VE
WHITEWAY TAKES WORLD RECORD
The Invermere
Valley schools set to close again
C
th
June 4
2014
e2
3
S er
he
ALLEY CHO 3
BERNIE RAVEN CHRIS RAVEN 1-866-598-7415 TEAMRAVEN.CA Offices in Panorama, Invermere & Fairmont
12
1
$
The Toby Creek Nordic Club’s Lake Windermere Whiteway has officially earned a place in the Guinness World Book of Records for the world’s “longest ice skating trail.” See page 3 for details.
Crossing the country as food-conscious cyclists
05 INCLUDES GST
Maxwell Realty Invermere
FILE PHOTO BY NICOLE TRIGG
PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NO. 7856
New farmland bill meets negative reaction from local farmers STEVE HUBRECHT steve@invermerevalleyecho.com Valley farmers are reacting negatively to Bill 24, which was passed in the provincial legislature in Victoria late last week and makes changes to B.C.’s Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). The bill divides the province into two zones. In the first (the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island), the commission will be largely unchanged, while in the second (the rest of B.C.’s interior, northern parts of the province and Kootenay region) changes will allow for non-agricultural business to occur on farms. According to the provincial government, the new flexibility in Zone 2 will help farmers develop alternate sources to generate much-needed year-round income in areas with short growing seasons. Critics, including the opposition NDP and major agricultural groups such as the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association and
the B.C Agricultural Council, have expressed disappointment, charging that Bill 24 will do little more than speed up commercial development of land they say should be preserved. “It’s sad to see,” said local farmer and Winderberry Nurseries co-owner Oliver Egan. “What’s really happening is that (the government) is loosening the laws and regulations so that (land owners) can develop farmland, if they want to. This bill has made it harder to farm land. It’s made it easier to do mixed production.” According to proponents of the bill, Zone 2 is not under the same kind of development pressure as Zone 1, said Mr. Egan. “But for the Invermere area, that’s false, with all the development money pouring in from Calgary,” he said. “There’s a beautiful agricultural belt that’s in the middle of Windermere — think about what might happen to it. People will apply to have their zoning changed, they’ll pull their land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and then it’s gone forever.”
VJ (Butch) Bishop Owner/Operator 4846 Holland Creek Ridge Rd. Invermere, BC V0A 1K0
Mr. Egan’s farm is in the middle of that belt, and his potential to expand will only be further limited, he said, since buying surrounding land will mean buying not at farmland prices, but at speculative real estate prices. “There won’t be an immediate change, it’s more of a long-term consequence. The bigger changes won’t be noticed for at least 10 or 15 years, but they are significant. This is land that (has been) being protected for generations.” Parsons rancher Gary Habart, on the other hand, said he supports Bill 24. “Most areas on my farm that are usable, I am already farming. But there are some areas that are not worth farming,” said Mr. Habart. “I am not a subdivider, that is not my goal. But in some cases for other people, it may be okay. Most farmers here know their own land. If they decide they want to do something besides farm, they should be allowed to do it.” But according to Windermere District
Farmers’s Institute director, B.C. Cattlemen’s Association director and local rancher David Zehnder, the majority of farmers and ranchers in the valley and entire Kootenay region are against the changes in Bill 24. “The B.C. Agricultural Council represents 14,000 farmers and ranching families across the province and has taken a formal position against Bill 24. The Cattlemen’s Association represents more than 1,000 ranchers and has a similar position. I feel this often gets lost in the media stories, which often quote one person in favour and one person against and make it seem like there’s a 50-50 split, it’s just not that way in this case,” said Mr. Zehnder, adding the Windermere District Farmers’ Institute has also send a letter with unanimous support of its members rejecting the proposed changes in Bill 24 and requesting consultation on the issue. See A3
• Excavators • Mini-Excavators • Bobcats • Dump Trucks • Water Trucks • Snow Plow • Sanding Equipment • Crane Truck • Road Building • Land Clearing • Controlled Burning • Rock Walls • Rip Rap • Top Soil • Sand & Gravel CONTRACT OR HOURLY MACHINE RENTALS AVAILABLE