2 WILDFIRE response falls short


making it a relatively small operation, but as a director of the BC Agriculture Council she’s also got an eye on the big picture. This year’s fires have been


particularly hard due to a high pressure system that’s sat over the province for much of the summer. A relatively low snowpack in the Northwest didn’t help, contributing to drought conditions that created an ideal fuel supply for dry lightning.


A common thread in many of the wildfire updates the province has issued this summer is the difficult terrain in which many of the fires have taken hold. Atkinson says a 14-person crew was dispatched to fight a wildfire near her, but there were actually two and the response fell short of the blaze’s scale. Observers watching the


Snowy Mountain fire racing down slopes towards the


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Similkameen River made similar comments, wondering how crews could keep ahead of flames driving what was the largest blaze in the province at the beginning of August. Two weeks later, when the


province declared a state of emergency, the Bulkley- Nechako region was in the spotlight as blazes near Fraser Lake merged to form the 225,000-acre Shovel Lake fire, now BC’s biggest.


The concerns about lack of


coverage re-emerged during a conference call August 22 with BC agriculture minister Lana Popham, prompting wildfire officials to say the nearly 6,000 people deployed to fight the blazes were focusing efforts where they would have the most success. Meanwhile, out-of-control


fires in difficult and dangerous terrain sent a seemingly endless plume of smoke across the Interior, into the Lower Mainland and over the Prairies, making breathing difficult for livestock and people alike. During the August 22


conference call, Popham said approximately 250 producers were under evacuation orders or alerts, as well as 13,500 animals. Cattle accounted for approximately 12,000 of the animals, with the ministry assisting in the relocation of approximately 2,000 head. Popham noted, however, that this year’s wildfire situation was far less severe than in 2017, when 35,000 animals were unaccounted for. This year, she said, she’s


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aware of just a couple of dozen animals lost to the fires.


Potential hay shortage Similar to last year, farmers


fear being unable to source enough forage for their cattle. Drought has reduced yields on the Prairies, sending everyone scrambling for alternatives. Meanwhile, many growers


reported delayed ripening of crops thanks to the pall of smoke blocking out the sun. While many growers initially


credited the smoke with moderating the prolonged high temperatures, the susceptibility of wine grapes to smoke taint as fruit began colouring up in advance of a harvest many expect to begin in mid-September. Popham said the province


has yet to initiate any assessment of the damage, something that was already in progress by mid-August 2017. Consequently, the


province hasn’t yet asked Ottawa to step up with relief


ALR review supports one zone


abolishing the six regional panels the BC Liberals introduced in 2002 as part of their overhaul of the ALC. The panels initially raised concerns among groups such as the Delta Farmers Institute and the BC Fruit Growers’ Association, which feared municipalities would have greater say over the fate of protected farmland. Penny Gambell, then


president of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association, feared panel members could be subject to pressure from local interests that could undermine the provincial mandate of the commission “What will make the


difference in all of this is strong agricultural policy,” she said at the time. The panels have since won


respect, however, with former ALC chair Frank Leonard praising the efforts commissioners made to understand local circumstances while upholding the provincial interest.


The committee revived the


old fears, however, stating that the panels are not only costly but “[make] what should be provincial-scale


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values and decision-making vulnerable to local perspectives and influence.” This didn’t sit well with BC Liberal agriculture critic Ian Paton, a former Delta councillor who represents Delta South in the legislature. “Doing away with these panels would undermine local decision-making and knowledge of the land. It could mean that a commissioner on the Lower Mainland ends up making decisions for the rest of the province without knowing the unique conditions and circumstances of each region,” Paton said in a statement.


The concern is one some ranchers have also raised concerning the province’s management of wildfires, underscoring fears that a disconnect exists between decision-makers and those they affect. Paton added that the


regional panels were part of a series of reforms that relieved a massive backlog of applications. One of the positives farm groups saw in the 2002 changes was a waiving of the need for a panel hearing for various on- farm processing uses. Paton fears a return to


centralized decision-making


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • SEPTEMBER 2018 nfrom page 1


funds to address this season’s damages. Regardless, Popham said


the province is ready to assist producers impacted by the fires. “We were able to put together a provincial recovery insurance program, and basically we’re going to do everything we can to assist people to get back up on their feet,” she said. “Our commitment’s going to be there even when the fires are out, and we’ll help them with recovery.”


nfrom page 1


will create uncertainties for landowners. The province, however, has steadily worked to clarify what is and isn’t allowed within the ALR, especially around processing and agri- tourism activities, two key areas that add value to traditional production. The key areas where the report feels land could be better protected immediately include oil and gas activities and cannabis production. Reflecting a July 13 order-in-council, the revitalization committee urged an immediate moratorium on cannabis production that’s not soil- based, arguing that cannabis is incompatible with other agricultural uses. The report was authored


by former independent MLA for Delta South and committee chair Vicki Huntington with fellow committee members Irmi Critcher, Arzeena Hamir, Chris Kloot, Byron Louis, Lenore Newman, Shaundehl Runka and Brian Underhill.


The committee will deliver


its final report and recommendations this fall. The committee’s former


chair, Jennifer Dyson, succeeded Frank Leonard as chair of the ALC in May.


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