Year-at-a-Glance Highlights

During the fiscal year 2003/04 the Agricultural Land Commission continued to consolidate the changes and strategic shifts implemented during the two previous years. Advances were made in how the Commission delivered its services to stakeholders and the public. The regional model adopted in May 2002 effectively brought decision-making closer to those affected by Commission decisions and increased opportunities for collaboration with local governments and others. The Commission focused on agricultural land preservation through provincial zoning — the Agricultural Land Reserve or ALR — and the more efficient and effective management of the ALR. It made decisions on applications for exclusion, inclusion, non-farm use and subdivision within the Reserve. Some highlights for the year include:

• Six Commission panels continued to make ALR decisions in the six regions: South Coastal, Island, Interior, Okanagan, Kootenay and North. This was the first full year of operations for the six panels.
• During the year the Commission received 464 new applications for changes to the ALR boundary and permission for non-farm uses in the ALR, a number similar to the previous year.
• The Commission used its new legislation — the Agricultural Land Commission Act, 2002 — and regulations to implement more results-based processes. It developed new policies to assist applicants and local governments in understanding and applying the legislation.
• The Commission prepared and distributed "ALR and Community Planning Guidelines" to help local governments plan for agriculture and to support farm businesses.
• The Commission continued to fine tune and improve its performance management and information systems.
• The Commission and the Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) concluded a delegation agreement to delegate certain oil and gas approvals in the ALR to the OGC under mutually agreed guidelines. This will improve one-stop permitting for oil and gas development in the ALR in the province's Peace region.
• The Commission panels met with many applicants, local governments, agricultural organizations, ministries and agencies over the year in their decision-making capacity and to pursue further collaborative arrangements.
• The Commission Chair and staff led the government initiative to phase-out the Forest Land Reserve and to implement a new model for the regulation of forest practices on private managed forest lands. This new model, developed jointly with ministry staff and industry representatives, will be fully implemented during fiscal 2004/05.
• The Commission participated in informal discussions with some First Nations at the treaty agreement-in-principle stage and worked on solutions to resolve First Nations issues around land selection in the ALR. Legislative amendments to the Act were drafted to enable First Nations to apply directly to the Commission for ALR lands within their jurisdiction.