Despite costs, Regional District accepts new deal with ALC

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board of directors voted to accept a new delegation agreement with the Agriculture Land Commission on Thursday, despite significant new work and costs for the district.

Area C director Lara Beckett said despite the new costs and workload for district staff, it’s important for local people to be involved in land use planning decisions.

“I think the value of having some local control over these decisions in the ALR is important for our communities. It’s an opportunity for us to work with landowners locally,” Beckett said.

The regional district’s regional official community plans recognize the importance of maintaining local agriculture in the district, she added.

“I think if we relinquish our delegated authority, we’re going directly contrary to those priorities.”

The regional district has had a delegation agreement with the ALC since 2002, which allows the district board to make decisions regarding subdivisions and non-farm use of land within the Agricultural Land Reserve, when the proposal meets the terms of an approved official community plan, according to a report by district staff to the board.

In May, the ALC approached the district with a proposed replacement agreement which district staff estimated would create 377 personhours of additional administrative work per year, or about 47 hours per application. — see KAEHN, page 2