BC’s Agricultural Land Commission has rejected an application by Ducks Unlimited and the Nature Trust of BC to remove 450 metres of diking within the Agricultural Land Reserve to facilitate restoration of the Cowichan Estuary on Vancouver Island.
The unanimous decision, dated August 11, was made public August 26.
“The Properties, in their current state, are capable of agricultural use as evidenced by their BCLI [BC Land Inventory] ratings, the previous agricultural production by local dairy farmers, and the current use of a portion of the Properties by the Applicants and their partners for an Indigenous plant nursery,” the decision states.
The decision affects one segment of 1,700 metres of dike abutting the Dinsdale farm, a property of about 173 acres acquired by the Nature Trust of BC and Ducks Unlimited Canada in 1990. Approximately 100 acres were farmed until two years ago, when leases to local farmers were terminated in advance of estuary restoration.
While removal of the entire dike will result in the inundation and salinization of the land, removal of the ALR-portion of the dike is a particular concern.
“The Properties may be subject to increased inundation due to tides and other flood events, even if just the non-ALR portion of Dinsdale Dike were removed. However, that impact would be less than if the ALR portion of Dinsdale Dike were also removed,” the ALC states. “The Executive Committee finds that inundation and salinization of the soil on the Properties narrow the range of crops that can be grown on the Properties and impacts the integrity of the ALR.”
This being the case, Ducks Unlimited and the Nature Trust have been put on notice that their resolve to remove 1,250 metres of diking outside the ALR could prompt a response from ALC compliance and enforcement staff.
“The ALC did the right decision,” says Jack McLeod, president of the Land Keepers Leadership Society in Cowichan Bay, which has taken the lead in advocating for preserving the land for agriculture. “Vancouver Island has about 1% farmland; the more farmland you take away, the less we have to feed ourselves.”
The fact the decision was unanimous also sends a strong message, he adds.
“This decision reflects the whole farming community throughout British Columbia,” he says.
However, the province’s agriculture minister isn’t onside.
“While I understand the concerns of removing the dike on ALR land, this project is extremely important for fish and wildlife conservation and supporting the local Indigenous food system,” Lana Popham says in a statement to Country Life in BC.
The decision leaves the next move up to the Nature Trust of BC and Ducks Unlimited, which Popham says will need to decide how they wish to proceed.
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