Clients of Woodwynn Farms and executive director Richard Leblanc went to MLA Adam OlsenB次元官网网址檚 constituency office on Dec. 15 to meet with him and voice their concerns. The meeting, which was unscheduled, came one day after the District of Central Saanich staff placed B次元官网网址榥o occupancyB次元官网网址� signage on RVs and washrooms on the property and approximately a month after the provincial Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) denied their application to build temporary housing for up to 40 people on the property.

In a video posted to Facebook Live, Leblanc asked, B次元官网网址淐an we count on your support? ThatB次元官网网址檚 the big question.B次元官网网址�

Olsen replied, B次元官网网址淚 have always said, Richard, always, all along, that I support the utilization of agricultural land. I have always said that it is a farm operation on agricultural land as long as itB次元官网网址檚 put in [those] terms to put the applications forward.B次元官网网址�

Leblanc, who came to his office with a sample of the food products made on the farm, said they are farming every day, with B次元官网网址渙ver 400 livestock at one point this summer.B次元官网网址� Leblanc asked Olsen to B次元官网网址渨ork with us instead of throwing [up] roadblocks and roadblocks.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always put forward ways in which the farm can be successful in the applications,B次元官网网址� said Olsen. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always worked with you on that side of it. Unfortunately, thatB次元官网网址檚 not always how IB次元官网网址檝e been characterized, but thatB次元官网网址檚 the business that weB次元官网网址檙e in.B次元官网网址�

In a follow-up interview, Leblanc said the meeting was awkward.

B次元官网网址淥bviously we put Adam on the spot but I was hoping to get his attention. I think we were successful,B次元官网网址� said Leblanc, adding he liked Olsen on a personal level.

In a ruling dated Nov. 9, 2017, the ALC Executive Committee wrote that its own mandate was to B次元官网网址減reserve agricultural land and encourage farming on agricultural land in collaboration with other communities of interest. While the Executive Committee recognizes the social benefits of the proposal, it does not outweigh the priority given to agriculture.B次元官网网址�

The ruling also felt that B次元官网网址渇arm worker accommodation should be commensurate with the level of agriculture on the Property,B次元官网网址� and that current and proposed levels of agricultural activities would be B次元官网网址渋nsufficient to justify the placement of 40 farm worker accommodations.B次元官网网址�

Olsen said he would base his level of support on how the meeting goes between Woodwynn, the District of Central Saanich and himself. In a follow-up interview, Olsen told the Peninsula B次元官网网址 Review that because the B次元官网网址榥o occupancyB次元官网网址� order was within local jurisdiction, he could not influence it.

Olsen said he had spoken to Lana Popham, MLA for Saanich South, on the issue before she became Minister of Agriculture, but that they had not spoken about these latest developments. Olsen said that as a Minister, Popham cannot direct the ALC to rule one way or another because it is an independent body. However, Olsen said he would meet with Minister Popham about the ALR and the ALC at a high level in the new year.

If you or someone you know has ever been a client of Woodwynn Farms and want to share your experience, e-mail reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com