B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham has unveiled the second stage of her reorganization of the Agricultural Land Reserve, giving new powers to the appointed commission to enforce farmland use regulations.
The changes introduced reorganize the commission, B次元官网网址渁dding more compliance and enforcement capacity and tools, including a new offence for landowners who do not produce records when the Agricultural Land Commission orders,B次元官网网址� Popham told the legislature Thursday.
Amendments also restrict applications to exclude farmland from the reserve to those submitted by local governments, Indigenous governments or the province, which retains the right to override land reserve rules for uses the B.C. government decides are in the provincial interest.
The first round of changes was passed last fall, dumping the B次元官网网址渮one twoB次元官网网址� for rural farmland that permitted more secondary uses on farmland outside the prime farming areas of the Lower Mainland, southern Vancouver Island and the Okanagan.
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New regulations to stop the dumping of construction waste on farmland and putting a 500-square-metre limit on new houses built on ALR land were also passed last fall. Popham said those rules were to stop wealthy buyers from purchasing farms and building B次元官网网址渕ega-mansionsB次元官网网址� on them, a problem identified in Richmond and in the Fraser Valley.
The latest legislation drew a quick response from Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier, who has argued that secondary uses keep farm operations viable in winter in his region.
Another attack on BC and the landowners. Why do the always think big brother knows best than the people who actually own and work the land?
B次元官网网址� Mike Bernier (@Mike_A_Bernier)
B次元官网网址淎nother attack on rural B.C. and landowners,B次元官网网址� Bernier said on Twitter as was introduced in the legislature. B次元官网网址淲hy do the B.C. NDP always think big brother knows better than the people who actually own and work the land?B次元官网网址�
The changes also eliminate the six regional panels and executive committee, creating a single commission with regional representation required. Popham said that change will B次元官网网址渟trengthen the independence of the commission.B次元官网网址�
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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