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To: Agricultural Land Commission cc: District of Summerland

Save Summerland's Agricultural Land: Stop the Swap

We reject the District of Summerland’s plan to swap 200* acres of premium farmland for hilly, marginal lands. We call on the Agricultural Land Commission and District of Summerland to scrap this plan, and stand up for Summerland’s agricultural land.

(*Updated Sunday, 26 January: Previous information from the District of Summerland stated 215 acres for removal. New information states 200 acres).

Why is this important?

The decisions we make concerning our agricultural land will impact current and future generations--once the land is gone, we can’t get it back. Protecting our farmland is an investment in our immediate future and a long-term investment in our community, our region, our province and beyond.

We need to stand up for our agricultural land to prevent future encroachment and stop land swapping and speculation on ALR land.

The creation of the ALR forty years ago was not the end of a fight to preserve agricultural land, but the beginning of a unique and strategic direction for our Province’s agricultural and economic future.

Please contact us at [email protected] to get more involved with the campaign.

You can also write the Agriculture Land Commission a handwritten letter:

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

(Updated Wednesday, 12 March: ALC address added).

How it will be delivered

A town hall meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 7 April. A second public hearing will follow. We will present the petition to Summerland Council a second time at the next public hearing. We will then forward it to the Agricultural Land Commission.

(Updated Wednesday, 12 March: Second public hearing scheduled).

Category

Links

Updates

2014-04-05 00:24:45 -0400

We are all Summerlanders aged 30 and under, having either grown up here or moved here in our twenties, and all of us have worked in the local agricultural economy.

We understand the need for growth and development.
We understand our community's increasing infrastructure costs.
We understand the threat of climate change and the need for food security.
We understand and believe in smart growth principles that allow for growth and development while preserving and enhancing agricultural lands.
We support the Agricultural Land Commission and its mandate to preserve farmland.

Above all, we are in favour of a fact-based, improved dialogue within the community and believe that it is essential for a future that represents all of our shared interests.

Regards,

Erin Carlson, Anastasia Ivanusic, Anissa McAlpine, Katie Sardinha, Alexander Thistlewood, and Dru Yates

2014-02-26 23:53:59 -0500

An open letter to the citizens of Summerland:

I was both shocked and disappointed this morning to see the newly posted Notice of Public Hearing signs, defaced. As the spokesperson and face of the Stop the Swap movement I am writing this letter to assure the public that we were in no way connected to this incident. None of the people within our group did this. We do not know who did it. On Monday, we spent hundreds of dollars to send you all a FAQ sheet explaining the issue at hand.
For someone to take a can of spray paint around town in the middle of the night does not help our cause and it is destructive in more ways than one. It is an unfortunate event that I hope will never occur again.
I would implore the people on both sides of this debate to act professionally and base their opinions, and actions on the facts and truths.

Thank you.

Erin Carlson
Summerland

2014-02-17 22:52:26 -0500

Wondering about the validity of this petition? Have a listen here! http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaksouth/2014/02/17/summerland-land-swap-faces-petition-online/

2014-02-11 20:42:14 -0500

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/february-11-2014-throne-speech/id352379198?i=254884710&mt=2

Listen up at minute 8!

2014-02-04 22:54:00 -0500

Found out about us via the mailbox?!
Come to the Council chambers at 7pm on February 11th to hear the '1st reading' and vote on the proposal.

2014-01-18 21:29:12 -0500

1,000 signatures reached

2014-01-09 23:06:25 -0500

500 signatures reached

2014-01-07 12:39:31 -0500

http://globalnews.ca/news/1065632/watch-fight-to-save-alr-property/
savethesummerlandalr.com

2014-01-07 11:48:12 -0500

100 signatures reached

2014-01-07 01:05:30 -0500

50 signatures reached

2014-01-06 23:01:20 -0500

25 signatures reached

2014-01-06 21:52:37 -0500

10 signatures reached