Agricultural Land Reserve

Over 30% of lands in Summerland are within the ALR

That equates to approximately 2781 hectares (6871.75 acres).  Developing in these areas often requires Municipal Council review as well as authorization from the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission.

The purposes of the ALC as set out in Section 6 of the Agricultural Land Commission Act are:

• To preserve agricultural land;
• To encourage farming in collaboration with other communities of interest; and
• To encourage local governments, First Nations, the government and its agents to enable and accommodate farm use of agricultural land and uses compatible with agriculture in their plans, bylaws and policies.

The ALC deals with approximately 150 local governments across BC with land in the ALR. The ALC supports coordinated and collaborative planning with local governments to ensure agricultural lands are protected.

Land Use Planning

While the ALC is ultimately responsible for the administration of the ALR; local government bylaws, land use plans and farm use policies are essential, complementary components, helping to achieve the objectives of the ALR.

A number of statutory requirements enable local governments and the ALC to collaborate in protecting ALR land.

The ALC Act mandates the ALC to work with local governments to accommodate, support and encourage farming on ALR lands. The ALC Act also requires local governments to ensure its bylaws (growth strategies, official community plans and zoning bylaws, etc.) are consistent with the ALC Act.

The Local Government Act requires community plans affecting the ALR be forwarded to the ALC for review and comment to ensure consistency with the ALC Act.

For more information on developing within the Agricultural Land Reserve, please visit the Agricultural Land Commission's website at: www.alc.gov.bc.ca