WHEREAS since the creation of the Agricultural Land Reserves ALR, the Agricultural Land Commission ALC has carried out a number of fine tuning reviews in some parts of the province but not others; AND WHEREAS regional districts are in the process of developing growth management strategies through their Official Community Plans and other regulatory tools to direct and manage growth to designated settlement areas where appropriate services can be provided in order to create liveable and environmentally sustainable communities; AND WHEREAS it is important to attain a level of certainty with respect to the suitability of retention of ALR lands for community planning purposes: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the ALC carry out a current comprehensive ALR fine tuning review in those portions of the province which have not had the benefit of a recent review.
Agricultural Land Commission The Agricultural Land Reserve ALR was established in 1972 to preserve and protect farmland and encourage farming. The Agricultural Land Commission, which administers the ALR has worked with local governments for the past 38 years to achieve these primary goals while remaining cognizant of community growth pressures. The principal method to assess and respond to settlement pressures is the Official Community Plan review process. The Commission, through its regulatory role in the OCP process, seeks to ensure that growth pressures are realistic, and can be accommodated without affecting the ALR. Alternately, land within the ALR that may be unsuitable for agriculture could be considered as appropriate for exclusion to help accommodate growth. However, it should be recognized that there are communities where development and growth will be constrained in order to serve the compelling provincial interest to protect food lands. The Commission remains committed to working with local governments through regional growth strategies and the established community planning process to direct and manage growth. The Commission also notes that in specific areas, notably the Kootenays and the northern part of the province, that ALR boundary reviews may be warranted which are unrelated to settlement pressures. Concerns have been expressed that non arable lands lie within the ALR in these regions. It is the Commissions view that ALR boundary reviews should be biophysically based i.e. based on soil and climate criteria, and may include detailed, on-site analysis by qualified professional soils agrologists. The significant resources required for reviews are not currently available within the Commissions operating budget.