As summer approaches the government is taking on several exercises of public engagement across British Columbia.
One of these listening exercises concerns the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and we want to hear comments from the people in B.C. about what they think in regards to possible guidelines for residence size and location on properties in the ALR.
The B.C. government is committed to consulting the public on these types of issues and with the feedback we receive, informed and fair decisions can be made.
The ministry has submitted a similar request to local governments and stakeholder groups to also help develop these standards. The survey is looking for opinions on:
• whether size and location limits should be applied to residences and their amenities in the ALR.
• the process in which the standards could be introduced.
• feedback on the discussion paper.
With the ALR being a priority for agricultural use there are local government regulations on land use, but concerns over different rules in different areas prompted this review so that a province-wide standard can be developed.
There is a discussion paper on the topic and everyone considering submitting a suggestion should familiarize themselves with it before doing so.
To read the discussion paper and participate in the survey, visit www.agf.gov.bc.ca.
So if you have a comment or want to weigh in, I encourage you to engage yourself in the process and do your part in creating a provincial standard for residence size and location on properties in the ALR.
All of the submissions will be included in the decision process, so let your voice be heard.
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilocotin.