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, 鈥渁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,鈥� 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 鈥渮one two鈥� 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 鈥渕ega-mansions鈥� 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?

鈥� Mike Bernier (@Mike_A_Bernier)

鈥淎nother attack on rural B.C. and landowners,鈥� Bernier said on Twitter as was introduced in the legislature. 鈥淲hy do the B.C. NDP always think big brother knows better than the people who actually own and work the land?鈥�

The changes also eliminate the six regional panels and executive committee, creating a single commission with regional representation required. Popham said that change will 鈥渟trengthen the independence of the commission.鈥�

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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