VICTORIA, B.C. – B.C. Green Party MLA and spokesperson for agriculture Adam Olsen introduced a petition from his constituents in Saanich North and the Islands regarding concerns that a large scale cannabis facility is compromising agricultural lands.
“This petition underscores the need for government to address increased speculation on ALR land due to cannabis legalization,” said Olsen.
“Agricultural land is already facing speculative activity due to our runaway real estate market. The legalization of cannabis is unprecedented in terms of such a high-value agricultural product suddenly coming on line is unprecedented. I am concerned that regulatory uncertainty is driving speculative activity on ALR land. The Ministry of Agriculture is currently consulting British Columbians on what a revitalization of the ALR should look like. We are also awaiting the government's cannabis regulatory legislation. At this stage, government should take a pause from authorizing the sale of ALR land for the use of cannabis growth so that we can address the impact of speculation.
“The B.C. Greens believe that while the first priority in B.C.’s legalization process should be to ensure health and safety, we must also ensure that our province is maximizing opportunities for local entrepreneurs in the craft cannabis industry. However, industry needs certainty in order to maximize its efficiency. While the full details of the government’s regulatory regime, as well as the ALR revitalization are outstanding, taking a pause to examine the impacts on speculation of ALR land as a whole will ultimately benefit all agricultural producers.”
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