RICHMOND – Changes are coming to what’s allowed within the Agricultural Land Reserve, but ongoing fallout from regulations introduced last winter following the passage of Bill 52 are prompting the province to give landowners a heads-up. “There’s a sense of urgency on some of these issues that would make us want to move quickly,” assistant …
ALR
Farmers’ institutes briefed on ALR
Representatives from 35 farmers’ institutes gathered in Richmond on November 29 at a meeting convened by the BC Ministry of Agriculture to discuss priorities and receive updates on ministry initiatives designed to support farming. Ongoing changes to the Agricultural Land Commission and regulations governing activities in the Agricultural Land Reserve were a particular focus. Several …
Ranchers voice ALR concerns at public meetings
CRANBROOK – The province seems to be acting first and asking forgiveness later when making changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve, and that’s not working for ranchers in the East Kootenays and Kamloops region. Close to 60 farmers and landowners met in Cranbrook on November 5 for the seventh in a series of eight public …
Satellite surveillance on hold
A controversial plan to use satellites to monitor activities in the Agricultural Land Reserve has been put on hold pending consultation with landowners. A notice of intent to contract with Richmond-based MDA Systems Ltd., which the BC Ministry of Agriculture posted to BC Bid, the government’s procurement site, on November 13, disappeared November 18. The …
Housing tops concerns in Cranbrook
The province’s consultation on supporting farming in the Agricultural Land Reserve continued in Cranbrook on November 5, where 62 residents turned out to say the current system isn’t working for them. “It’s important that you start listening,” said Randy Reay, a rancher from Jaffray and land use chair with the Kootenay Livestock Association. The province …
Paton presents ALR petition
A petition seeking the repeal of recent legislation governing the activities of the Agricultural Land Commission and what’s allowed in the Agricultural Land Reserve was presented to the legislature on Monday. Delta South MLA and agriculture critic Ian Paton delivered the petition, signed by nearly 27,000 people, and asked agriculture minister Lana Popham on their …