Abbotsford updates farmland policies

Abbotsford has resumed efforts to update municipal agricultural policies, bylaws and regulations, and is preparing a framework for on-going bylaw compliance for ALR lands.

The work was postponed pending the outcome of the province’s initiative in 2018 to revitalize the Agricultural Land Commission and Agricultural Land Reserve. Abbotsford was three-quarters of the way through its work at the time.

A report released October 4 sets the stage for the finalization of Abbotsford’s overhaul of its management of agricultural land, with a fresh approach to bylaw compliance tailored to the specific circumstances of ALR properties being a key part.

Prior to the current review process, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun expressed concern about the number of non-complaint activities taking place in the ALR. The new plan calls for targeted action on hot-button issues including truck parking, unauthorized storage and soil deposit and removal. The three issues account for 76% of complaints the city received regarding compliance with ALR regulations between 2016 and 2020.

The city will target these activities with “an awareness campaign, a ‘self-reporting’ grace period, and escalated enforcement for undeclared non-compliance,” including automatic fines.

Since the city cannot constantly monitor ALR properties for compliance, it “will continue to respond to all reports of non-compliance based on priority.”

To pre-empt instances of non-compliance, the city plans to tighten zoning policies and permitting processes. Commercial vehicle dispatch will no longer be a permitted residential use, for example.

In addition, a new farm business licence is proposed for on-farm retail operations larger than 10 square metres within permanent structures. Special event permits are also proposed for events of 50 people or more, recognizing that larger events – such as tulip festivals – can negatively impact farmland.

The document also outlines revisions to policies related to agricultural properties in its Official Community Plan, and updates to zoning bylaw regulations for farming areas.

The latter includes an overhaul of the city’s six existing agricultural zonings and the removal of a minimum lot size for keeping swine, facilitating small-scale meat production.

The city welcomes feedback on the report through November 5.

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3 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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4 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.

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Lana Popham is the hardest working MLA in the province, I don’t agree with the NDP policies, however I do recognize a hard working MLA…thanks for what you do