OCTOBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


New round of changes coming


to land reserve New rules follow Bill 15 even as anger over Bill 52 continues


by PETER MITHAM


MERVILLE—The next round of changes coming to the Agricultural Land Reserve was announced September 19 as representatives from the BC Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural Land Commission met with farmers in the first of six consultation sessions about how the province could support farmers. Many of the more than 125


farmers, landowners and agriculture advocates who arrived at the community hall in Merville were angry with changes made under Bill 52, but Agricultural Land Commission CEO Kim Grout told the group even more changes are coming through regulations that will implement Bill 15. That bill provoked widespread criticism for moves to centralize decision-making and take away landowners’ right to deal with the commission directly. “Bill 15 doesn’t have force


and effect yet,” Grout told the meeting. “It requires regulations to bring it into force and effect, and we haven’t seen those yet.” Those regulations will


strengthen the commission’s mandate, remove the right of landowners to apply directly to the commission to exclude land from the Agricultural Land Reserve and require reconsideration requests be made within 90 days of a decision. “The commissioners are going to be asked to give priority to protecting and enhancing the size, integrity and continuity of the ALR, and the use of that land for farming,” said Grout, providing an overview of what each change will entail. With respect to shutting out landowners from the exclusion process, she said applications have always gone through local government first. Any application landowners filed via the commission’s website automatically went to the local government concerned before the ALC even saw it. “Our part of the process


isn’t triggered until local government sends it to us,” she said. “In the new order of how things will work, a


private property owner won’t be able to go into the portal and initiate an application. It would go to local government for them to consider sending it to us. … [It’s] more of a broader, collaborative, community planning focus.” The shorter timeline for


reconsideration requests will bring ALC protocols in line with those of other government tribunals, which entertain reconsideration applications for 60 to 90 days after an initial decision. Also, the decisions must have had no previous request made regarding them, giving commission decisions a greater force and permanence.


“Reconsideration is part of


the current process. The only change is the timeframe,” said Grout, soothingly.


Frustrated


But the angry and frustrated tone of the meeting underscored discontent with recent legislative changes. During a question-and-answer session that lasted nearly 90 minutes past the official end of the meeting, farmers voiced concerns that bills 52 and 15 had created uncertainty and confusion. Ham-handed government communication outreach to local government and farmers themselves hasn’t helped. Many found out about the meeting in Merville at the last minute, even though it was supposed to launch a public consultation – recommended by last year’s committee


7


IN THE HOT SEAT: Agricultural Land Commission chair Jennifer Dyson shared her own experience trying to afford farmland during a meeting in Merville on September 19. Many of the more than 125 people present said new regulations had limited their options for making a living within the ALR. Dyson told them to look to the future. PETER MITHAM PHOTO


report on revitalizing the ALR – on how government could improve its support of farmers. The information page,


[http://engage.gov.bc.ca/supp ortingfarmers], was advertised on a flyer posted to social media by local MLA and meeting host Ronna-Rae Leonard but it didn’t go live until the consultation officially kicked off.


COVER CROPS?


The Province of BC has provided funding to enhance the competitiveness of the tree fruit sector.


AWMACK BILL 1-888-770-7333


The fund is open to tree fruit growers, producers, and processors to support three key areas of priority: ● Research: cultivar, disease and pest research. ● Marketing: export market opportunities and market development research.


● Infrastructure: sector-based infrastructure modernization such as new equipment.


The Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund is jointly delivered by the BC Fruit Growers’ Association and Investment Agriculture Foundation BC.


For details about the Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund, including eligibility and application forms, please visit www.bcfga.com or iafbc.ca/tree-fruit, or contact funding@iafbc.ca.


Project intake is continous. Apply in advance of project initiation – 8 weeks minimum is recommended.


With slim, often negative


margins, and a lot of wealth tied up in land their children will never be able to afford, many attendees said greater protection for farmland has limited their options and priced out new farmers. “You failed,” one landowner bluntly told ALC chair Jennifer


Dyson early in the meeting as she spoke about the need to make farmland available and affordable not just today but for future generations. Another, Gene Ambrose of End of the Road Ranch near Qualicum Beach, cited


See RED on next page o Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund


BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION 1-800-619-9022 (ext 1) email: replant@bcfga.com www.bcfga.com


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