Panelists
- Adam Olsen – MLA – Saanich North & the Islands
- Lindsay Dault – Partner / Owner – Country Bee Honey Farm
- Steve Duck – CEO – TIDES Group
Policy & Governance
- Adam Olsen reviews the background to the ALR designation zone
- we chat the “highest & best use” of agricultural land
- affordable housing discussion
Business of Farming / Agriculture
- is it sustainable and affordable to operate?
- we chat about local food supply chains, especially in this COVID based realty
- we chat about freezer & processing capacity
- we chat about a Peninsula based Abattoir
- we need to investigate year-round food packaging & production capacity on the Peninsula
- we referenced Bright Green’s Victoria operations as a successful example of year round food production (http://www.brightgreens.ca/home.html)
- is the ALR designation hindering the ability of farmer’s to operate their business?
- can employees live on the land with this zoning?
- what are the agricultural economics, e.g., wage levels & labour shortage issues barriers to sustainable businesses?
- how much food is actually produced on the Peninsula?
- much of the land is hayed versus food production
- is the land too expensive to profitably run a farm?
- is there enough land on the Peninsula for a sustainable Industry?
Marketing & Networking
- who is promoting the Industry?
- healthy local support despite lack of tourist business
- how do we find local suppliers & vendors?
Education
- why is agriculture / farming not taught in local schools?
- why not a Farm academy on the Peninsula?
- huge opportunity…plans for a farming school on the Sandown Lands
- partnering with First Nations
Misc
- we chat about the Sandown land development (Sandown Center for Regenerative Agriculture)
- Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA) – Island Good (https://viea.ca/initiatives/island-good/)
- new crop production (seaweed)
- we need government regulations & support to help grow the sector
- we introduce the “reef-net”
Links
- Bright Green’s – http://www.brightgreens.ca/home.html
- Island Good – https://viea.ca/initiatives/island-good/
- Cascadia Seaweed – https://www.cascadiaseaweed.com/
- Harvest Route – https://theharvestroute.com/
