The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) supported both resolutions that were put forward for consideration by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) at the annual UBCM meeting last week in Vancouver.
SCRD Area F director Ian Winn presented the SCRD’s resolution that highlighted the inequity of Agricultural Land Commission policies concerning breweries, distilleries and meaderies in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
“The inequity is that wineries and cideries can use farm products from other farms in the province to meet their 50 per cent farm product requirement; however, a brewery, distillery or meadery must have at least 50 per cent of the farm product grown on site. In many areas of the province, including the Sunshine Coast, the growing of barley is not a viable crop,” Winn said.
“The economic benefit of small craft breweries and distilleries is evident across the province,” he added, saying the Sunshine Coast could increase agri-tourism with the proposed changes to the ALR policies.
SCRD Area D director Mark Lebbell presented a resolution on transit funding. Lebbell said the SCRD board brought the resolution to UBCM because over the last number of years there has been uncertainty around provincial transit budget allocations, which “made it particularly challenging for the SCRD to make commitments around the cost-share aspects of our recent transit expansion.”
The SCRD, Powell River Regional District, Nanaimo Regional District and the City of Nelson deliver transit services themselves and not via contracted transit operating companies.
UBCM will submit the endorsed resolutions to the provincial government for consideration. Provincial responses will be sent to the UBCM and forwarded to the local government.
