Strategic Context
The Commission will continue to play the lead role in agricultural land preservation and in doing so, will make a positive
contribution towards achieving one of government's Five Great Goals of leading the world in sustainable environmental management.
The Commission's continuing efforts to work with stakeholders to encourage and enable farming and farm businesses in the ALR
will also contribute positively to another of government's Five Great Goals of creating more jobs per capita than anywhere
else in Canada.
Over the past three decades, the Commission has responded to pressures on the ALR by refining the boundaries, initiating a
series of minor changes to its guiding legislation, and by developing working partnerships with other ministries, local governments
and more recently, First Nations. Despite these ongoing changes, the Commission must pursue significant operational changes
that will position it to respond proactively to agricultural, land use, environmental, economic and societal trends.
A: Environmental Scan
- Increasing growth pressures on agricultural land. Population, housing and land consumption patterns in all regions and particularly
within high-growth areas is increasing land use competition. Several high-profile applications over the past two years are
indicative of mounting pressure on the Commission to allow lands within the ALR to be utilized for residential and non-agricultural
employment lands within these high-growth areas. The number of applications by land owners has also increased significantly
over the past three years, despite streamlining efforts that expanded the types of non-agricultural uses that could proceed
without an application. It is anticipated that pressure on the ALR will continue to build in the coming years.
- Renewed priority on domestic food supplies and the contribution of agriculture. Natural crises and crises precipitated by
human actions, as well as concern over the source and quality of the food available to B.C.'s population, has focused attention
to the ALR's role in providing a safe and adequate supply of food for domestic consumption. There is also a growing awareness
of the vital role agriculture plays in local economies and the potential for future export opportunities.
B: Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities
