Agricultural Land Use Planning in Northern British Columbia Case Study of Cariboo Regional District FINAL REPORT Dr. David J. Connell Associate Professor School of Environmental Planning University of Northern British Columbia Phone: (250) 960-5835 Email:
[email protected] Katie Eistetter MA Student Natural Resource and Environmental Studies University of Northern British Columbia May, 2015 Agricultural Land Use Planning in Northern BC FINAL REPORT: CARIBOO REGIONAL DISTRICT Executive Summary In this report we present the results of a study of agricultural land use planning for the Cariboo Regional District (CRD), a large geographic area located in the central interior of British Columbia. The CRD includes the three urban areas the City of Quesnel, City of Williams Lake, and 100 Mile House, many small towns, and reserve lands of several First Nations. The rural areas and the economy are based on forestry and agriculture. Agriculture is primarily ranching and forage with some opportunities for other forms of food production. To assess the region as a whole, we examined the breadth and quality of four local legislative frameworks that govern agricultural land use planning, including policies, legislation, and governance. To gain further insights, we examined the local legislative framework of 150 Mile House Area as a case study site. For the case study, we assessed the strength of the local framework for agricultural land use planning using four principles as criteria: maximise stability, integrate public priorities across jurisdictions, minimise uncertainty, and accommodate flexibility. The case study also involved an assessment of the political context within which agricultural land use planning takes place and decisions are made.