MERVILLE—The next round of changes coming to the Agricultural Land Reserve was announced September 19 as representatives from the BC Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural Land Commission met with farmers in the first of six consultation sessions about how the province could support farmers. Many of the more than 125 farmers, landowners and agriculture …
ALC
ALC needs local governments
The linchpin of farmland protection in BC is local government, according to the head of the Agricultural Land Commission. “The commission can’t really do anything without local government,” Kim Grout, the commission’s CEO told a meeting in Merville last week that kickstarted a seven-week consultation on how the province can better support farmers and farming …
ALC steps up compliance efforts
New hires at the Agricultural Land Commission are leading to stronger protections for farmland in BC. The commission now employs seven compliance and enforcement staff, with the latest two being added this year. Staff are now stationed in regions across the province, a shift from three years ago when two staff based in Burnaby were …
Kelowna endorses intergenerational farmhouse
A development application in Kelowna will challenge provincial regulations governing residential development within the Agricultural Land Reserve. Kelowna council endorsed an application by the Baring family this week to build a home totalling 695 square metres (7,481 square feet) north of downtown near Kelowna International Airport. But the province adopted a new regulation in February …
ALC puts focus on farming
The province’s Agricultural Land Commission is drawing fire for its decision to reject a request by Rusted Rake Farm of Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island to operate its on-farm restaurant. The decision, handed down September 5, also nixed the farm’s plans for a microbrewery until it is producing enough grain to support its planned production. …
One province, one panel
VICTORIA – A second round of changes to the Agricultural Land Commission is in the works that will eliminate the system of six regional panels the BC Liberals established in 2002. The change headlines a bill BC agriculture minister Lana Popham introduced March 7. It was one of the first government bills tabled in the …