[BCFSN] Attack on the ALR

[Abra Brynne]

Thanks so much for posting this, Arzeena. If anyone missed the letters I
posted last week that provide the larger context to this issue, please drop
me a note or check your listserv archives.

I am proud of the fact that the BCFSN, in whatever form we take at any
time, continues to be a strong advocate for the lands that are necessary
for Indigenous food sovereignty as well as our collective food security.
in good food,
Abra

Abra Brynne
abra at foodshed.ca
604 Gore Street West, Nelson, BC V1L 3H3
Ph: 250.777.2480
she | her | hers

"Whoever suggested that good thinking should be in a straight line?"
Brewster Kneen

"Social justice does  not come from passivity or non-caring. Justice must
be struggled for. That is what life is, or should be all about - striving
for justice. Not only or primarily as individuals, but as members of larger
communities." Ursula Franklin





On Mon, 1 Jun 2020 at 09:38, Arzeena Hamir <arzeenahamir at shaw.ca> wrote:

> I know we’re all holding the weight of COVID and the events in the US and
> our own cities in Canada on our shoulders but here’s the recent development
> from the BC NDP, via Country Life in BC:
>
> *Wes Shoemaker has been appointed to lead the development of an
> agri-industrial zone within the Agricultural Land Reserve, and role that
> positions him to become "Commissioner for Agri-Industrial Lands,” as
> recommended by the province’s Food Security Task Force earlier this year.
> The commissioner would oversee designation of 28,500 acres within the ALR
> for the new zone and be responsible for attracting companies to locate
> within the proposed zone. However, the Agricultural Land Commission and
> others are pushing back against the move, with ALC chair Jennifer Dyson
> saying, the commission "would like to be consulted before any decision is
> made about potentially increasing the impact of processing and retail
> facilities on the agricultural land base.” Lana Popham says the new zone
> would be minimal: “We’re just looking for ways to find a place for that to
> happen It’s not necessarily on the Agricultural Land Reserve … it’s [not]
> going to take away from the parts of agriculture that we believe in so
> much.*
>
> If you believe the last statement, I have a few bridges for sale…
>
> Contact your MLAs. This" Agri-Industrial Lands” designation goes against
> the very findings of the ALR/ALC Revitalizations Committee. The ALR is for
> farming first and we certainly should not be sacrificing valuable land in
> the Fraser Valley for industrial processing.
>
> Arzeena
>
> Amara Farm
> Courtenay, BC
> (250) 702-5657
> https://www.facebook.com/AmaraFarm
> https://twitter.com/arzeena
>
>
>
>
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