured to be one of the two agricultural representatives on the committee.

“I look forward to working with the entire committee to implement locally developed, provincially approved source protection planning policies in an effective and practical way,” she said. “On my own farm, I have planted windbreaks and practised crop rotation to reduce wind and soil erosion. I have used best practices in application of fertilizer and nutrients to increase organic matter and fertility of my soil while also reducing the potential for nutrient loss.”

In addition to the SPC Chair, there are 12 members of the source protection committee. Four SPC members are from municipalities. There are four reps from the economic sector: two from agriculture; one from industry; and one from commerce. There are four SPC members from other interests: two from the environment sector; one property owner representative; and one public-at-large member. There are also non-voting liaison members from local public health; source protection authorities; and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).

A vacancy existed on the SPC after the passing of former agriculture rep Bert Dykstra in March of 2024. A Notice of Call for Applications and advertisement were issued on May 30, 2024 with a July 5, 2024 deadline to apply. Interviews with candidates took place in August of 2024.

To learn more about source protection and the SPC visit the Source Protection Committee web page.