Victoria, BC– The Capital Regional District (CRD) Board has approved bylaws to establish two new regional services. The Regional Foodlands Access Service aims to enhance food security and address long-standing concerns about the rising cost of farmland and access to farmland. The Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Service will allow the CRD to begin to play a regional role in the preservation of biodiversity and protection of natural assets. Both bylaws have been adopted after receiving elector assent through separate regional Alternative Approval Processes (AAPs).
Within the capital region, the average age of farmers is approaching 60 years old, and the high cost of agricultural land is posing a significant challenge for new farmers. Initial programs in the service will include a five-year farming pilot study on five acres of previously farmed land at Bear Hill Regional Park. A second program being considered will provide grant funding to support farmers and landowners who participate in the B.C. Land Matching Program.
“The CRD has shown increasing concern for food security,” said CRD Board Chair Cliff McNeil-Smith. “The Foodlands Access Service will be the CRD’s first service focused on agriculture and is a significant achievement in working towards our long-term goal of improving local food security. The service will provide opportunities for new and expanding farmers to access productive agricultural land, and address barriers to increasing local food production.”
The new Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Service will prompt more environmentally conscious actions, such as ecosystem restoration and protection, watershed protection, and invasive species removal. Partnerships with First Nations and other government and non-government organizations will increase opportunities to deliver education and outreach to support the protection of ecological assets in the region.
For more information on the Regional Foodlands Access Service visit the Regional Foodlands Access Service page.
For more information on the Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Coordination Service visit www.crd.bc.ca/biodiversity-aap.
The CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and government partners to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Andy Orr, Senior Manager
CRD Corporate Communications
Tel: 250.360.3229
Cell: 250.216.5492
