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Hullcar abatement order struck down Mission


SPALLUMCHEEN – One of nine pollution abatement orders issued last year to farms in the Hullcar Valley near Armstrong has been struck down by BC’s


operations were guilty by the mere presence of nitrates on their properties. This extension of guilt was


Ag Briefs EDITED BY TAMARA LEIGH


Environmental Appeal Board. Ted and Kevin Curtis of


Curtis Farms challenged the abatement order, which required development of an action plan to address the order’s allegation of their “introduction into the environment of agriculture waste, including manure and/or manure laden effluent.” Having operated in the


area without issue since 1974, the Curtises were shocked by the order. “We were extremely upset


to have been given an abatement order without any evidence of any wrongdoing,” Ted Curtis wrote in a letter to environment minister Mary Polak in September 2016. The appeal board agreed, pointing out that environment ministry staff argued that all local farming


wrong, said appeal panel chair Robert Wickett and members Lorne Bogal and Robert Holtby, in a 19-page decision


issued June 1.


“The Panel has received no evidence that nitrates deposited on the Curtis Farm did, or could have, leached into the Aquifer,” the decision reads.


The decision is a victory for local farmers who feel they’ve been unfairly targeted in a controversy that has divided the community. A drinking water advisory


remains in effect for the Steele Springs Water District, which draws water from the Hullcar aquifer for approximately 150 people. Restrictions on spraying effluent on the field of concern in the Hullcar area remain in effect. The valley saw no flooding, and BC Ministry of Environment sources indicate that no change to local protocols occurred.


Peter Mitham BC SPCA chief prevention


investigation inconclusive MISSION – An investigation


into three calves found dead in a Mission ditch this past March has yielded no results. A passerby initially noticed


two dismembered calves and sent photos to the media, triggering a chain of events that led to the discovery of a third animal. By this time, the first two carcasses had disappeared but the third was recovered. Trevor Hargreaves, communications director for the BC Dairy Association, said the third animal appeared to have been in the ditch for at least two weeks. The discovery led to the involvement of local producers, the BC Ministry of Agriculture and the BC SPCA in efforts to determine the origin of the animals. “With the able assistance of the local woman who originally filed the complaint and several other members of the community, a suspect has been identified,” Hargreaves told Country Life in BC at the end of March.


and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty reported last week that evidence was insufficient to lay charges, however. Moriarty said the suspect subsequently had a number of animals seized in a separate investigation. Peter Mitham


Abbotsford tickets thousands ABBOTSFORD – A year-old


initiative to revamp Abbotsford’s agricultural bylaws, policies and regulations and establish a framework for ongoing bylaw compliance is starting to bear fruit. AgRefresh launched in


March 2016 with a series of public consultations. The initiative kicked into high- gear last fall with plans to crackdown on non-compliant uses of properties within the Agricultural Land Reserve. “There’s a lot of things happening in the ALR that shouldn’t be happening in the ALR,” Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun told Country Life in BC last summer. “We have to rein this in so we can


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JULY 2017


actually manage our agricultural lands, or our agricultural lands are going to disappear.” Over the past several


months, Abbotsford sent its bylaw enforcement officers into the field to the 450 properties where it knew non-compliant activities were taking place.


The illicit uses included small-scale manufacturing, vehicle parking, and other activities deemed to limit or compromise the agricultural purpose of the parcels. Braun isn’t trying to limit revenue streams, but he wants diversification done right. Braun said enforcement


efforts resulted in Abbotsford issuing 3,600 tickets for non- compliant uses in the ALR last year.


An analysis of infractions is


underway and a final report is expected this fall. The findings will help guide future enforcement efforts and also point to how regulations and bylaws should change to ensure local farmland is used as it should be – for farming. “We’ll start to prioritize this


and start whittling away at the most egregious,” Braun said.


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allows us to milk more cows on a small acreage, and do it the right way,” Keulen told tour participants.


The sights clearly impressed Ken Bates, a local blueberry grower who chairs IAFBC. “We approve these projects


but it’s just great to see the results,” he said midway through the tour. Donkers, for his part,


doesn’t have much more time left to see the results of IAFBC’s funding – at least not in his current role. He’ll be leaving as the


foundation’s executive director after a 12-year run that he described as “an amazing opportunity.” Donkers joined IAFBC in


2006 after several years in the post-secondary education sector. While agriculture was a shift, Walt Goerzen – then chair of IAFBC – said, “It was a good choice.” In remarks at the end of the IAFBC tour, Donkers thanked all those who had worked in support of the BC agriculture sector.


While his successor will


have big shoes to fill, Donkers told Country Life in BC he expects the person to be chosen by the end of November. This allows a month’s transition time prior to Donkers entering retirement on December 31.


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