The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is pleased to note both the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys will have continued standing under the original Agricultural Land Reserve principle of protecting farmland following changes made by the provincial government to the ALR this morning.

“The Regional District is pleased the provincial government recognizes the value of the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys as critical food-source providers,” said Mark Pendergraft, Chair of the Regional District’s Board of Directors.

“With their orchards, farms, vineyards and ranches, both valleys provide an abundance of food to the province.”

Zone One includes the prime farmland of the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Okanagan and Similkameen valleys and Vancouver Island.

Zone Two includes farmland in the North, the Kootenays and the rest of the Interior.

Pendergraft was also pleased the Agricultural Land Commission, which administers the ALR, will remain a fully independent tribunal and decision-maker.

“As I understand it, the ALC will continue to make final decisions on specific land uses within the Agricultural Land Reserve,” he said.

“Our commitment as part of that process is to work with landowners to ensure continued responsible and effective stewardship.”

Over the last five years, the Regional District has reviewed 68 ALR applications. Twenty of those applications were in Area “C,” 12 in Area “H” and 11 in Area “A.”

The ALR was established by the provincial government in 1974 to slow the loss of prime agricultural land to urban and other uses. It takes precedence over, but does not replace other legislation and bylaws that may apply to the land. Local and regional governments, as well as other provincial agencies, are expected to plan in accordance with the provincial policy of preserving agricultural land.

In the Okanagan-Similkameen, the ALR totals about 84,000 hectares