Hi Sarah,
MLA Mercier has reviewed the issue.
We understand that you spoke with the local Member of Parliament, however this is federal land and a federal issue – where as the zoning is under the City of Surrey making it also a municipal issue. Decisions on agricultural land are made by the Agricultural Land Commission, an arms length body. We can not get involved with proceedings undertaken by the ALC and encourage you to get in contact with the Minister directly.
Please see below a direct link to the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission website as a resource:
Please also find corresponding Minister emails below for contacting:
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Honourable George Heyman:
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Honourable Lana Popham:
I hope this information finds you well.
Have a great day,
Jennifer, Constituency Assistant
Andrew Mercier, MLA Langley
604-514-8206
From: Sarah Dennis <sarah@kdts.ca> Sent: March 31, 2021 5:47 PM To: Mercier.MLA, Andrew <Andrew.Mercier.MLA@leg.bc.ca>; nrobertbell@gmail.com; hull.rod@gmail.com Subject: Re: Environmental & Agricutlure Preservation
Hello, Part of the Federal land that we are trying to have protected, is agricultural. The land is actively farmed by Heppells, who lease it on a year-to-year basis. After speaking with environmental groups, municipal staff at the City of Surrey, and Federal Government employees, I was advised agricultural land falls under the Provincial Government. This land is not in the ALR, and is currently zoned as A1. Getting it designated as ALR could help protect the agriculture portion on the federal property. Could MLA Mercier help us connect with the Minister of Agriculture on this matter? We have been in communication with Wes Heppell, and he seems very keen on continuing to farm there. He supports keeping the land as agriculture. The other portion of the land is all forest, as I described in my original email. We have been in contact with several environmental groups, to gather information on how we can get the forest protected. We would like to speak with someone at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to see if they can also help us. The forest is over 100 hectares and is home to a variety of species at risk. Please note that this land is not owned by the City of Surrey, it is owned by the Federal Government. The property is in surplus and the Federal Government is looking at selling or transferring the property to interested parties. I will send you the email I received from the Federal Government's real estate advisor with the exact information on the divestiture of the property. Lastly, we have been in contact with Tako van Popta, who has also shown some willingness to help us. Any help from the Provincial Government and MLA Mercier would be greatly appreciated. Warm regards, Sarah Dennis
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