Budget cuts coming to the provincial Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) struck a nerve at Chilliwack city hall on April 7.
Coun. Chris Kloot warned at the council meeting that he was going to be “blunt,” in his commentary about the chronically underfunded ALC now facing a round of cuts, characterizing it as “very irresponsible.”
He zeroed in on the province’s “lack of commitment to farmers and the ag sector,” taking on the issue not only as a city councillor, he said, but also as a dairy farmer.
“I think it’s really important that communities who understand agriculture, bring forward our displeasure with the fact that the Agricultural Land Commission has the inability to fund itself appropriately,” Kloot said. “I think it’s very irresponsible and just shows a fundamental lack of understanding by the province of what it takes to actually keep agriculture viable in this province.”
ALC Chair Jennifer Dyson wrote a letter to local governments across the province last month detailing staffing cuts that have to be made to the commission, a body which is responsible for preserving B.C. farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
“Over the past year, the Commission implemented extensive cost-containment measures, including significant reductions to Commissioner expenses, staff travel, office supplies, and general project and meeting expenditures,” Dyson wrote. “Despite these efforts, salary and benefit costs now exceed available funding, leaving staff reductions as the only remaining option to ensure fiscal compliance.”
Kloot pointed out the ALC is being forced to make these difficult decisions on staffing because they didn’t have the the funding they needed to maintain the status quo.
“And this was a hand-picked chair by the Minister of Agriculture. So it’s pretty unprecedented move by her to come out and just say, ‘Hey, we can’t continue to function this way.’”
These cuts could lead to more farmers and operators leaving B.C., Kloot said, referring to a report from the Agriculture Council of B.C. revealing that B.C. is now “the second-least profitable province in which to farm.”
“When I talk to my peers, there are more and more people who are actually beginning to question whether this is the place to actually farm,” Kloot said.
Provincial red tape, rising fuel costs, feed sources, transportation issues are all factors that farmers are facing, and transportation costs are only expected to continue to rise, Kloot said, adding that “even private property rights are now in question.”
“I think these cuts will slow everything down. Bonafide farmers will continue to wait in the queue, waiting longer for decisions, and that will affect their ability to operate,” he underlined.
Mayor Ken Popove agreed noting what was needed was an “ALC 2.0,” after 50 years and so much growth, adding it was was alarming to hear from the ALC chair about the proposed cuts.
He compared the compliance and enforcement side of the ALC which has eight staff members for the entire province, versus the city bylaw enforcement staff of six.
”And so what happens is, you see the proliferation of illegal dumping on farmland, you see the continued abuse of farmland, not just here in the Fraser Valley, but across the province. Sometimes it’s irreparable.”
Kloot said he was the one who drafted the resolution that came before council this week and was approved to forward on to UBCM after some discussion, calling on the province to restore “adequate, stable and ongoing” funding to the ALC.
City of Chilliwack received a March 23 letter from the ALC Chair about ALC staff cuts and budget pressures, citing years of “increased statutory responsibility” without corresponding funding increases from the province.
“Reducing staffing levels at the ALC will have a significant impact on service and result in longer application processing and compliance timelines,” the staff report stated. “Further, insufficient funding jeopardizes the long-term viability of farming and food security, signalling an overall lack of commitment by the Province to farmers and the agricultural sector.”
Kloot argued the commission needs more capacity to be able to fund themselves appropriately, and the province seems to be waiting for someone else to pick up the pieces.
“They need to start treating agriculture like the priority that it is, because the actions of this government are doing exactly the opposite.”
Chilliwack council approved the following resolution for submission to the 2026 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention:
WHEREAS the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) plays a critical role in preserving British Columbia’s
agricultural land base and supporting the long-term viability of farming and food security across the
province;
AND WHEREAS the ALC has recently been required to lay off staff to remain within its budget, demonstrating a level of provincial underfunding that undermines its mandate and signals a lack of adequate provincial commitment to farmers and the agricultural sector,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) call upon the Province of
British Columbia to immediately provide adequate, stable, and ongoing funding to the Agricultural Land
Commission to ensure it can fulfill its legislated mandate without reductions in staffing or service levels;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Province to recognize and address the serious impacts of ALC underfunding on farmers, agricultural land protection, and local food systems, and to demonstrate a renewed commitment to supporting agriculture as a vital component of British Columbia’s economy and communities