Peninsula & Area Agricultural Commission

c/o Saanich Municipal Hall 770 Vernon Avenue, Victoria, B.C. V8X 2W7 Telephone: (250) 475-1775 Fax: (250) 475-5440 Secretary: Isobel Hoffmann, [email protected] Co-Chairs: Bob Maxwell & Jack Mar

June 23, 2016

TO: Mayors and Councillors Municipalities of Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquiamlt, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Sidney, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Highlands, Salt Spring & the Gulf Islands

Re: Request for support to re-instate and ‘hire’ our South Island Regional Agrologist

A few months ago our Regional Agrologist retired. As did many Regional Agrologists throughout the Province. The Ministry of Agriculture will fill only two positions - but not the Southern Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands position.

The Regional Agrologist is very important to us in providing some of these vital services to the farm and food community, and to the Municipalities with their programs and decision making: - To provide information and a link between the Agricultural Land Commission and municipalities on critical issues of ALR changes, uses such as farm worker housing, waste earth dumping, subdivision applications and non-compatible land uses. - To provide information on the Right to Farm Act and help to handle farmland disputes and issues. - To provide information and sit on committees concerning problem wildlife such as the non- migratory resident Canada Geese problem, which continues to cost our farmers and others hundreds of thousands of dollars each year – now going into about the 20 th year. Deer also continue to be a costly problem. - To help with information and direction on diseases and pests, such as the Spotted Wing Drosphilia: a fruit fly which is now established on the Saanich Peninsula fruit and berry farms. - To provide information to new farmer groups, growing local programs, connections and interpretations with government programs, food processing initiatives, forage and food crop selection and the management, soils, composting, drainage and grower guides. - To provide information and help with Federal/Provincial Government grants for agricultural stability and growth, and also with climate change policies and agricultural water use as to the new provincial Water Act.

These are critical services to the whole region - a benefit to us all and necessary for the growing demand of local food and produce. There are about 1,000 farms in our region producing about 50 million dollars of products annually.

We respectfully ask that you each write a letter requesting the Ministry of Agriculture and/or the Premier to re-hire a Regional Agrologist for the Southern Vancouver Island (mainly the Capital Regional District).

Thank you sincerely,

Robert Maxwell and Jack Mar, Co-Chairs Peninsula & Area Agricultural Commission see reverse side for copies 

Member Municipalities: Districts of Saanich, Central Saanich, North Saanich & Town of Sidney Copies to:

MP’s

Randall Garrison, MP, Esquimalt-Sooke Murray Rankin, MP, Victoria Elizabeth May, MP, Saanich Gulf Islands

MLAs

Hon. Christy Clark, Premier Hon. Norm Letnick, Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham MLA, Gary Holman MLA, North Saanich and the Islands Rob Fleming MLA, Victoria Dr. Andrew Weaver, MLA, Oak Bay-Gordon Head Carol James MLA, Victoria Beacon Hill Maurine Karagianis, MLA, Esquimalt Royal Roads John Horgan, MLA, Juan de Fuca

Chair Barbara Desjardins, Chair, CRD Board

Member Municipalities: Districts of Saanich, Central Saanich, North Saanich & Town of Sidney