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'Extreme challenges' for agricultural land commission, says delayed report

The British Columbia government released a year-old report today that found extreme challenges at the Agricultural Land Commission, but also announced plans and introduced legislation to fix those problems.

"Stakeholders were almost unanimous in expressing their concern regarding the inadequacy of the ALC’s funding and lack of resources to carry out its existing work, never mind explore new opportunities," said the report submitted Nov. 26, 2010 by ALC Chair Richard Bullock.

"Over the last two fiscal years the ALC has been forced to focus on processing applications with minimum or no attention being given to its other statutory obligations," the report said. "This has lead to stakeholders’ dissatisfaction, particularly at the local government level, because the ALC is not available to discuss local and regional matters or to deal with emerging or ongoing issues such as the impact of oil and gas activities on agriculture in northeast BC."

He identified problems with the governance structure and found new commissioners are given "very limited or no training and education" when they are appointed. They start performing their duties without training, creating a potential legal liability for the ALC, he said.

"Following my review I can confirm that the ALC is extremely challenged to meet its mandate," Bullock wrote. "The foundation has suffered erosion to the land base and loss of support from bona fide farmers and ranchers - but thankfully not to a point that it is irreparable. Continued government, support and adequate funding and resources, will allow the ALC to meet its challenges."

Asked why the report was delayed, agriculture minister Don McRae said, "Nothing in government moves as quickly as I'd like it to."

While Bullock wrote the 117-page report in four months, it took the government nearly a year to release it. McRae became minister in March, and told The Tyee in June that the report had been on his desk when he got the job.

"Having a report out there with no actions attached was not something I wanted to have," McRae said today. Withholding it "was a decision made be me and government," he said.

The ALC has an annual budget of $1.92 million. McRae said the government is giving it $600,000 more this year, plus another $1 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

The government also made changes it says will preserve famland, increase enforcement capacity and allow the commission to work more proactively with local governments.

"It's reiterating the governments support for the agricultural land reserve," said McRae, noting these are the first substantive changes to be made in a decade to strengthen the ALC and protect the ALR.

"It's a substantial change," said Bullock. But there will still be challenges for the organization, he said. "Nothing can be done overnight."

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.


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