JUNE 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Guichon heads back to life on the ranch


Five-year term as lieutenant governor comes to an end by MYRNA STARK LEADER


VICTORIA – Following five and a half years as the queen’s representative in BC, Judith Guichon is literally heading out to pasture – her family ranch in the Nicola Valley, north of Merritt. Born in Montreal in 1947 and raised on a farm near Hawkesbury, Ontario, Guichon is only the second woman among the 29 lieutenant governors appointed in BC since 1871. She was also the first female rancher appointed to the role, perhaps an appropriate background as she wrangled a government from the contested results of last year’s provincial election. When speaking with her, however, you get a sense that the decision to have the current premier form government may not have been as challenging for the long-time advocate of agriculture as some might think.


Guichon moved to BC in 1972 and worked with her late husband, Laurie, on the family ranch until he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1999. The ranch encompasses 15,000 deeded acres and 65,000 acres of Crown lands and typically runs 700 cow- calf pairs as well as 700 yearlings.


She studied holistic management, a farming method promoting


sustainable management of livestock by emphasizing their natural habitat, spearheading its adoption in BC beginning with her own ranch. Her experience in


sustainable management served her well as lieutenant governor, too. “It allows me to think of things in a very organized fashion. When you’re dealing with anything, what you want to focus on is your holistic goal. “After 25 years, it’s so


ingrained that even without stopping to consider it, it affects how I think.” Guichon says agriculture prepared her for the job by


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keeping her grounded. Although she says the public and government pay attention to certain sectors of agriculture – usually high- profile crops like cherries or farmed salmon – Guichon says a well-rounded understanding of the industry and the businesses that support it is lacking. “I often talk about those of us who farm producing a lot more than food. We help to filter water and air and sequester carbon, provide habitat for wildlife and endangered species and tourism, jobs and community stability,” she says. She worked to get those messages out, particularly to youth. They’re questioning where food comes from and the impact humans have on the planet and Guichon praises programs like Agriculture in the Classroom that educate them. She says we need to keep hammering away at those messages, particularly with children. “It’s not as widespread as I


would like to see it yet but I think we are starting to make inroads. “We see young people


doing creative new things and these new young leaders will be the role models for future generations,” she says. Stable civilizations rest on


healthy soils, she says. She hopes her connection to the land, her school visits and her Stewards of the Future program will be remembered. Directed toward Grade 10 students, teachers can apply for funding to take students out of the classroom to investigate anything in the community to do with land and water.


Guichon isn’t about to stop


advocating for the environment now that her term as lieutenant governor has ended. Climate change is a fact of life, she says, and agriculture may contribute but shouldn’t be a scapegoat. Prior to her appointment, Guichon served on the provincial Species at Risk task


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Rancher Judy Guichon, never afraid of getting her hands dirty, spent time helping to educate youth about agriculture in her role as BC’s lieutenant governor. RACHEL RILKOFF, GOVERNMENT HOUSE PHOTO


force and had completed a two-year term as president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. She also participated in the Ranching Task Force for BC and the BC Agri-Food Trade Advisory Council. Now that her official job is complete, she’s going back to the Nicola Valley where she’ll continue to be involved peripherally in the ranch, now


run by two of her children. She misses the smell of the cattle and may pull the odd calf but she expects to focus on issues related to the ranch community as a whole. “We have many issues that


affect agriculture,” she says, noting concerns about water and weeds. “I will be re-engaging with


my community on a round table,” she adds.


While considerably smaller than the ranch, she’ll miss Government House with its 36 acres of gardens and facilities. She’ll also miss the 450 volunteers, tour guides, archivists and staff that were part of its community. But with a lifetime membership to the Friends of Government House Gardens Society, she knows she’ll always be welcome to return.


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