Submission & response to Stan Hagen re Bill 21 - Agricultural Land Commission Act

We are writing to provide input regarding Bill 21. We are not aware that there was any public consultation on this new legislation prior to its introduction in the Legislature, despite the important issues of public policy it contains. We are nevertheless writing at this late stage in the hope that you are open to changes and will receive this as constructive to the legislative process. As a general comment, although we recognize that the government is maintaining the essential elements of the agricultural land reserve protection regime, we believe the government is putting those protections at risk by authorizing delegated approval of subdivision and non-farm use without appropriate checks and balances. We are also very disappointed that you are repealing the key features of the forest land reserve without any public process. Bill 22 introduces positive changes that improve the Agricultural Land Commission’s enforcement capabilities, but it also raises the following important issues that we would like to bring to your attention.