ALR ‘here to stay’ JUDIE STEEVES
Larger budget, legislative changes in the works as provincial government follows up on Bullock review of Agricultural Land Reserve. By Judie Steeves
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owing to strengthen the Agricultural Land Commission and protect farmers, agriculture minister Don McRae has brought in a bill to amend the act with a number of changes aimed at discouraging speculation and repeated attempts to remove land from the ALR. As well, he will add $600,000 this year and $1 million next year to the ALC’s $1.92 million budget, including the hiring of a new chief executive officer, a position currently combined with that of chairman Richard Bullock, a Kelowna orchardist. Concurrently, McRae released Bullock’s report on his review of the ALR, completed for government a year ago, which recommended division of the two positions, along with a number of other changes. McRae says the message is that the land reserve is here to stay. “We value farmers and the ALC and we’ve backed that up with money and legislation.”
Bullock said he is concerned that ever since the act creating the land commission was passed in 1973 by the NDP, “A lot of people never believed it was a solid piece of legislation.” He complained the commission spends too much time reacting and not enough being proactive about preserving farmland, dealing with up to 1,000 applications a year. Now, there will be a five-year moratorium on repeat applications to the ALC, to help reduce the number of
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applications and free up staff to focus on some realignment of the ALR boundaries, better mapping and a new online tracking system that will provide enhanced web services. Increased enforcement is another focus, with the two commission staff to be augmented by as many as 30 staff from other ministries who will also be able to enforce the ALC act. Bullock envisions local government bylaw enforcement officers having the power to enforce it as well, if municipalities or regional districts wish to.
Bullock had recommended doing away with the six regional panels to the main commission created a few years ago, but McRae said he felt they are important because of the size and regional geographical differences in the province, so they’ll stay. However, with the CEO position split off, the chairman should have the
time to oversee operations of the panels to help ensure more cohesiveness and consistency in decisions made around the province, said McRae. The chairman will now have the power to review the panels’ decisions.
Bullock also said he would like to see the ALC begin to communicate with municipalities and regional districts around the province about the reserve, how it impacts their communities, and what they can to to ensure the protection of farmland is considered first, before a building is permitted on it.
McRae said communities that have a vision for the future of their communities can now engage the ALC, but he warned that should not be just for removing small parcels of land here and there.
A new minister’s bylaw standard provides local government with a
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British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2011-12
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