PART ONE : Organization

• Message from the Chair
• Mission and Overview
• The Board
• Executive Committee
• Panel Regions (map)
• The Commission Office
• Staff

Message from the Chair

The ALC is a 19 member administrative tribunal established to preserve agricultural lands. Through ongoing work of the commissioners, staff and partners in governments and other organizations, agricultural lands will continue to be available to contribute to our health, economic well-being and quality of life for generations to come.

As the agency responsible for considering and deciding on exclusion, inclusion, subdivision and non-farm use applications involving ALR land, and undertaking enforcement against those that would use ALR land in contravention of the Agricultural Land Commission Act, the ALC is the front-line of British Columbia’s agricultural land preservation program.

Typically an annual report from a government agency focuses on numbers and statistics. It summarizes how many applications were received and the results of its decisions, breaking these down into categories by regions. While this information is useful, it does not convey how and why the decisions were made. This report is intended to augment the numbers and statistics associated with the commission's business activities to more effectively communicate its roles and responsibilities, the steps that it takes, and its performance as the agency accountable for the agricultural land base in British Columbia.

As you read this report, you will note the depth and breadth of work undertaken by commissioners, staff and many others in government and non-government organizations. I extend my thanks to all of them.

Erik Karlsen Chair


Back to top
__________________________________________

Mission and Overview

The mission of the Agricultural Land Commission is to preserve agricultural land and encourage and enable farm businesses throughout British Columbia.

The Commission administers the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) as an administrative tribunal at arms'-length from the provincial government. The Commission operates independently within the framework of the Agricultural Land Commission Act and BC Regulation 171/2002 (Agricultural Land Reserve Use, Subdivision and Procedure Regulation). In addition to sections 1 - 10 of the Administrative Tribunals Act apply to the Commission.

The purposes of the Commission are:

• to preserve agricultural land;

• to encourage farming on agricultural land in collaboration with other communities of interest; and

• to encourage local governments, First Nations, the government and its agents to enable and accommodate farm use of agricultural land and uses compatible with agriculture in their plans, bylaws and policies.

The Board

The Agricultural Land Commission is administered by a government-appointed Commission consisting of 19 board members comprised of a Chair, six Vice-Chairs and 12 Commissioners. For administrative efficiency and regional responsiveness the Commission has created 6 panels for its 6 geographical regions of the province. Each panel has three members - a Vice-Chair and 2 Commissioners appointed from the region for which they are responsible.

The 19 member board is the provincial body of the Commission. The Commission is not, as is often thought, the aggregate of 6 regional Commissions.

The Board met once this fiscal year. Discussions included updates to the Service Plan, budget review, policy issues and operational issues including staffing and application processing.

The panels consist of a Vice-Chair and 2 Commissioners. Panels are responsible for:

• Decisions on applications

• Plan and bylaw reviews

• Field inspections

• Meeting with individuals, local governments, farm organizations and other government representatives

The following Commissioners also served in this fiscal year until their terms expired in May 2006:

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of the Chair and the 6 Vice-Chairs. The Committee decides on:

• Strategic-Service planning

• Policy development

• Issues of province-wide importance

• Monitoring and coordination of panel operations

The Executive Committee met three times this year. Topics of discussion included strategic policy, business planning and governance.

The Panels

Panels report their regional activities through the Vice-Chair to the Executive Committee. All decisions relating to applications and planning issues are made at the regional level by the panels. Decisions of a panel are final and cannot be appealed to the Executive Committee or the Board.

The Panels met on a regular rotation schedule depending on the application activity in their regions.

ALC Panel Regions

The Commission Office