Don Denton/The Globe and Mail
After 37 years of preserving British Columbia farmland, the province's landmark Agricultural Land Commission is facing significant challenges in its effort to curb encroaching development, according to a report released Tuesday by Auditor-General John Doyle.
The commission's budget has been consistently cut by the government, it is understaffed, enforcement is minimal, and the commission still relies on old, crinkled paper maps dating from the 1970s to determine agricultural land boundaries, the Auditor-General found.
"The fundamental importance of preserving agricultural land is particularly significant given the uncertain effects of climate change on our food imports and our agricultural systems," Mr. Doyle said.
Yet, over time, preserved farmland has declined in most of the province, since the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) was established in 1973, the first of its kind in North America.
Vancouver Island has lost 13 per cent from the ALR, the Okanagan 12 per cent, and the Lower Mainland 8 per cent, much of it prime farmland, the report noted.
A 1994 audit of the Agricultural Land Commission, which oversees the ALR and rules on applications to have property taken out of the reserve, identified numerous improvements that needed to be made.
"Sixteen years later and upon re-examination, I found that significant challenges continue," said Mr. Doyle.
The ALR is considered as sacred to British Columbians as medicare is to Canadians. Mr. Doyle pointed to a recent poll by the commission which found that 95 per cent of respondents supported the ALR and the policy of preserving agricultural land from development.
But the commission's budget has been reduced under the Liberals from nearly $3-million in 2002-03 to barely more than $2-million for the current fiscal year.
That is about 33 per cent below what the commission estimates it needs to maintain "its core business," the Auditor-General's report said.
During the last eight years, commission staff has decreased from 29 to 22, leaving only two enforcement officers responsible for protecting all ALR property in the province against illegal use.
Mr. Doyle said the commission also has to do a better job ensuring that ALR boundaries are accurate and evaluating the collective impact of its decisions to exempt some farmland from the ALR.
"Once taken over for urban development, farmland is no longer available for food production," he said.
NDP agriculture critic Lana Popham called the Auditor-General's findings "absolutely worrisome."
"The ALR is dear to the hearts of British Columbians, and yet the government is not providing enough money for the land commission to fulfill its mandate," Ms. Popham said. "Our budget for agriculture is the lowest per-capita in the country. This is not just about preserving farmland. It's about preserving our food supply."
Agriculture Minister Steve Thomson said he has asked the commission for a comprehensive review of its policies, resources, enforcement and other pressing issues.
"That will help me determine the appropriate response [to this report]" he said. "We take the support of farming families and the sustainability of agriculture very seriously."
Regarding the commission's reduced budget, Mr. Thomson said: "All parts of government have faced [budget]challenges, and the land commission is not immune to that."
Brian Underhill, an executive director of the commission, said the commission welcomes and accepts Mr. Doyle's recommendations.
"We are familiar with most, if not all, of the challenges he identifies," Mr. Underhill said. "But in the last number of years, our resources have been stretched to keep up with the volume of work."
Richmond Councillor Harold Steves, who is one of the originators of the ALR and still raises beef cattle, said the need to preserve farmland in the Lower Mainland has never been greater.
"The amount of land under threat is phenomenal, and I am very concerned," Mr. Steves said.