Agriculture ministry extends deadline for feedback on agri-tourism

Those who want to have a say on how agri-tourism should be regulated in this province now have until Jan. 15th, afterthe Ministry of Agriculture extended the deadline forcomment on its draft policy on non-farm uses for land in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

The move comes after two farms that have become popular wedding spots announced no more bookings and outright cancellations of weddings last week due to cease-and-desist orders from the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).

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"I've expanded the deadline to January 15th because I started to hear back from some of the proponents of agri-tourism that they wanted more input into it," said minister Norm Letnick of the Sept. 2014 draft policy that was sent out to municipalities after an extensive consultation period.

A standard for local governments

The feedback will be used to establish what's known as a minister's bylaw standard, which Letnick said will "provide some direction to local government as to what should or should not be happening on agricultural land."

The current draft bylawfirmly states that farm income must surpass any "accessory" use, in an effort to keepland in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) primarily for crops or produce.

He said that the government will use the input gathered from the agriculture industry, local governments and the ALC to come up with clear regulations for agri-tourism, and accommodation and retail sales in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

"We are putting together a minister's bylaw to give what I believe not only local governments want, but landowners in the ALR want, which is a little more certainty as to what agri-tourism really means, what farm retail sales mean, what a combination on your ALR land really means," he said.

"That way it will help to provide less confrontation, less uncertainty like what we've seen recently."

The Ministry of Agriculture has previously created several minister's bylaw standards, such as one in 2014 for regulating medical marijuana production facilities in the ALR.

Recent crackdown

Letnick said he can't speak for whythe ALC has been cracking down on non-farm use activities recently as the commission is an administrative tribunal that is independent from the government.

"We appoint good people, fair-minded people to the commission. It's their job to look at the act, the act says the first and foremost job of the ALC is to support agricultural land for future generations, and also to see more farming done on that land," Letnick said.

ALC rules clearly state that non-agricultural activity is not allowed on the lands it governs.

The two farms that received cease-and-desist orders were both in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and as such non-farm use activities are forbidden without an exemption permit, which the ALC said the farms didn't have.

"Lately there are so many people using farm facilities for weddings, that I'm pretty sure it's something the commission will be coming up with some standards on pretty quickly and for right across the province," ALC vice-chair Gerry Zimmermann said.

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled: Agricultural Minister Norm Letnick said a clear policy around agri-tourism is in the works, after recent farm wedding crackdown