ROCK CREEK – A planned food hub in the Kootenay Boundary region could be a reality this fall after three years of planning, supporting local meat processing capacity in the southern Interior. “There have been a lot of changes since we first began discussions in the spring of 2020,” says Vicki Gee, who was formerly …
Animal activists target abattoir
Video footage from surveillance cameras installed at Meadow Valley Meats in Pitt Meadows is underscoring the ongoing threat local livestock operations face from animal activists. Thousands of hours of footage handed over to the province on February 22 show what the group Animal Justice Canada alleges is the criminal mistreatment of animals and improper slaughter …
Carbon tax rebate announced
This week’s provincial budget delivered on a long-time wish of the agriculture sector by nixing the carbon tax rebate program in favour of a point-of-sale reduction similar to what exists in other jurisdictions. The change is one the BC Agriculture Council and greenhouse growers have been urging for years, most recently during the Ag Days …
Federal tax targets homes
Concerns are growing that a new federal tax designed to curb foreign speculation on residential real estate in Canada could take farmers by surprise. The so-called Underused Housing Tax is part of a package of measures that took effect January 1, including a two-year ban on foreign ownership. The new UHT could see foreign nationals …
Farmers question regenerative ag agenda
ABBOTSFORD – A new strategic framework for regenerative agriculture and agritech marked Pam Alexis’s first major event as the province’s agriculture minister when she addressed the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford on January 26. The framework puts a fresh stamp on the province’s development of a Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech Network (RAAN), a priority in …
Market garden powered by solar energy
SKOOKUMCHUK – Jessica and Harold Tichenor have renovated several properties over the years, developing their building and gardening skills to where they could tackle extremely challenging projects. At a point in their lives when most farmers are thinking about retirement, they bought an off-grid property in the East Kootenays that turned out to be one …