Farmers rally in Victoria to protest changes to farm legislation

Dozens of farmers rallied on the steps of the B.C. Legislature Monday to protest recent legislation around the use and protection of agriculture land.

Bill 52 was introduced late last year to dial back changes made by the previous Liberal government and "revitalize" the Agricultural Land Reserve to a farming first focus.

The three key revisions saw all ALR land in the province restored to equal status by eliminating zones; restricted the building of mega-mansions on farmland by limiting new house size and use; and increased penalties for the dumping of construction and toxic waste on farmland. 

But Comox Valley hobby farm owner Meghan McPherson said instead of helping farmers, the changes "blindsided" them.

McPherson started a Facebook group called "Changes to Bill 52," which has 2,600 members.

"Any [ALR] parcel in B.C. right now with over one home has now been rendered into a legal, non-confirming status," she told the crowd. "[The second housing unit] no longer meets the legal parameters for residential uses in the ALR."

"This makes it more difficult for people to obtain mortgages in an area where it's already challenging to get a mortgage. Lenders consider ALR parcels high risk to begin with and now they're filled with a bunch of structures that are not replaceable should something happen to them," she said.

Speaking on CBC Radio's B.C. Today, Agricultural Minister Lana Popham said anyone wanting to build an additional home on a family farm can still do so. 

"If a family needs an additional home — even three additional homes to support their farming operation — they are very welcome to apply to the Agricultural Land Commission, and if the commission sees that the application is being made with an agricultural lens and the additional residences are there to support the farming operation they will approve those applications."

Popham said she disagreed with characterization that farmers were blindsided by the changes.

"What I'm hearing from the protest is that they just want to be able to build homes without having a process in place and for me that doesn't allow the commission to reach their mandate of protecting agricultural land," she said.

"We really want that land reserve to be in place for food production and we've seen a lot of erosion in that."

Sunshine Coast pig and sheep farmer Raquel Kolof spoke at the rally about the frustrations of operating a small farm and trying to make ends meet.

Kolof said she'd like to run a little eatery and sell wool at her farm to boost income, but isn't able to under existing laws.

"We need support from the government but instead we're being regulated into oblivion," she said. "We are being prevented from making our small-scale farm economically viable and yet our communities depend on us to survive."

The B.C. Liberals plan to introduce a Home-Based Craft Food Act, which, if passed, will allow small home-based businesses to make and sell low-risk food products like jams, candy, honey or bread direct to consumers from their farmland.

Liberal agricultural critic Ian Paton introduced a petition to the legislature signed by 26,000 farmers, calling for the repeal of Bill 52.

"Bill 52 has done nothing but tear communities apart and put farmers out of work,' said Paton. "Farmers deserve to be protected by government, not persecuted by it."