Peace River Valley farmland (Damien Gillis) Read this May 14 story by the Richmond Review on the BC Liberal government’s decision to fire Agricultural Land Commission CEO Richard Bullock after he pushed back on the province’s erosion farmland protections. The B.C. government has fired Agricultural Land Commission board chair and CEO
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The Common Sense Canadian: New interactive map reveals largest farmland exclusion in ALR history for Site C Dam
Screen capture from www.arcgis.com “On April 8, 2015, with the stroke of a pen, the BC Government made the largest exclusion of land from the Agricultural Land Reserve in BC history,” said Hudson’s Hope Mayor Gwen Johansson, upon the release of a new interactive map which visualizes the enormous loss. “Without Agricultural Land
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: As California drought drives up BC food prices…a dam to flood our best farmland?
California’s Central Valley is facing record drought conditions As British Columbians share a meal this weekend, giving thanks for the food with which we are so blessed, year-round, let us pause for a moment to consider where so much of it comes from: California. Let us also say a prayer
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: BC Hydro vastly underestimates loss of farmland to Site C Dam
At a recent press conference in Vancouver, renowned agrologist Wendy Holm and lifelong Peace Valley farmer Renee Ardill spoke to the vast, quality farmland that the proposed Site C Dam would flood or disrupt. “These soils are completely unique,” explained Holm, a past president of the BC Institute of Agrologists.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Site C Dam: Food for thought
Check out this short video from The Peace Valley Environment association and The Common Sense Canadian’s Damien Gillis on the extraordinary agricultural land that would be flooded by the proposed Site C Dam. The Peace River Valley, in northeast BC, provides much of the province’s energy needs from two large dams and
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Site C: Damning the Peace…while US decommissions hydro projects
Damien Gillis and Kootenay Co-op Radio’s Suzy Hamilton discuss Canada’s plan to build a massive new hydroelectric project on the Peace River, while America is busy decommissioning dams. The Peace is home to some of Canada’s best farmland, 30,000 acres of which would be impacted by the dam – enough
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Peace Valley farmland, ecosystems worth $8 Billion a year: study
The Peace River Valley is one of Canada’s most fertile regions (Damien Gillis) Keeping the Peace Valley’s farmland and ecosystems intact would be worth $7.9 billion to $8.6 billion a year, says a new study from the David Suzuki Foundation. The region, in northeast BC, is under threat from the proposed Site
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Leaked emails reveal old plan to plow ALR, disdain for First Nations
Former Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm is drawing fire for racist comments about First Nations Read this May 28 Globe and Mail story by Justine Hunter and Mark Hume on a series of emails involving former Liberal Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm and Energy Minister Bill Bennett, revealing longstanding plans to open up the Agricultural Land Reserve to the energy
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Corky Evans: How YOU can help save the ALR in 5 min
Former BC Environment Minister Corky Evans (Photo: RichardHughes.ca) An Open Letter to Almost Everybody: My name is Corky Evans. I garden and farm in the Kootenays of B.C. Many years ago I was the Minister of Agriculture. I do not understand popular culture or electronic communication. I have not learned
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rapper plants seeds of food security awakening
“If ferries stopped running to Vancouver Island, our grocery shelves would be completely empty after 3 days,” says food security activist-turned-rapper Jeremy Loveday. Watch his 3 min spoken word essay on the shocking state of Canada’s food security. According to a seminal BC Ministry of Agriculture report in 2007, the province produces just
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: NASA study: Inequality will lead to famine, collapse of civilization
Hungry for change: Tunisian bread riots led to a government overthrow in 2011 Read this March 18 National Post story on a new NASA-funded study that predicts the utter collapse of human civilization will be difficult to avoid without a major course correction. After running the numbers on a set of
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Vertical farms see rapid growth around the globe
Read this Jan. 16 story from the New Scientist on the growth of vertical farming around the world. URBAN warehouses, derelict buildings and high-rises are the last places you’d expect to find the seeds of a green revolution. But from Singapore to Scranton, Pennsylvania, “vertical farms” are promising a new, environmentally
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Site C review panel changes mind, asks for ALC’s input on farmland
The Peace River Valley is home to some of BC’s best farmland (Damien Gillis) Read this Jan. 23 Globe and Mail story by Mark Hume on the Joint Review Panel for the proposed Site C Dam’s last-minute reversal of an earlier decision not to seek the input of BC’s Agricultural Land Commission on the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Peace Valley’s “extraordinary” farmland could feed a million people, agrologists tell Site C Dam review
The Peace River Valley is one of Canada’s most fertile regions (Damien Gillis) A pair of highly-respected agricultural experts made a compelling case this week for sparing some of BC’s best farmland from a proposed dam on the Peace River. Together, veteran agrologist Wendy Holm and soil scientist Evelyn Wolterson argued that
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Former Agriculture Minister Corky Evans: Time to speak up for ALR
The days of the family farm are numbered if we don’t act to protect BC’s ALR now, says ex-Minister Corky Evans by Corky Evans Imagine that you might, someday, want to farm for a living. Or imagine your kids might want to farm, or your grandkids. All over the world
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Developers winning battle for BC farmland: UNBC professor
Read this Nov. 15 story from Mark Hume at The Globe and Mail on the losing battle to protect BC farmland from development. The way farmland is managed in British Columbia and across Canada is being put under the microscope in a three-year study that will involve nine researchers from six different
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Fort St. John landowner built rodeo on farmland, against Commission ruling
Controversial development of rodeo ground on farmland near Fort St. John (The Horse Park) Read this Nov. 13 story from CBC.ca revealing that northeast BC landowner Terry McLeod has built part of a rodeo ground in contravention of a recent ruling. Local MLA and BC Liberal Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Minister Pat Pimm should resign for meddling in farmland hearing, says group
Public interest group IntegrityBC is calling for the resignation of Liberal Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm, following the revelation that he and Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman meddled in an Agricultural Land Commission hearing into removing a piece of farmland from the ALR. The Globe and Mails’s Mark Hume reported on Saturday
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Delta Council OK’s Southlands development – proposal now goes to Metro
Photo: Anne Murray Read this November 8 story from the Vancouver Sun on Delta Mayor Lois Jackson and Council’s 6-1 vote in favour of Century Group’s application to build 950 homes on the Southlands agricultural property. Read The Common Sense Canadian’s commentary on the plan. Delta council has approved the controversial Southlands development
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Farmland advocates fire back at secret plan to gut ALR
ALR co-founder Harold Steves on his family farm in Steveston, BC (Damien Gillis) VANCOUVER – A leaked cabinet document that proposes significant changes to British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve — millions of hectares of cherished farmland that have been largely protected from development for decades — prompted swift denials Thursday
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