More Comment on Agricultural Land Reserve proposed Bill 24

Chris Walker of CBC interviewed both Dermot Travis from Integrity BC and Hans Buchler from BC Wine Grape Council this morning on CBC.  Ministers Letnick and Bennett were unavailable.  The position of Integrity BC can be read here:  

http://www.integritybc.ca/?page_id=65

Kootenay ALC stats cast doubt on Bennett’s claims

(Victoria, 28 April 2014) – IntegrityBC has reviewed 660 applications to the Agricultural Land Commission filed in the Kootenay district, following comments from Bill Bennett, Minister Responsible for the Core Review, that the proposed changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve are the result of listening to his constituents.

“Based on Bennett’s claims one would imagine that application after application was routinely coming back from the ALC stamped ‘rejected’,” said IntegrityBC executive director Dermod Travis. “And that’s far from the case.”

According to IntegrityBC’s review, 72.3 per cent of the applications to the ALC (from 2006 to 2012) in the Kootenays were approved (some with conditions) and 27.7 per cent were rejected outright. Numbers that point to the need for public consultations on Bill 24 – as Agriculture minister Norm Letnick promised last week – and not shotgun passage of the bill as Bill Bennett threatened the next day.

“This is a debate that needs far more fact-based analysis and far less old wives’ tales,” said Travis.

Mr Buchler also had concerns and called for a step back.