Message from the Chair

As the Commission celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the 1974 creation of the Agricultural Land Reserve, I can’t help but think about the many battles that have been fought to ensure a place for agriculture in this province.

From the very beginning the ALR has been challenged — by farmers who didn’t want their land included in the ALR in 1974, by mayors who wanted to diversify their community’s economic base, by neighbours who moved to the country but weren’t prepared to live with the noises and smells of farming, by landowners who wanted to subdivide and build commercial, industrial or residential buildings, and by many others.

We’ve survived a lot in 30 years. We’ve adjusted to meet the needs of landowners, the agriculture industry, growing municipalities, the oil and gas industry and countless other sectors, businesses and individuals. We’ve taken land out of the Reserve, included land in the Reserve, fine-tuned the boundaries, permitted subdivisions and allowed a host of other activities on ALR land. We have also turned down applications, of course, and many of BC’s most successful agri-businesses are now thriving on lands which would otherwise have been converted to urban uses had it not been for the ALR.

Many who have challenged the ALR have come a long way, too. Some of our most vocal supporters now include farmers, mayors, neighbours and developers who have come to appreciate the important role of the ALR in particular and agriculture in general.

After 30 years the ALR remains - somewhat different in shape but almost exactly the same size as when it was formed. And the ALR continues to make its many contributions to the economic and social fabric of British Columbia.

In the last public opinion poll conducted by the provincial government on the ALR, support for the Reserve was amongst the highest of all provincial programs. Since 2002 Northwest Environment Watch and Vancouver-based SmartGrowthBC have concluded that the ALR is one of the most important reasons for the livability of Greater Vancouver.

And last year, Chief Administrative Officers of the 133 municipalities were asked to estimate the level of public support for farmland preservation amongst residents of their community. Over 60% believed their residents were "Supportive" or "Very Supportive" of farmland preservation in BC.

The present provincial government, in its Core Review of the ALR, determined that the ALR served a compelling public interest and decided it should be continued. This support for the ALR was also echoed recently in the message from the Hon. George Abbott in this year’s Annual Service Plan report for the ALC, which is reproduced in full later in this newsletter.

Over the past 30 years we have seen many changes that have impacted the ALR, BC agriculture and our province as a whole - in technology, climate, world trade, food safety, population, food scarcity, disease and more. As we look ahead to the next 30 years we will undoubtedly face similar changes and continued pressures on the ALR. It is reassuring to know that the ALR enjoys the support of decision-makers, stakeholders and the people of BC as we discharge our responsibility to preserve BC’s scarce foodlands for this generation, and for generations to come.

Kirk Miller
Chair & CEO