Green Langford

To Whom It May Concern:

As a resident in the Luxton area, and a local food advocate, I am writing to express my concern with the proposal to remove properties (the majority on Happy Valley Road) from the ALR.

Langford is a large urban area with no provision or plan to deal with looming food problems which, according to many, many reports, will occur in the foreseeable future. Once land is developed, it can be impossible to restore and rehabilitate it back into viable food production – in other words, decisions which are irreversible and affect not only us, but our children and grandchildren’s future, need to be considered with very careful deliberation.

I submit that any decision to remove land from the ALR be tabled until research and assessments are done to determine the existing ratio of land for food production per person. It is more than possible that there is a severe land shortage for this purpose, and without food security, we have no other type of security, so please give this matter the attention it deserves.

I developed a website to support backyard gardening and city-wide food plans and provide links to existing resources. I hope to present more information once we determine the amount of interest there is for a Langford Food Plan. Those associated with this project are working in a volunteer capacity, so much of the work gets done when time permits.

Deb Harper
South Langford resident
http://homegrow.ca/

See:
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=213343
Forget oil, the new global crisis is food
BMO strategist Donald Coxe warns credit crunch and soaring oil prices will pale in comparison to looming catastrophe

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_15490.cfm
UK: This week, Mayor Boris Johnson of London announced a plan to convert more than 2000 parcels of land around the city into green spaces for growing food.

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/a_hungry_planet/
Higher oil prices, freak weather, low food reserves and growing consumer demand are affecting food supplies all around the world.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12252
Catastrophic Fall in 2009 Global Food Production
Global Research, February 10, 2009
————————————————————————————–
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:15:28 -0800
From: Matthew Baldwin
Subject: RE: ALR Land removal – Happy Valley Road

Ms. Harper,

Thank you for your email.

While the City of Langford is currently reviewing applications that land owners in Langford have made to the BC Agriculture Land Commission (ALC) with respect to exclusion from the ALR, the decision whether or not land is removed from the ALR rests solely with the ALC, and not with Council for the City of Langford.

I would suggest that you consider writing to the commission at:

Provincial Agricultural Land Commission
133-4940 Canada Way
Burnaby, BC
V5G 4K6

Matthew G.S. Baldwin, MCIP, RPP
City Planner
City of Langford
2nd Floor- 877 Goldstream Avenue
Langford, BC
V9B 2X8
Phone: 250 474-6919
Fax: 250 391 3436

————————————————————————————–
From: Deb Harper
Sent: February 13, 2009 10:09 AM
To: Matthew Baldwin
Subject: RE: ALR Land removal – Happy Valley Road

Matthew Baldwin wrote,

>While the City of Langford is currently reviewing applications that
>land owners in Langford have made to the BC Agriculture Land
>Commission (ALC) with respect to exclusion from the ALR, the
>decision whether or not land is removed from the ALR rests solely
>with the ALC, and not with Council for the City of Langford.

My research led me to believe that without approval from Langford,
the applications could proceed no further:

Could you please clarify if the statement on the ALC site is
incorrect or if I am misinterpreting it?

Regards,

Deb Harper
————————————————————————————–

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:35:12 -0800
From: Matthew Baldwin
Subject: RE: ALR Land removal – Happy Valley Road

No. If you want clarification on ALC processes, please contact the ALC.