Kootenay farm properties led BC with the strongest increase in value last year, according to Farm Credit Canada, rising 28.1% versus a year ago to $15,300 an acre. “Buyers tended to be from outside the Kootenay region and larger urban centres, which created sudden and potentially short-term competition for land,” reported FCC in its annual …
NEWS
Hornet surveillance plans outlined
Surveillance plans are in place to keep tabs on the Asian Giant Hornet this year, in the hope of preventing it from gaining a foothold in the Fraser Valley and elsewhere. Nicknamed the “murder hornet” by the media, the Vespa mandarinia can be up to 5 cm in length. A swarm can destroy a bee …
Foodgrains auction sets record
The annual Make a Difference auction in support of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank set a new record this year. Strong turnout pushed funds raised to $320,000, surpassing the $300,000 garnered last year for relief efforts among farmers and residents in trouble spots overseas. “Our long-standing auction can’t be stopped by COVID-19,” a teaser for the …
Douglas Lake wins appeal
The BC Court of Appeal has sided with Douglas Lake Cattle Co., overturning an earlier ruling granting fishers access to Minnie and Stoney Lakes. The new judgment also firmly rejects claims of any public right to cross private lands to access Crown property in BC, often termed “right to roam.” BC Supreme Court Justice Joel …
Foreign worker vaccination prioritized
Temporary foreign workers in the agriculture sector are a priority for the second phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, says federal employment minister and Delta MP Carla Qualtrough. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended the move as part of measures to address COVID-19 among vulnerable populations, including those in congregate housing. “NACI has recommended that …
Solanki heads cranberry commission
The BC Cranberry Marketing Commission has a new chair. Jack Brown has stepped down as chair, handing the reins to Kalpna Solanki, who said she has “big shoes to fill” when her appointment was announced at the commission’s annual general meeting March 3. The change is effective today (March 10). Solanki is CEO of the …