THE VOICE 2 | THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018 | EDITOR ANA ROSE WALKEY Grow, dont dump on fertile land Shore Mountains. PERRIN GRAUER PHOTO Richmond councillor: ALR land should be for food, not waste = By LISA TANH ower Mainland _politi- cans are pleading with Agricultural Minister Lana Popham to crack down on where landfill can be dumped because it is harming prime agricultural land. ‘They are concerned because a recent report to Metro Vancouver showed that Agricultural Land Commission applications for dumping fill in the Agricultural Land Reserve are not being used for their intended purposes and are landing on soil that has the most potential for growing field crops. Richmond Coun. Harold Steves stressed the need to define what an acceptable use of fill is to avoid being dumped on the region's best-quality soil. Laura Gillanders, a co-ordina- tor for Richmond Farm Watch, an organization that is focused on preserving B.C.’s farmland, is supporting their pleas. Gillanders said she often sees fill sites be- ing used as a revenue-generating business. As well, she said, some owners use fill as an excuse to get a soil test of their land and claim it is no longer fertile for growing crops. ‘Theresa Duynstee, a regional planner for Metro Vancouver, said that fill in the agricultural reserve is an ongoing challenge. “Because on one hand, farmers need to use fill, but on the other hand, land owners use fill to es- tablish non-farm uses,” she said. “And sometimes, [they] abuse the approval process because of the financial benefit of accepting fill.” Duynstee’s report recommend- ed the province make changes like defining what an acceptable use of fill is, lowering the number of accepted commission applications and creating a commission bylaw that would monitor, report and find best management practices. In an emailed statement to The Voice, Popham said, “The ALC is an administrative tribunal — arm’s length from government — and government does not interfere in their independent decision-mak- ing process.” She noted that the province now has an independent commit- tee studying how to revitalize the commission. Martin Collins, the director of policy and planning for the com- mission, said the plan is to review the committee’s recommendations this spring and then form regula- tory or legislative changes for the fall — if changes are to be made. TYPES OF SOIL AGRICULTURAL LAND CAPABILITY CLASSES ? Class one soils are deep, well- drained under natural conditions, and hold moisture well. Land can be managed and cropped without difficulty. Class two-six Range of capabilities between class one and seven. Class seven Does not provide natural, sustained grazing by domestic livestock due to severe climate, which results in unsuitable vegetation. v SOURCE: ALC.GOV.BC.CA ALR winery a waste: councillors Richmond coun- cillors say fertile farmland should grow food m= By NATALIA BUENDIA CALVILLO ichmond councillors say that R:= wineries should only be allowed in prime fertile farmland if they grow the majority of their grapes or fruit on site. Coun. Harold Steves is con- cerned that wineries are getting the majority of their fruits and berries from other sources outside of Rich- mond and they are taking away space from local farms that could grow food. Similar to the situation with landfills, he said that prime fertile soil or class-one agricultural farm- land, should be used to grow annual plants such as vegetables. Lulu Island Winery, located on Westminster Highway, sells ice wine, blueberry, raspberry, white, Muscat grapevine fields at the Lulu Island Winery, Richmond. NATAL 14 BUENDIA CALVILLO PHOTO and red wines. An employee said the only grape they grow on their farmland is the Muscat grape to make white wine. All of the other grapes and berries they use are brought in from the Okanagan. According to Steves, farmlands in the Okanagan have poor soils that make them best suited for pe- rennial plants only, such as grape- vines. Richmond Coun. Carol Day said that class-one farmlands should only be used to grow food. Day said that the Agricultural Land Commission and the provin- cial government are ultimately the agencies responsible for making changes to policy. “What we need is the minister of agriculture to make sure that the top priority is growing food period, and anything else that doesn't fol- low that guideline shouldn't be al- lowed.” ‘The Agricultural Land Commis- sion designates wineries as farm use when they grow more than 50 per cent of their produce at the same location as the building on the location or bring it in from other locations in B.C., said Mar- tin Collins, the director of policy at the commission. “Wineries were given more flex- ibility for the source of grapes (oth- er than just the farm parcel upon which the winery was located) in the mid 1990s in recognition that parcel sizes in the Okanagan were fairly small, and that the overall provincial area suitable for grape production was limited by climate.” Atlarge Young folk flee costly West Van Mayor says the district is losing half of its young population due to unaffordability = By ANA ROSE WALKEY t least half of residents age 25 to 45 have left West Vancouver in the past few years due to an affordability crisis, according to the district’s mayor. “We have a serious problem in West Van — we have no rental accommodation, can't get employ- ees,” West Vancouver Mayor Mi- chael Smith said at a recent Metro Vancouver re- gional planning committee meet- ing. And, according to Smith, tax rev- enue that could be put towards Teana-M arie building — afford- Smith ble housin: is WEST VANCOUVER : 8 RESIDENT being put in the hands of the pro- vincial government, by way of the “horrific” 2018 provincial budget that put an extra tax on houses over $3 million. “You can't hide your house, so it’s a much better source of revenue for [the provincial government] than income tax,” Smith said. Affordability in the Metro Van- couver region has been a problem for years. While the province of B.C. is promising it will ensure 114,000 units of affordable housing are built in the next decade, West Vancouver only recently approved construction of its first new rental housing project in 40 years. Eight-year West Vancouver resi- dent Teana-Marie Smith said her experience with renting in the dis- trict has been quite positive. “T started at $930 for [my] apart- ment. I have a full one-bedroom apartment and I have friends that pay that for a room in downtown,” resident Smith said. Smith acknowledged, though, that she feels that her deal is a fluke and that the rent would be much “We have a serious problem in West Van — we have no rental accommodation.” — MICHAEL SMITH, MAYOR higher for the next tenant. ‘The average cost to buy a home in West Vancouver, according to a report released by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver in February 2018, is $2.7 million. As well, the average rent of the 2,342 rental units in West Van is $1,833, with less than one per cent available. The City of North Van- couver, however, has an average rental rate of $1,377 with about two per cent of 6,191 units avail- able.